There are several reasons why blogging is an upcoming hobby that attracts most people with a steady grasp of a language and a decent laptop. Not only do enthusiasts of their own particular field get an accessible platform online to showcase their passion, but they also are provided with opportunities to get paid to do the same!
Among the various fields, some of the popular topics include self-improvement, business, travel, health and wellness, lifestyle, politics, fashion, food and wine, photography, language learning, and entertainment blogs, etc.
Blogs are a great way to make a difference, generate awareness, and gather support for various societal issues. The greatest advantage of blogging in this generation is its enormous reach.
If you enjoy teaching, you can share your expertise in your own field through blogging. Eventually, if you are able to gather just enough resources and engage with a captivated audience, you can even choose to earn from it!
Among the very many blogging platforms available online, WordPress has become one of the most popular among blogging software. It is easy to format and has a user-friendly interface. This makes the process of formatting relatively simpler. Since it’s browser-based, it can be accessed from any device, too!
The design, format, and overall look of the website are 100% customisable and thus, entirely in your hands. This helps provide a unique experience to your website visitors.
Additionally, blogs that are written on WordPress often catch the attention of search engines. This is because the code that powers this software is neat, simple, and accurate. This makes the process of Search Engine Optimisation a lot easier as the bots that crawl the web for certain keywords don’t have any trouble locating blogs written on WordPress.
Keep in mind that to create a WordPress blog, you need a web hosting account and an idea for a domain name.
Here are a few steps to help you dive right into blogging with WordPress!
1. Setting it up
To have a hassle-free blogging experience, choosing WordPress is your safest bet. It allows you to install plug-ins, as well as earn money without any restrictions!
Start by creating a domain name – this is what people will search for when they want to visit your website. For instance, your domain name can be blogwithmary.com. Then you can host your website – this is where all your files are sorted and kept. All websites require a host.
Usually, a domain name and hosting combined cost anywhere between $20 – $25 but fear not. Bluehost offers first-time users a free domain name and web hosting at only 40% of its original cost. This is a company that has been working with WordPress since 2005.
When you open the link, you can click on “Get started” and then enter the domain name for your website.
Then, you will be asked to enter your account details and confirm the package that you want. Once this is done, you will receive an email regarding login details and information regarding where you install WordPress from.
2. Installing WordPress
When you sign up using Bluehost, it automatically installs the WordPress application onto your device – all you need to do is log in to the Bluehost account, then click on “Log in to WordPress”.
Now that you are logged in, your website is ready to be customized as you please.
Another way to log in is to type, “ yoursitename.com/wp-admin/ ” into the URL header.
If you are using other software services like SiteGround or HostGator to host your WordPress site, click here to find out how to log in.
3. Creating a theme
This is quite possibly the most exciting step of them all – here’s where you give your website its own, unique identity. There are several paid and free ready-made templates that you can pick from and install.
On the WordPress dashboard, click on Appearance, and then Themes to access all the templates. You may also preview the themes that you like.
Since your website is your own and you will be customizing it later on, the previews may not be 100% accurate. What is important is to get a feel for design, colors, fonts, and see how they combine with each other.
4. Creating your very first blog
To begin writing, click on the Posts button, then Add New. This will lead you to the editing space to write your blog. WordPress has a feature that enables the content to be sorted into blocks which makes the process of customization very easy.
Once you are satisfied with what you have written and how it turned out, you can click on the Publish button in the top-right corner of the page.
5. Customizing your page and installing Plug-ins
To make your page more user-friendly, you may want to incorporate some elements such as contact and newsletter subscription forms, photo galleries, etc.
WordPress offers you plug-ins that you can install onto your page without having to write any code.
Other than the usual plug-ins that are viewed by your audience, you may also want to keep a track of how your page is performing as well as your audience’s demographic. This can be achieved through Google Analytics.
You can also use Search Engine Optimisation to boost your website’s ranking on search engines. This helps bring in some much-needed traffic to your website.
Some other plug-ins offered by WordPress include backup, security, and performance enhancers.
6. Earning through your blog
There are quite a few ways by which you can monetize your blogging. One is using Google AdSense – which acts as a middle man between you, the blogger, and a third-party advertiser. Google makes people bid for keywords that are relevant to your content which then gives you the optimum rates for the advertisements.
You can even use affiliate marketing – which is a monetizing strategy popularly used by bloggers. What happens is that you advise or recommend your favorite products to your readers and every time that there is a referral purchase, you receive a commission.
