One of my best decisions was to start my own WordPress Blog. It has been a great boost to my career and I have also begun earning recurring income by writing about personal finance, which is what I enjoy.
You can make a living blogging too. Before I tell you to dream big, you need to know that blogging is a lot of work and can be very time-consuming.
This is completely normal. This is normal. If you’re willing to learn and persevere, you will reap the rewards.
Here is my detailed guide on how to start a WordPress blog. I’ll show you the simple steps to take to get going, as well as some tips for growing your blog.
Also, I’ve included discounted pricing from Bluehost to help you start your blog on a budget. My link will also give you a FREE domain. Are you ready to start? Use my tutorial to learn how to create a WordPress blog.
Table of Contents
Why Blog?
How To Start A WordPress blog
This is How You Can Setup Your WordPress Blog Within Minutes
You can start making money with your WordPress blog by growing it.
Why Blog?
You are probably familiar with blogs if you have grown up in the digital era or accessed the internet.
The technology has encouraged people to create their own blogs. Many have turned their blog into an actual business.
It is true that some people are put off by the fact that you blog or have a website, but I think this attitude of outsiders is changing.
Blogging makes sense to me for several reasons:
You can showcase your expertise if you have knowledge about a subject, experience or are looking to increase your knowledge. Your blog can help you build your personal brand, improve your writing and open up new opportunities.
Resume and career booster: In the past, employers would not take your blog seriously because it didn’t relate to your job. Wrong. Launching a music blog can boost your resume. In the few interviews that I have been on, my music blog was almost always mentioned. Why? It showed off my technical skills, my entrepreneurial side and helped me to become a more effective marketer. If you blog about something obscene, or risque, that’s a whole different story.
Blogging is a great way to start a business. You can turn blogging into a full-time business online and take control of your life. Advertising, affiliate marketing and sponsored posts are all possibilities. There’s also freelance work, speaking engagements, book deals, and more. It is difficult to start a blog as your own business. You won’t see results overnight. But it will be worth the effort.
How To Start A WordPress blog
WordPress is the best platform to use if you take blogging seriously and want to create a blog properly. Other platforms are easier to use, but do not offer the same level of support, functionality and appeal.
Please be more specific.
WordPress is better for SEO
Looks more professional
You can use a variety of plugins on your website to make it more useful
Blogs that make you appear more serious
It is easy to use (though there are more steps compared to Blogger or Squarespace).
WordPress requires you to do a few things including setting up your hosting.
Many people panic when they think about hosting, purchasing a domain name, designing etc. They panic. If you’re new to blogging, it can be overwhelming. That’s why sites like Blogger appeal to people.
It was intimidating to me at first to set up a WordPress site and pay for it.
Bluehost is a great option because it’s affordable and easy to use. I was able to set up a WordPress site, a domain and hosting in less than 10 minutes.
SiteGround can also be a good option if you’re looking for a different hosting provider. For Invested Wallet I went with Bluehost.
This is How You Can Setup Your WordPress Blog Within Minutes
Bluehost was the only host I could find to launch Invested Wallet.
I already knew the brand
Hosting options that are affordable
Get a free domain and SSL Certificate
Install WordPress easily
Bluehost offers 24/7 support and is easy to use.
Bluehost isn’t the only or the best hosting company. For beginners, Bluehost is the best and most affordable option. It may be necessary to upgrade your host if you blog becomes popular.
You will need some money to start your WordPress blog.
Many articles that mention setting up your website leave out this section. It’s not expensive either. I don’t wish to surprise you.
It’s much cheaper to start a business than a website. The upfront costs are worth it for the passive income or potential future opportunities.
Are you ready to start? This exclusive link is available only through Invested Wallet. Click here to receive 50% off. Follow the three simple steps below to have your WordPress blog running in minutes.
Step 1: Register your domain name and host it
Click here to purchase your hosting and domain name. Then, continue with the steps below.
Before you start your WordPress blog and hosting, you should think about a domain name to register. It’s possible that this is the most difficult part of all, because there are so many people who buy domain names.
If you need to, write down many variations. Give it a few days before you commit. You should not rush the choice of a name if you’re serious about blogging or a new business.
If you have already thought of a few names, check below to see if they are available.
Click the “Get started Now” button to get started.
Bluehost Plan
You’ll first select a plan that suits your needs. You can choose the cheapest option and upgrade it later. I chose a bigger plan from the beginning.
Sign up Now Bluehost
You can register your domain free of charge once you have selected the hosting that you are comfortable with. If you already own a domain you can connect it to this site.
Domain Tip: Try to secure a.com. It may be difficult, but.com domains are easier to remember, more SEO-friendly, and have a higher value. You can still be successful with.org or.co, but it’s better to try and get the.com. Keep your domain name as short as you can. Combining two words (or three depending on length) with not too many characters. You need something easy to remember and memorable.
Bluehost allows you to change your domain at any time. It is important to me that I get the domain name right at the beginning.
Bluehost Account Info
Bluehost hosting packages
You will need to enter your billing information after selecting your domain or connecting an existing one.
You need to pay up front money. You pay for hosting by the monthly package. Bluehost offers packages for 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, and 60 month. The more you commit to your website, the less it will cost per month.
Why isn’t it on a monthly basis? Many hosting sites have asked for this. In the future, I believe that this might be an option. But for now, these are your options. If you’re not sure about your blog, or don’t have the budget to get started (depending upon your choice of hosting), wait until you feel ready.
Bluehost is pleased to welcome you.
You have now successfully set up your domain and hosting! Exciting! Your FTP details will also be sent to you via email.
You can then create your own password. You should make sure that it is a secure password, of a reasonable length and you write it down to keep it safe. You can use the suggested password. I used it to get a combination of letters, symbols, and numbers.
Log in to your Bluehost account and get familiarized with it.
Sign up for Invested Wallet and get 50% off.
Install WordPress
Bluehost simplifies your life here. This automatically connects WordPress to your hosting! You don’t need to mess around with servers or click around. Everything is done for you.
Bluehost will guide you to the exact steps you need to take to create a blog after you have created your password.
Bluehost will ask that you choose a theme. You can choose a theme at random or one you like. You can edit it later, or skip to the bottom.
WordPress Theme
I chose a very basic theme, because I hired a designer to create a layout for my website that was tailored to my specific needs. There are many great WordPress themes available. There are many great WordPress themes available.
You can choose from a variety of free themes or you may decide to pay $50 or more for others. No need to worry, you can update or change your theme at any time.
WordPress Start Building
Click “Start Building”.
Welcome to WordPress
You can select “Personal or Business” on the next screen. You can also click “I don’t want help.”
WordPress Account
You will be able see your WordPress dashboard with all of your plugins, blog posts, and pages!
Step 3: Start writing!
WordPress Blog Post
You have now officially created everything necessary to start your blog. You can now write your first blog post and share your knowledge with the world!
You can start making money with your WordPress blog by growing it.
After you have set up your WordPress Blog in the steps above (if you didn’t start with the setup process, you can get started here at Bluehost), it is time to consider how you will grow your blog and earn passive income.
As much as I enjoy creating blogs and writing about my interests, as well as using blogging to boost my resume, I also see it as a way to earn money.
It is perfectly fine to view your blog as an additional source of income or as part of a business.
You should not try to scam anyone by using malicious links in your WordPress blog. People can tell a mile off!
Your blog can generate passive income in many ways: advertising, affiliate marketing (affiliate marketing), sponsored posts, paid writing, brand partnerships, sponsored social media posts, freelancing, etc.
The income is not passive at first, as it will take time to build up. Even after building traffic, you will still need to work hard to maintain the results.
You need to learn how to turn your blog into a money-making machine if you want to earn money from blogging. As soon as they start blogging, many new bloggers assume that money will flow in. It can take several months or even years to gain traction.
You need to spend time on building trust with your readers and creating a community.
What You Need to Do To Start Growing Your WordPress Blog
Are you ready to grow your blog? Here are a few tips to help you get started.
This post would have been 5,000+ words if I had gone into more detail. Instead, I have given you enough to get started and start your own research.
You can also find out more about SEO by clicking here.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the key aspects to growing your WordPress blog. To get consistent traffic, you want your content on the first Google page. SEO is a time-consuming process, and can be challenging for new blogs.
SEMRush and Ubersuggest are two of the best SEO tools I’ve ever used. Here are some tips to increase organic traffic.
Write long blog posts. Aim for 1500+ words, if possible. Use shorter paragraphs.
Use various long-tail keywords. It happens naturally when you write, but tools like SEMRush and Ubersuggest can help you target different phrases.
Link backs from other blogs can be obtained by guest posting on their sites. Search engine rankings will be improved by links from credible blogs and other outlets.
Yoast is a plugin that allows you to edit page titles and meta descriptions. Although these factors may not have a huge impact on your ranking, they can still affect your search engine placement.
Social Media
It can be difficult to see social media posts, especially since the algorithms are constantly changing and adding new ones every second. Social media can still play a major role in getting your blog noticed, driving traffic and improving your SEO.
Share your content every day, or at least multiple times per day (Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Pinterest. etc.).
Change the context in which you share old social posts
Comment on social media posts to engage readers
Join other bloggers’ social media accounts on your site
Comment on other social media posts
Content Promotion
Many people forget to promote content outside of social media. Consistent promotion is the key to growing your brand and increasing your audience.
Some examples:
Answering questions on Quora, and linking to specific posts. SEO is also a benefit.
Share in forums that are relevant to your topic or where you think your audience is hanging out. Do not spam or you may be banned.
Import your post on Medium after a few days. This will give you more visibility.
Post in Facebook groups. Although groups can be spammy, by joining the right ones with a well-crafted message you can reach a large number of people. Some of my Facebook group posts have generated over 1,000 pageviews.
Email
As soon as you start your blog, set up an email service to capture subscribers. This is the audience that loves and values your content. Getting them back to your website is vital.
You don’t wish to spam anyone, so make sure that you let them know they can unsubscribe any time.
If you take blogging seriously, these email subscribers will be a valuable asset to your traffic as well as future potential revenue. Here are three tools that I use frequently, and also on Invested Wallet.
Mailchimp is probably the most well-known email platform. I have been using it off and on over the years. It’s free up to 2,000 users and has a variety of features. This is a good place to begin, but be aware that they will become limited as you grow.
ConvertKit is a relatively new company that has taken over the world of email. Why? They are designed specifically for bloggers and creators so they cater to our needs. Forms, reporting, landing pages, cool subscriber options, smart automation, etc. In the near future, I will be using them for Invested Wallet. They have a really good price, which is great for people who are just starting out or those with lower incomes.
Sumo – Although I have known about Sumo since a long time ago, it is only now that I started using this tool. The company provides you with tools that will help you increase traffic, build an audience and track your progress at every stage. It takes 30 seconds to start and is free until a certain level, but it is also reasonably priced. This blog shows the tool being used.
Be Personable
This means that you should write as if you were a real person and express your personality. You don’t wish to be viewed as a robotic writer. Nowadays, personalization is key. Showing that you are human will help you establish a connection with your audience and build trust. This will ultimately lead to blog growth.
Be Patient
Patience is a virtue that is hard to cultivate. It takes time to grow a blog, but consistency in writing and testing is key.
It may be faster for some than others, but do not compare yourself to other blogs. Many people quit blogging after just a few weeks when they could have achieved much more if only they had stuck it out.
Did you know? There are currently over 1.6 billion sites in the world, and 500 million of them are blogs. (Source)
Final Thoughts
Phew! This was a lot to learn about how to start a WordPress blog, and then grow it so that you can earn passive income.
It is true that there are more details and techniques for growing a blog, but what I have written will get you started in the next few months with your website.
Stay tuned for a post on how to grow your blog or website.