It's hard enough for a beginner to wade through the sheer mountain of information that's out there on the internet and separate the wood from the trees, let alone start a WordPress blog.
That's why I recommend Bluehost if you're just starting out. They just make everything so easy. And if you access Bluehost through my link you'll get a free domain name of your choosing and within minutes you'll have a blog up and running with WordPress already installed.
Over the years I've only had good experience with Bluehost who are known for their exceptional customer service and uptime of over 99%. I image that's why they're recommended by WordPress.
The first part of this tutorial will guide you through the process to start a WordPress blog. It will only take you a few minutes. The second part deals with getting around the WordPress Dashboard and other things that will make your life real easy.
OK, let's jump right in.
Set Up Your Blog
Head on over to the Bluehost website. [Yes this is an affiliate link but there's no additional cost to you and you'll also get a free domain name. I share absolutely everything I know with awesome people like you and the small referral fee that I make helps me to keep delivering the same high quality advice that you'll always get from me].
Click on the Get Started button.
Select a plan. The $3.95 plan is perfect for a single website. You can always upgrade later on if you want to add another site to the same account.
Search for a suitable domain name.
Add your account information and complete payment.
You'll get a success message.
Although you can't see it, WordPress is already installed together with a free SSL certificate, meaning that your blog will be on the https:// protocol.
Click the button on that screen to proceed. Then enter your new password details and click Create Account.
Your account is now ready. Click the Go To Login button.
Login to your account.
Although the next few screens are optional, it will make your life eaier to complete them.
Enter the details on the site type screen and Continue.
Select Blog and About Me options.
Now add a name (Site Title) to your site. As an example to help you here, my site title is WPMediaMastery. Add a tagline - this is like a slogan. Continue To Theme Selection.
Pick a theme that appeals to you. Make certain to Activate it.
Then from the Bluehost panel, Login to the WordPress Dashboard.
In future, access WordPress direct from your browser as follows:
domainname.com/wp-admin
This takes you to the official WordPress login screen. Enter your signup email address and your password.
You will now arrive on the WordPress dashboard.
That's all there is to start a WordPress blog. Congratulations!
Now let's get our hands dirty.
Essential WordPress Settings
Hover over Settings and select Permalinks.
Choose the Post Name option.
This option shows the domain name followed by the post URL. It prevents meaningless URLs such as domainname.com/?p=2486etc.
Go to Discussion Settings.
Copy the image and make sure to disable pingbacks and trackbacks. I suggest comments should be manually approved and disable comment author to have previously approved comment.
Remove Unwanted Plugins
Personally I keep plugins to a minimum unless they're absolutely essential.
Each plugin injects additional code into your site. Most of them include their code on every page of your site which is often unnecessary. The extra JavaScript and CSS gets in the way of the loading of posts and pages, negatively affecting speed. Furthermore, the more plugins that are installed, the greater the chance of conflicts.
So let's get rid of some plugins that are automatically added with the installation.
Click Plugins.
Deactivate all plugins with the exception of WordPress Importer and WP Forms Lite. Then delete them. You can always reinstall a plugin later on.
The WP Importer plugin will allow you to import posts into your site. This is especially handy if you save your posts in a file and want to import them back into your site.
WP forms will be used to create a contact page.
How To Install Plugins
Hover over Plugins, then select Add New.
On the right hand side of the plugins respository, search for a plugin. When you find it click Install, thereafter click Activate.
Essential Plugins That You Must Install
Plugins should be kept to a minimum in order to maximize speed and reduce conflicts.
I prefer to use code snippets where I can and subject to availability on the internet. I'm not a coder myself.
The following plugins are, however, essential.
Rank Math SEO
Optimizing your site for SEO is an ongoing process that should become second nature and borne in mind with everything you do on your site.
Writing a post and then going back afterwards to get your SEO right is not only going to waste a lot of valuable time but you'll also find that it adversely affects the flow of your writing.
The SEO process should start well before you even put pen to paper, so to speak.
A good SEO plugin is imperative, especially for beginners. It will help to point out where you are falling short in your optimization efforts with a view to correcting as much as you possibly can.
In short, it will help you to perfect your on-page SEO.
Yoast is also a really good SEO plugin but I switched to Rank Math SEO because it's bloat free and includes structured data (snippets) functionality absolutely free.
I wrote a setup guide that will not only help you to get the plugin installed and configured with the optimal settings but also covers how to perform keyword research which is an essential part of on-page SEO.
According to the developer, this post is the most comprehensive tutorial on the internet with a link to the post being published on the developer's WordPress plugin page.
WP Rocket
With website speed being an increasingly important Google ranking factor, a good caching plugin is imperative on shared hosting plans.
WP Rocket is constantly rated the best caching plugin in Facebook polls and it's also the easiest to setup for beginners. It works out of the box and extra configurations involve a few toggle switches.
You mustn't do without this one.
This guide will walk you through the optimal WP Rocket settings and configuration.
Related Reading: Over 40 optimizations to add incredible speed to your WordPress blog.
Antispam Bee
The native WordPress comments form is very susceptible to bot spam.
And so are most contact forms.
I've done a lot of testing and I can vouch that Akismet is really good. Unfortunately it's not free for commercial use. This includes any website that is monetized in any way whatsoever.
Other than Akismet, I have found Antispam Bee to be the best of the free ones.
Force Secure Protocol (SSL) On All Site Pages
It's best practice to to ensure that users are redirected to a secure version of your site, irrespective of whether they use a www or non www URL to access it.
At this time, your site can be accessed through 4 different URL's:
- https://www.yourdomain.com
- https://yourdomain.com
- http://www.yourdomain.com
- http://yourdomain.com
Bluehost formats your URL without the www subdomain. In other words: domain.com.
If a user types in www before the domain, they will reach an insecure version of the site, maybe even get an insecure warning message.
Likewise if a users enters http://domain.com, the same thing occurs.
Google won't like that. So let's fix it.
Go to bluehost.com. On the top right of the screen, click Login and use your login details to access the Bluehost portal.
Click Advanced from the menu on the left side of the page.
In the file manager, right at the top on the far right side of the screen, click Settings.
Enable Show Hidden Files and Save.
Now click on the public_html folder in the left pane so that you see its contents on the right hand side.
Click ONCE on the .htaccess file to enable it. Then click Edit.
CAUTION: Do not make any other changes to this file or you risk being locked out of your site.
On the edit screen you will need to add a rewrite script to the top of the file. DO NOT add the script after the hashed out text as it will be removed. Make sure to add it right at the top of the file as shown.
You can copy the code from the black code box below this illustration.
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
Changing Themes
If you skipped past the theme selection when you installed, you can follow this procedure to activate a theme.
From the dashboard, select Appearance > Themes. This takes you to the themes repository. Click Add New and find a theme that you feel happy with.
Click Install.
Click Activate.
From the dashboard select Appearance > Customize. Start customizing.
Premium Themes
The two major considerations for anyone wanting to start a WordPress blog are, in order of importance:
- Hosting provider.
- Theme choice.
Your theme will have a huge impact on the performance of your site. A fast, lightweight theme will perform much more efficiently than a heavy graphic-laden inefficient one.
Here are some popular - not necessarily recommended - places where you can find premium themes.
Envato Market - Themeforest
I'd stay away if I were you!
I've had some terrible experiences here. Many of the themes are put together by developers who slap themes together on a part time basis to make extra cash.
Personally I find the marketing a little deceptive.
This is where problems arise. Themeforest have no qualms about mentioning future updates but what they don't tell you is that you have to pay a yearly subscription in order to get them.
The problem is that if you neglect to update your theme and it becomes incompatible with a future version of WordPress (which updates regularly), you're going to land up with problems.
Another issue that could crop up is the response time for support.
I've had instances where I practically had to beg for support and in one case I had to wait for over a month for the developer to fix an [apparently] major bug in the theme which required no more than fixing the syntax in a single line of code that couldn't have taken longer than 20 seconds to sort out.
I added Envato Market to this list as a gentle warning.
StudioPress (Genesis Framework)
Powered by the Genesis Framework, StudioPress themes are the ultimate choice for serious bloggers. I should know because I use StudioPress themes exclusively..
Since the WordPress Gutenberg editor came on the scene, they've progressed from being highly developer orientated to being themes that beginners can use with absolute ease.
As a matter of fact, they're much easier to start off with compared to the free themes in the WordPress repository because the themes come with demo content so you'll have a fully functional theme and all you have to do is replace content and images. The free WordPress themes require customizing from the ground up. That will save you a fortune of time and effort and it just make these themes worth every cent.
StudioPress themes come highly recommended by Yoast, they're endorsed by Matt Mullenweg - the founder of WordPress and they're used by the likes of Google's ex spam expert.
Do yourself a favor and take a look at the blogger testimonials in my StudioPress review or even better on the StudioPress website. They'll give you an idea of the respect they command from the blogging community.
You'd be doing yourself a huge favor if you start a WordPress blog with a StudioPress theme.
You'll get a lifetime everything deal which is super sweet considering that you're investing in the best theme money can buy.
Your first theme purchase includes the Genesis Framework. You'll never have to buy it again because it can be used with as many domains as you like, as can each theme. Future theme purchases are then substantially discounted.
Your purchase includes lifetime support and framework updates. No yearly subscriptions. No further costs!
They're super lightweight and therefore blazing fast.
Mythemeshop
The guys who make these themes are the same developers who developed the Rank Math SEO plugin.
As a matter of fact, theme building is their core business.
As you can see, the pricing is very fair and completely transparent but they do charge an annual subscription. If you love one of their themes, you may be happy to overlook that.
Add A Logo To The Site Header
To add your own logo go to the dashboard go to Appearance > Customize.
Now click on Site Identity. NOTE: The logo option may also be found under a Header menu item depending on your theme selection.
Add your logo and a site icon. Site icons appear in browser tabs and as bookmarks e.g. on Googles search page.
NOTE: Make certain to click Publish when you're done.
From the dashboard go to Appearance > Menus
Select the menu that you're going to edit and from the left sidebar, select the pages or posts that you want to add to the menu. Click Add to Menu.
You can also create custom links as well as create menu items based on categories.
The items you choose will be added to the right hand side. Simply drag the relevant menu item to the desired location.
You can create a sub menu that will drop down from a parent item by dragging and moving a menu item so that it is indented beneath a parent item, as follows.
You can edit the menu label of the menu item by clicking the down arrow and editing.
Add A Contact Form
I recommend that all websites include the following:
- About Page - This shows Google that there is a real person behind the website and helps to create trust.
- Contact Form - Shows Google that the business is contactable.
A contact form can be added using:
- Form Builder.
- Page Builder.
WP Forms is pre-installed and is the about the easiest way to make a contact us page.
Select All Forms from the WPForms menu at the dashboard.
On the WPForms interface click on the Add New button.
Then select Simple Contact Form. It's pre-built so you can make a contact us page in a blink of an eyelid!
Edit the form by hovering over any field.
Click the Embed button on the interface. Then click Create New Page.
In the next screen, give the page a name, e.g. Contact.
The form will appear inside of a new page. Click Publish and confirm that you wish to publish. Done!
Writing Your First Post
Now that you're all set up with a hosting account and a theme, it's time to write your first post.
From the dashboard, hover over Posts and select Add New.
Add a title and paragraph as shown in the image below.
Click the + button.
Add an image, heading or whatever your heart desires.
On the right of the browser window you will see all sorts of options.
That should be enough to get you going. The rest is up to you.
Next Steps
Now that you've created a blog, I want to show you:
- How to setup Cloudflare.
- How to track metrics with Google Analytics.
- How to promote your blog posts on full autopilot.
- How to make money with your blog.
Let's jump right in.
Set Up Cloudflare
I highly recommend using Cloudflare for the following reasons:
- Cloudflare is a CDN so your content will be cached and then distributed across multiple edge servers around the world and served from a location closest to your user. This makes a marked difference to site speed.
- Your site will be proxied through Cloudflare. This effectively hides your IP address and enhances security (eliminates DDoS attacks).
- It's FREE.
Login at the Bluehost Website.
Enter the following address into your browser: https://my.bluehost.com/cgi/cloudflare
Your email address will appear on the next screen. Accect the terms and click next.
Click Activate.
When the grey box shows on the screen, click enable for every option.
Now go to the Cloudflare website and sign up using the same email address.
Tracking Your Metrics With Google Analytics
You don't have to add Google Analytics to your site right away but I'd recommend that you do so at least before you make your site live.
That way you can monitor your site's progress from the get go.
The easiest way to set up Google Analytics is install the Monster Insights plugin which displays your analytics within the WordPress dashboard - no need to leave your site.
Promoting Your Blog Posts On Autopilot
Promoting your blog posts on Social media is a great way to increase traffic to your site.
But it time consuming and tiresome.
There are a number of plugins that can help you to automate the process but each one comes with its own limitations.
In days gone by I used Jetpack to do this but it absolutely destroyed my website speed because it's so resource intensive.
Now the great thing with the method I'm going to show you is that it doesn't involve using a plugin. It's all done with an online tool.
I'll show you exactly how to publish your posts to Twitter (automatically), the moment you publish them in WordPress.
But remember, you're not limited to Twitter. You can do the same with Facebook, Pinterest and the like. The procedure is roughly the same.
Once I show you how to use the tool, you'll want to kick yourself that you didn't know about it before.
This post shows you exactly how to set it up.
How To Make Money With Your Blog
Unless you're doing this for enjoyment or a charitable cause, which is great, I'm assuming that you decided to start a WordPress blog to make money.
Well I'll tell you this much. In the same way as there are many ways to skin a cat, so too are there a number of ways to make money blogging.
The problem is that most of the monetization methods you read about don't work.
Heck, nobody wants to spend a good deal of their time doing something in exchange for a few measly cents, right?
Well that's where Pareto's 80/20 principle comes in.
It's worked for me in all of my businesses: 80% of your income will be generated from 20% of your sales.
If you want to maximize your productivity and make some real money, I suggest you concentrate on the 20% of the income generating activities that will produce the bulk of your income!
Make sense?
Read about these monetization methods that really work.
Final Thoughts
Many posts have been written about how to start a WordPress blog.
But this is more than that. I wrote this guide with the clear intention of helping you to get to a point where you feel confident about making your own customizations and getting around the WordPress dashboard.
Naturally, there are going to be things that you come across along your journey that you haven't seen before.
Trust me, I come across things that surprise me on a daily basis. I can't believe how little I actually know!
In order to leave you with a more rounded feel for blogging, I have also touched on aspects of metrics tracking, promotion and making money through blogging.
After all, that's probably why you decided to start a WordPress blog.
Or is it?
Let me know in the comments.
Good job. Well detailed
Great article and full of knowledge, you described each thing quite well, and support the words with the infographics.
I’m pleased you found it useful
thanks and good
awesome article,
Thanks