How to Start a WordPress Blog in 2020

Creating a WordPress blog is one of the best options for getting your feet wet in the blogging world. The WordPress platform makes it super simple to start blogging. With this FREE blogging software, users are able select themes, create posts, and grow their audience. You’ve got ideas and you need to get them on paper. (aka the web)  So how do you start and grow a blog on one of the most popular sites for writers? Continue reading to find out how.

 Getting Started

o Accessing the Free WordPress Blogging Platform

 The very first step in your blogging adventure is creating a free blog offered and hosted by WordPress.

 After going to the site, you should see a couple of options to click on to get started.  You’ll find a large pink button labeled “Start Your Blog.” Click on this as your first step. Additionally, click this link to take you there.   

o   Create an Account and Choose a Domain

 After clicking the link to start your blog, you will be prompted to create an account using your email. You will want to make sure that you have access to this email, as you will later use it to confirm your account.

 The last step in getting started with WordPress blogging is to select a domain name for your blog. The website will ask you to type a domain name that you want, and you can just type what you want the title of your blog to be here. After this, you will be given the option to select from free or premium domain names.

 2. Preparing the Site for Blog Content (Optional Steps)

 After selecting your domain, you will be greeted with the dashboard for your WordPress blog site. On this main page, you will be given a six-point checklist to configure your site. This checklist will include the following items.

•  Name Your Site

 This is simply the name of your WordPress Site. For example, if your blog is about tech, you could title it “My Great Tech Blog.”

• Create a Site Menu

 This is where you will create additional pages for your site other than your blog posts. Examples of these are: About Me, Contact Page, and the Home Page.

• Update Your Homepage

 This is the first page a user will see when they type in your blog’s web address. On this page, you can do things like update your main cover photo, write a message, and change the theme. More will come on changing a theme later. 

• Launch Your Site

 The launch your site item in the checklist should be one of the last things that you do, and you only want to launch your site after everything is set up. This makes your website live to the public.

• Confirm Your Email Address

This step is just for confirming that you actually own your email address.

• Get the WordPress App

The WordPress App is a convenient way to manage your blog from a mobile device.

3. Setting the Blog Theme and Writing Your First Post

•   Setting a Blog Theme

 The last thing you need to do before writing your blog posts is to pick a theme for your blog. WordPress will offer a wide variety of free blog themes, and these just customize the look and feel of your blog. To get to these, you simply click on the menu item in the left sidebar titled “Themes.” After that, you click on one of the themes then click install. Don’t forget to preview how the theme looks before you install, though.

•  Writing your Blog Post

 After setting a theme, you are ready to write your very first blog post. Navigate back to the home screen, and on the right-hand side, you should see a button that says, “Write Blog Post” click on this.

 After clicking, the blog editor should appear, and you can add a title and start writing your blog post. It’s as easy as that. After you are satisfied, you can use the pane on the right side of the screen to add an image, create tags, and choose whether you want to allow people to comment on your posts. The very last step that you need to perform is to publish the post using the blue button at the top of the screen.

 Just like that, you have your very own blog in three easy steps. There are other settings to dive into as you get more comfortable (such as SEO optimization) and start to gain an audience, but for now, these are the basics to get you started. Now that you have a blog of your own, you can share your ideas with the world, one post at a time. Happy blogging.