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Hey guys! I just want to start off by saying this is a post that has been a long time coming. I’ve felt for a long time like I needed to share how I got started working from home, and even how I make a full time income from home, which is why today I’m sharing how to start a blog in 3 easy steps. I feel like there are so many people out there who could absolutely use my tips and the things that I’ve learned along the way. I’ve been working from home for almost 4 years now, and you can read that story over here.
Today’s tutorial is easy to follow, and you can literally get your blog set up in about 15 minutes- what are you waiting for?
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A large portion of my income does come from this blog. I’m going to be working to put more of an emphasis on this blog, and learning what I can about different ways to earn money, so that I’ll be able to share that with you guys, too. I want to start sharing income reports, and to just be really transparent about what I’m doing, the ups and downs, and how I’m able to stay at home with my babies and still earn an income.
Okay, so you want to start a blog. You’ve probably seen some posts on how to make money blogging, or maybe you are looking for a hobby and think blogging is the way to go…
Either way, I’m going to share with you how to start a blog set up in 3 easy steps. This tutorial is going to get you set up and ready to start building your blog and hopefully on your way to making money. Even if you want to blog as a hobby, you will probably need some money to fund your hobby and make your blog even better, so this post is for you, too!
Okay, so we are going to keep this so simple.
Step 1:
Pick a Blog Name!
This is probably the BIGGEST step, no pressure. You’ll need to decide what you want your blog name to be, so that you can purchase your domain name (your URL!).
A few tips…
1. Pick something memorable
2. Pick something easy to spell
3. Don’t use confusing words or confusing spellings of words
I started my blog originally as mamasgotittogether.com (Mama’s Got It Together) … not a very good choice- it’s long, and the word “mama” is up for spelling interpretation anyway, everyone spells it differently. It was a mouthful, which is why I re-branded to Planning Inspired. You want to be sure your name is easy for people to remember, so that it is easy for them to find you! I’ve made these mistakes so that you don’t have to. Image may be NSFW.
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Step 2:
Set up your domain + hosting!
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The way blogs work is a little confusing, but basically you have a domain name (your URL link and the name of your site), then you have “hosting” – that is where your blog is hosted online, and then you can think of WordPress as sort of like an app, that brings your blog to life on your website.
For your domain and hosting, I recommend Bluehost. Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Bluehost, but I have been using them for the entire life of my blog and have had nothing but great experiences. They’re super helpful, their customer service is great, from what I’ve experienced. I highly recommend them- I think their hosting is affordable and absolutely worth it. Here are a few more Bluehost perks-
- Their service, reliability and usability.
- Bluehost has worked hard to make their Control Panel easier to use.
- Bluehost has partnered with MOJO Marketplace to make installing WordPress a breeze.
- They also offer courteous and professional 24 hour in-house technical support for your hosting account 7 days of the week all year long. That means when you call in at 1 in the morning on a Thursday, you are calling to the same place that your hosting account is at and some one there will be able to help you.
- For $4.95 a month you can host unlimited websites, email accounts and domains; all on one account.
- Bluehost uses custom built servers, this provides the most stable and reliable hosting environment.
Through my link you can get Bluehost for just $3.45 per month… that’s less than a cup of coffee every month. You can bump it up to the plus, if you’d like to, but the basic is perfect to get you started.
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These prices can change periodically as Bluehost has different specials on your hosting. Spot a lower price? Great! Snag it up before the price changes again!
Okay, so in the Bluehost sign-up process you’ll put in some personal information, you’ll choose your domain name we talked about in Step 1, and choose your hosting package.
Once you have your domain and your hosting, we can move onto the next step- which is to install WordPress onto your site!
Step 3:
Install WordPress!
Bluehost makes this super simple- they use the Mojo Marketplace to install applications such as WordPress.
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- Log into Bluehost, and in your cPanel, go to MOJO Marketplace and choose One Click Installs.
- Next, choose the WordPress icon under “Blogs”.
- Click the start button and your installation will begin.
- You’ll need to choose where you want WordPress to install, just click your domain you created on the drop down menu.
- You’ll need to create a username and password for your site. Do not use the provided “admin” username- be sure to make it something secure- a combination of letters and numbers to ensure that your blog is secure against hacking. You’ll also want to click to “automatically create a new database for this installation”.
Finally, agree to the terms and conditions, then click “install now”… and make sure you remember that username and password!
Now you can log into your WordPress site, by going to the admin login URL (usually www.yoursite.com/wp-admin). Enter your username and password, then click Log In. You will now be looking at the WordPress Dashboard. This is where you will control everything to do with your WordPress site, such as creating pages, writing posts, and changing the appearance.
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Are you looking to start a blog? Sign up for my email list and get my FREE Blog Brainstorming Worksheet (with instructions!) and awesome tips and tricks delivered right to your inbox!
The post How to Start a Blog In 3 Easy Steps appeared first on Planning Inspired.