4 simple steps to starting a WordPress blog from scratch if you have zero technical knowledge

Getting started with Blogging

By now you probably have heard about blogging and blogs, you’re reading one right now! And if you’re smart, you noticed how important it is to start a blog. Even when you don’t pursue a ‘blogging career’ but work as a freelancer or own a company it’s important to get on the band wagon. You don’t want to know how many job offers I’ve had since I started blogging 16 years ago! And it brought so much joy in my life, crazy opportunities and more that I can honestly suggest you start a blog ASAP! Did you know it’s free to start a WordPress blog? WordPress for beginners is just WordPress.com, but if you want to become a professional blogger, you’ll need to work on WordPress.org. The difference? Read below! And don’t forget to read everything about blogging in the Ultimate Guide to Blogging.

WordPress for beginners

If you’re new to blogging, hosting, domain names and all these terms might scare you. Here’s how it works from the back end (the part you usually don’t see unless you have access to the blog to edit the design or blog posts). People e-mail me very often asking how to start a blog, so now it’s time to finally write a tutorial on how to start a WordPress for beginners blog from scratch if you have zero technical knowledge.

There are a few types of blogs you can start, from free to very professional and a bit more costly. The free blogs (for example Blogger and Tumblr) aren’t self-hosting and you can’t really customize the designs and often you’re not allowed to use the blog for commercial reasons.

This is how you start a blog and earn some pocket money now

If you go for a self-hosted blog as I suggest, you are allowed to make money with your blog and put all sorts of advertising on your blog! Whohooho! The only downside?

You have to invest before you can start, but only a few dollars a month, I’ve also arranged a very special deal for you so it’s seriously only $3,95 a month. Get started with your self-hosted WordPress blog today!

WordPress for beginners to start your own WordPress blog in 5 minutes

Go to www.bluehost.com to start a blog on WordPress now, then use the tutorial below if you’ve no clue what to do next.

In this tutorial, I’ll talk like we’re moving into a beautiful townhouse in NYC, not only because that’s a dream of mine, but also because everybody has moved once in their life, so you know what I’m talking about! You know, to make something ‘quite complicated for nontechies as logical as possible. 

1. Claim your online ‘street name’ by registering a domain name

You need to have an address in order to ‘build a house’. So, therefore, we need to get a domain name. This is the URL of your blog, as you can see, mine is www.nonimay.com. A lot of ‘nicer’ domain names are taken these days, so if yours is free, claim it now ASAP.

The easiest way to start a blog if you have zero technical knowledge regarding building websites is purchasing your domain name via BlueHost because we’ll get there in step 2 for web hosting. You get your domain for FREE for the first year as long as you buy 12 months worth of web hosting, we’ll get to this in step 2, so if you’re interested in this option, head over to step 2 right now (but do read the little privacy note down below!)!

Do a quick check if your preferred domain name is available here:

You need a domain name to start a blog, so don’t procrastinate on this haha. If you’ve purchased your domain name, you’re ready for step 2.

Security + Privacy note

A little privacy note: if you order a domain name, your name + address and e-mail address will be visible for everybody via Whois. You can easily check the box if you opt-in for the free domain name via this special link. 

To prevent this, you have to order (extra $$) Whois protection. But, you can get Whois protection via this link, and I strongly suggest you do!

2. Rent your online ‘house’ by registering your web hosting

Click here to set up your own blog hosting

You’re halfway to setting up your own WordPress beginners blog! Easy right? You now need to rent some land to build your house on, we call this ‘web hosting’. Web hosting helps you setting up your blog online, and connecting your WordPress to your domain name.

So if you decided to go the easy way, you also purchase your domain name with your BlueHost hosting, it’s free and therefore you only need to sign-up for one service. They offer a one-click installation, so it’s all you need as you get a domain name (step 1) for free if you purchase their domain hosting that’s only $3.95 a month via this special link (or check it out at http://www.bluehost.com). 

Get started with your WordPress Blog For Cheap

I have arranged a special deal for my readers if you sign up via my special link, you only pay $3,95 per month for web hosting, this is seriously the cheapest option out there! Plus, you’ll receive a FREE domain name with the deal, so it’s a pretty good all-inclusive deal! If you sign up now, you’ll receive 30-day money-back guarantee. But if all is good, you don’t need that, because we’ll set up your blog right now!! It’s a one-click installation and the easiest way to set-up your own WordPress blog. 

Step-by-step to start with your WordPress blog on Bluehost

3. Start your blog by installing the back-end of your WordPress blog

Next, we’re creating your blog!! Here’s how:

Let’s install your WordPress so you can start publishing! It’s super easy with Bluehost. They basically do it for you, for FREE. Lol.

Log in to your just created Bluehost online environment. They call the view you see the ‘cPanel’. It’s a lot of colors and buttons, but try to find the ‘website. Click the ‘install WordPress’ (or ‘WordPress Tools’) button. 

Click ‘start’, your blog installation begins now.

Blog Security

All you have to do is select the right domain name (the one we just set up in step 2) and set up your WordPress username and password. Do this under ‘advanced options’. Pick a username that’s very advanced, don’t go for the standard ‘admin’ or your name. Why? Many hackers try to hack WordPress blogs every day, and my blogs are attacked on a daily basis. This shouldn’t scare you, as long as you secure your site right.

Install your database

More about blog security later, because all you need to focus on now is getting your blog up. Check the ‘automatically create a new database for this installation’ and click ‘install now’. You’re done! They’ve made it really easy for WordPress beginners to get started.

This is how you can start publishing now you’ve set up the back end of blogging: sign into WordPress. Check your email for the link, and fill in the username and password you just created. Usually it’s www.yoururl(domain name).com/wp-admin

4. Beautify your blog by picking a design (template)

Once you login, it’s time for the next step: your blog’s design. The easiest way is purchasing a ‘ready to use’ template over at ThemeForest. Blog designs you install in one click are called templates. They only need small customizing and are perfect if you want a cheap option, hiring a designer will give you a unique design, but it’s a massive investment so it’s a better idea later in your ‘blogging career’ or when you actually make money blogging.

Of course, after publishing a few blog posts (like 10 – 20) your blog looks complete, so get creative and publish a bunch of blog posts!

Bonus: Get all your necessary forms up to fully benefit WordPress beginners blogging

If you’ve completed this WordPress for beginners guide, you’re ready to get started on your next blogging journey. Build readership and bond with your readers by sending out newsletters. Get your newsletter forms up (I suggest Convertkit because it’s free, or Infusionsoft) to gather your visitor’s email addresses and to keep them posted about the things you do. It’s very important to start this process early on, so sign up to Convertkit and create some of the beautiful newsletter forms they offer or read more about email marketing for bloggers on http://www.convertkit.com. 

If you want to know how bloggers make money and how to earn 5-figures every month from your blog, read how to make money blogging with a small following!

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• Why using Convertkit is the only way to grow your blog income
• How to use Convertkit as a PR tool to automate the heck out of your PR strategy
• The real costs of running a successful blog business