How To Start Your Own Blog

So, you want to start your own blog?
Great idea!

Everyone want to start their own blog.

But,
How do you get started?

I started learning blogging some years ago (around 2011). During that time, I got to know about blogging. I then started blogging out of a passion for learning new things. It took me around 2 years to start my very first blog (in 2013). But now, over the years, I’ve learned a lot about blogging.

(You Can Read Full Story About My Blogging Journey – Here)

Blogging has quickly become one of the most popular ways of communicating and spreading information and news. There are millions of blogs online today.

But Why Blogging?
Why You Should Start Your Own Blog?

There are many reasons:

• Blogging Is Free/Affordable
• Blogging Can Make You Express Yourself
• Blogging Can Help You Learn New Things
• Blogging Can Make You a Better Person
• Blogging Can Help Other People
• Blogging Can Make You A Better Writer
• Blogging Can Make You Stand Out
• Blogging Can Build Your Confidence
• Blogging Can Help You Connect With Bloggers Around The World
• Blogging Can Promote Your Work, Art, Hobby
• Blogging Can Boost Your Creativity
• Blogging Can Give You Freedom
• Blogging Can Help You Build Your Network
• Blogging Can Help To Grow Your Business
• Blogging Can Help You Make Money

That’s awesome, isn’t it?

Still Confused? Then, check out our detailed post: Why You Should Start Your Own Blog?

Luckily, nowadays, setting up a blog is easier than ever.

So, let’s move on.

Steps Covered In This Blogging Guide:

There are 5 main steps you need to go through in order to set up your own blog.

5 Steps On How to Start Your Own Blog:

1. Deciding Niche For Your Blog
2. Choosing Your Preferred Blog Platform
3. Choosing A Domain Name For Your Blog
4. Choosing Hosting For Your Blog
5. Designing & Configuring Your Blog

BONUS : Useful Tools & Resources For Blogging (at the end)

So, let’s start!

STEP 1: Deciding Niche For Your Blog

The first step for starting a blog is deciding a niche for your blog i.e. what your blog will focus on. There are many niches to focus on. Some of them are :

• Technology
• Entertainment
• Food
• Fashion
• Travelling
• Photography
• Movies
• Music
• Gaming
• Relationship
• Automobile
• Sports
• Personal Finance
• Writing

You can select a current trending niche for your blog. The best is to choose a niche you’re passionate about. Blogging is to be enjoyed.

But wait,
First, you need to think that what are you good at – what are your hobbies, interests & passion?

When I launched my first blog, I found that I was really passionate about Technology, Gadgets & Gizmos. So, I made that my niche.

STEP 2: Choosing Your Preferred Blog Platform

Deciding to start a blog comes with a lot of decisions to make.
One such decision is:
Which is the best blogging platform I should use?

Choosing where you want to build blog is pretty much the first thing you have to do.

Here Are Top Most Blogging Platforms:

• WordPress.org – WordPress.org is the world’s most popular blogging software.
• WordPress.com – WordPress.com is a blog hosting service offered by Automattic, a Company created by WordPress.org Co-Founder – Matt Mullenweg.
• Blogger – Acquired by Google in 2003, Blogger is a free blog hosting service which offers a quick and easy way to create a blog for non-tech-savvy users.
• Tumblr – Tumblr is a microblogging platform with social networking features including following other blogs, reblogging, built-in sharing tools, and more.
• Medium – Launched in 2012, Medium has grown into a community of writers, bloggers, journalists, and experts.
• Squarespace – Squarespace is a website building service that allows you to create beautiful websites using easy drag and drop tools.
• Wix – Wix is a hosted platform to build websites.
• Joomla – Joomla is an open source software content management system, just like WordPress.org.
• Ghost – Ghost is a minimalist blogging platform with limited features focused on writing blog posts.
• Weebly – Weebly is a hosted platform that allows you to build your website using drag and drop tools.

Free Platform Or Self-Hosted Platform?

This is the biggest decision you’ll have to make before we go any further.
You need to decide whether to pay for your blog or grab a free one.

On a free blog, your blog’s web address (your URL) will look ugly.
Here’s how it will look:

Blogger : www.yourblog.blogspot.com
WordPress (Hosted)(WordPress.com) : www.yourblog.wordpress.com
WordPress (Self-Hosted)(WordPress.org) : www.yourblog.com

Ugly, right ?

But wait,
Free blogs do have some dis-advantages.

Here Are Some Of The Dis-Advantages:

• You Don’t Get Your Own Domain Name
• You Don’t Own Your Blog Completely
• You Have Limited Access To Your Blog
• You Can’t Fully Monetize Your Blog

So, it is always recommended to use self-hosting for your blog such as Managed WordPress Hosting, as its pretty easy to use & customize.

If your interest is to start a blog for business, a self-hosted WordPress blog is more professional.

Also, it’s cheap nowadays to get a Domain Name & Hosting.
Some hosting Companies also offer free domain name with their hosting package/plan.

STEP 3: Choosing A Domain Name For Your Blog

The domain is basically the URL of your website.

Here are some examples of domain names:

www.google.com (google.com is the domain)
www.facebook.com (facebook.com is the domain)
www.twitter.com (twitter.com is the domain)

techrevolve.com (techrevolve.com is our domain)

Simple?

First things first, in order to start a blog, you need to brainstorm domain names.

Choose a domain name related to your interest and have some good keyword. Make out a list of domains with your focused keywords. Also, keep your domain name as short as possible (around 6-14 characters).

Here Are Three Main Points To Keep In Mind While Choosing A Domain Name For Your Blog:

1. Domain Name Must Be Unique & Creative
2. Domain Name Must Be Easy to Write
3. Domain Name Must Be Easy to Pronounce

You can use Domainr to check whether your domain name is available or not.
You can also use services such as Namechk & Namecheckr to make sure that your new target domain name is available on all major social sites or not.

STEP 4: Choosing Hosting For Your Blog

Hosting is basically the company that puts your website up on the internet so everyone else can see it. Everything will be saved on there.

It is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page on to the Internet.

Choosing the best hosting service for your blog can improve your blog’s ranking, SEO and can also increase sales.

If you are thinking about WordPress hosting, then there are various WordPress hosting options to choose from such as:

• Free WordPress Hosting
• Shared WordPress Hosting
• Managed WordPress Hosting
• VPS WordPress Hosting
• Dedicated Hosting

There Are Six Most Important Points You Need To Look After When Choosing A Hosting Plan:

1. Reliability – Uptime
2. Flexibility – Is the Hosting Plan Upgradable, Downgradable, Easy To Transfer?
3. Quality – User-Friendliness of cPanel (Control Panel), Admin Dashboard
4. Price – Is it Worth The Price?
5. Need – Does It Fit Your Needs?
6. Customer Support – Does Hosting Company Offer 24/7 Support To Customers?

If you are a blogger, then it is recommended to use Managed WordPress Hosting for your blog, as its pretty easy to use & customize.

You can check out & compare Hosting Plans/Packages from various Hosting Providers such as:

• BlueHost
• GoDaddy
• HostGator
• SiteGround
• DreamHost
• WP Engine

Do Check Out Our “Deals” Section For Some Amazing Deals & Discounts.

STEP 5: Designing & Configuring Your Blog

Now, the last part – Designing & Configuring your blog.

So, you’ve followed all the above steps & now you are thinking about designing your blog.

Designing & configuring blog is easy nowadays.

Just Keep These Three Things In Mind While Choosing A Theme For Your Blog:

1. Does The Theme Looks Professional?
2. Is The Theme Easy to Customize?
3. Is The Theme Easy to Navigate?

So, if these three things suit your needs & your blog needs, then you are ready to choose that particular theme for your blog.

If you are thinking to choose Self-Hosted WordPress Platform, it would be really easy & helpful in designing & configuring your blog.

There are various Free & Premium Themes for WordPress.
Also, there are various Free & Premium Plugins available for WordPress, which can help you in customizing your blog.

You can install a free WordPress theme by heading over to :
WP-Admin Dashboard > Appearance > Themes

You can also buy a Premium theme for your blog on ThemeForest.

WordPress also has this awesome feature that allows you to change themes with just a few clicks.

Remember, your blog’s design should reflect both – you and your personality, but also what the blog is about.

Once WordPress is installed on your website, all you have to do to start blogging is go to your WP-Admin page, usually – www.yourblogname.com/wp-admin and start writing by adding a new post.

At the start, the layout may look confusing, but it is very easy to understand and user-friendly.

BONUS: Useful Tools & Resources For Blogging

Here Are Some Useful Tools & Resources For Blogging:

• Why You Should Start Your Own Blog
• Top 15 Most Important Things To Do After Creating WordPress Blog For The First Time
• How To Secure Your WordPress Website
• How To Grow Your Blog And Manage Its Engagement

You Are Now Ready To Start Your Own Blog!

All The Best For Your New Blog!
Happy Blogging!