How To Start a Blog

For all the prospective bloggers out there, this post is for you!

If you’re here, I’m assumuing you know a bit about the blogosphere. So, if you don’t have a blog and you’d like to get one, I’m going to tell you how to get started.

So, the very first step is deciding what platform you want to use. Evin did a post here on Blogger vs. WordPress, but there are also other platforms like Wix or Weebly. I recommend WordPress for most bloggers, so I’m going to share how to start a WordPress blog.

First, you’ll need a WordPress account. It’s super easy to set up, so I’m not going to explain how to do that.

Okay…so there should be a button that says “Add new site”

For me, it’s under my current sites, but I don’t remember where it is when you don’t have a blog. It shouldn’t be too hard to find though.

Next, you name your blog. I’m not keeping this site, so it doesn’t really matter what I call it. But you can figure out what to name your blog using this post.

Okay, so now you’re picking a domain! If your name has a string of numbers afterwards(like mine, lol), try to have something more memorable? Like, if you have Diamond’s Diary, maybe try Diary of Diamond, or Diamond’s Interesting Diary, or something…

Also, even though a .com or .org domain is awesome, if you’re just starting out, you’re probably good with a .wordpress.com domain.

Then, WordPress will prompt you to pick a theme. It really doesn’t matter what theme you pick, so just pick something random. (The LBTL Design Team would love to help with the design if you need help!)

Okay, so then your site is officially launched! That didn’t take so long, did it?

Here’s a checklist! I’ll type it here if you can’t read the image.

Site created
Name your site
Create a site menu
Choose a theme
Update your home page
Launch your site
Confirm email address
Get the WP app

Now, most of those things are pretty self-explanatory, so I won’t go into detail on those.

Well, now you have a site, so I could stop. But, I think that when you start a blog, you also need to write a post to introduce yourself to readers!

Your post should…

Introduce yourself
Share the purpose of your blog
Share how often you’ll post
And anything else you want!

Once you’re happy with your first post, hit the publish button.

Here’s the published post! Don’t worry too much about making it perfect. Blogging has a learning curve, and no one’s perfect at it. Your first few posts (or first few hundreds like me,) will look a little rough.

There is so much more to go over when it comes to blogging! It could get overwhelming, which is exactly why LTBL was started! If you have any blogging questions, flip through our archives. If you still don’t have an answer, then ask us on our advice page!

If you start a blog as a result of this post, please let me know! I’d love to check your new blog out.