One of the most well-liked and effective platforms for building websites and blogs is WordPress. WordPress may assist you in reaching your objectives, whether they are related to sharing your business, your passion, or your skills.
But how can one use WordPress to create a blog? Is it costly or complicated? Does one need to be proficient in design or coding?
NO is the response. A large budget or technical expertise are not required to establish a WordPress blog. A web hosting service, a domain name, and a few minutes of your time are all you need.
I’ll walk you through the six simple stages of using WordPress to start a blog in 2023/2024 in this post. After following this tutorial, you should have a fully functional, expert-looking blog that you can edit and maintain as you see fit.
Now let’s get going!
Step 1: Choose a Domain Name
Your blog’s internet address is determined by its domain name. It is the URL that readers enter into their browsers to access your blog. For instance, theictbook.com is our domain name.
Selecting a domain name is a crucial stage in starting a blog. It need to convey your personality, your niche, and your brand. It should also be simple to speak, spell, and recall.
You can utilize a domain name generator tool, such as Nameboy or IsItWP, to select a domain name. By using these tools, you may locate domain names that are available depending on your preferences and keyword searches.
As an alternative, list some ideas and use a domain name registrar such as Bluehost or Domain.com to see if they are available. These are businesses that provide domain names for sale, with the option to register them for an annual charge.
Go to the following step after locating a domain name that suits your needs and is available.
Step 2: Choose a Web Hosting Service
A web hosting service is a business that offers the resources and server space needed to store and manage your blog online. Your blog won’t be accessible online without a web hosting service.
While there are several web hosting options, not all of them are appropriate for WordPress blogs. You must select a site hosting provider that is compatible with WordPress, quick, dependable, and safe.
Bluehost is among the top web hosting providers for WordPress blogs. One of the most established and trustworthy web hosting providers in the world is Bluehost. Additionally, WordPress.org officially recommends them as a hosting company.
Bluehost provides a range of plans to suit various requirements and price ranges. We suggest the Basic plan for newcomers, which starts at $2.95 a month and comes with a free SSL certificate, a free domain name, and one-click WordPress installation.
Go to the Bluehost website and select a web hosting plan by clicking the Get Started button. You’ll be prompted to provide your domain name and choose a plan. After that, to finish your purchase, you’ll need to enter your account details and payment information.
It might be challenging to pay for hosting outside of Africa when you’re in the continent, particularly if you’re not using a Mastercard or international Visa card. Not all Africans can use a PayPal account to perform online transactions because PayPal is only available in a few African nations. However, you shouldn’t worry because your website or blog can be hosted by a few reliable web hosting providers in Africa. Depending on where you live in the world, you can look for one.
Step 3: Install WordPress
Your blog is run by WordPress software. It is what gives you the ability to produce, modify, and oversee your design and content. You may download and use WordPress without having to pay anything because it is open-source and free.
Using Bluehost, the most widely used hosting platform available, to install WordPress via the Bluehost control panel:
– Access the My Sites area of your Bluehost account by logging in.
– Enter the name of your website and tagline by clicking the Create Site button.
– After choosing your domain name from the drop-down menu, click the Next button.
– While you wait for WordPress to be installed on your blog, click the Next button once again.
– You will see your blog credentials and a success message once WordPress has been installed. By selecting the Log into WordPress button, you can also access your WordPress dashboard.
The steps are almost the same on all hosting platforms. Just look for WordPress and install it.
Step 4: Choose a WordPress Theme
A WordPress theme is a group of files that specify how your blog will look and be organized. It’s what chooses your blog’s elements, colors, fonts, and styles. Additionally responsive, or able to adjust to various screen sizes and devices, are WordPress themes.
Twenty twenty-three, the default theme that comes with WordPress, is a classy and straightforward theme that you may use for your blog. However, there are many of premium and free WordPress themes accessible online if you wish to alter the appearance and feel of your blog.
Go to your WordPress dashboard and select Appearance > Themes to select a theme. Your blog will display all of the installed themes, including the default and active ones. By selecting the Add New button, you can easily add new themes.
A screen showcasing the newest, most popular, featured, and favorite themes will appear. Themes can be found by category, feature, or keyword. By selecting the Upload Theme button, you can also upload a theme that you have obtained from another source.
Step 5: Customize Your WordPress Theme
You may alter your WordPress theme’s settings and preferences, including the colors, fonts, backgrounds, menus, widgets, and more. Additionally, you can add your own site title, favicon, and logo.
Go to your WordPress dashboard and select Appearance > Customize to alter your theme. On the right side, you will see a live preview of your blog; on the left side, there will be a panel with modification options.
You can experiment with the various settings to see how they instantly impact your blog. Additionally, you can see how your blog appears on various screen sizes and devices (phones, tablets, laptops) by using the device icons at the bottom.
Click the Publish button at the top to save your edits. You can click the X button at the top to close the customizer.
Plugins can be used to expand your theme’s customization capabilities. Plugins are extensions that provide your WordPress blog more features and capabilities. For example, you may design beautiful pages and layouts without writing any code by using Elementor, a well-known drag-and-drop page builder plugin.
Step 6: Create Content for Your Blog
You blog’s content is its lifeblood. It’s what draws in and keeps readers interested in your blog and distinguishes it from the competition. Blog entries, articles, reviews, guides, tutorials, videos, podcasts, and more can all be considered content.
Click Posts > Add New in your WordPress dashboard to start writing material for your blog. A screen featuring a content editor and title field will be shown to you.
In the title section, you can type the title of your post, for example, “How to Create a Blog with WordPress in 2023/2024: 6 easy steps!” Additionally, you can compose your post’s content in the content editor by formatting your text and adding photos, videos, links, and other media with the toolbar.
Another option is to use WordPress’s new block editor, which is another method of content creation. You can add a variety of content blocks, including paragraphs, headings, lists, quotes, galleries, and more, using the block editor. The blocks can also be resized, rearranged, and styled to your preference.
Click the Plus icon at the top or bottom of the content editor to open the block editor. A list of blocks that you can include in your post will be visible to you. Additionally, you can look for blocks using categories or keywords.
Click on a block to edit it, then use the toolbar or sidebar to adjust its parameters. The blocks can be moved around by dragging and dropping them, and their order can be altered by using the arrows.
You can click the Publish button in the upper right corner to make your post public. Your post can be scheduled at a later time, previewed, or saved as a draft.
To modify the parameters and settings of your post, including the featured image, categories, tags, and permalink, use the Document tab located on the sidebar.
