After reading today’s post you will have a clear understanding of how to start a WordPress blog/website and what the best options are in terms of website platforms, hosts, themes, and plugins!
(Please note that this post contains affiliate links of products I use and love. If you make a purchase from a link, I receive a commission at no extra cost to you!)
Why starting a blog is so Powerful
Starting your own blog is an awesome way to build your brand and business. Creating blog posts that are helpful to your followers is SO POWERFUL, as it allows you to help people in your niche, get people on your page, build brand authority, and make SALES! By getting people to your page with helpful content, you can (1) earn affiliate sales (of products you love and use) (2) get page views (which can lead to ad revenue) (3) increase brand awareness and (4) grow an email list.
Now that you see the power in starting a blog/website, and you are ready to begin, you may have realized just how much information is out there. I know I was overwhelmed by the vast loads of information on the internet…
However, I did hoards of research, so you don’t have to! I watch HOURS and HOURS of Youtube videos and reviews of that to use & why, and I really am happy with what I have chosen.
Take it from me if you’re wanting to just start and save yourself a bit of time and headache. Here is a breakdown of all the things I used to create my blog in only 2 weeks without paying for an expensive course:
What Website Platform Should I Use?
There are tons of companies out there that you can use to create a website. I personally have used Wix and WordPress. Wix is very beginner-friendly, but if your goal is to create a blog that you can eventually monetize, then WordPress should be your choice. SEO, or search engine optimization, is generally stronger with WordPress, and ad companies are more likely to take your seriously and accept your application if you are using a self-hosted WordPress website. Also, WordPress is often a much better deal than Wix. Wix offers users deals for the first year and then hikes up the price later on. Lastly, WordPress allows you to build a much more customizable site. All in all, WordPress is the easy choice and is used by most major bloggers and site builders.
Why you Want a Self-Hosted WordPress Website
You want a self-hosted WordPress website because then YOU OWN THE WEBSITE. If you are not self-hosted, then you don’t technically own your website and have less control. Having a self-hosted website you can use whatever downloads & plugins you want, enable advertisements, and really customize your site however you see fit! YAS!
There is a difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. SEVERAL teachers have messaged me lately trying to switch their website from .com to .org. It’s a common mistake, so I’m here to make sure you don’t make it! YOU WANT TO USE WORDPRESS.ORG, which will allow you to be self-hosted. Now that you have a company to build your blog with, you will need to find a host. A host is a company that provides you with the space on the internet for your website. It is what connects your site with the world wide web.
What host company is best for you
I wasn’t sure what company to use, as there are MANY hosting companies like GoDaddy, HostGator, etc. However, the host company WordPress recommends, as well as many big bloggers is Bluehost. Bluehost has INCREDIBLE customer service and is only $3.95/month. I do want to mention, you must buy at least a year plan, and cannot pay monthly. This is something that many people didn’t make clear, and I was surprised when I got to the checkout page, so just something good to know!
It is inexpensive, and if you are ready to take your blog or business seriously, then you should have at least a 1-2 year commitment to being consistent with it.
I chose the cheapest plan, and I have been overwhelmed with how helpful Bluehost as been. I have talked on the phone with their customer service 3 times already. They are friendly, helpful, informative, and very easy to get in contact with. Bluehost is the top pick for a reason. I am very happy and highly recommend them.
PICKING YOUR DOMAIN NAME
Now you need a domain, which is the name of your website, like www.heydaniejay.com. You get a free domain included with your Bluehost account. I bought my domain with Google Domains before I started building my website, so I had to transfer that domain over to my WordPress/Bluehost site. This was a large part of the reason I had to call Bluehost customer service so many times. So, I highly recommend just getting your domain name through Bluehost, as it is included anyway and will save you the headache I had of transferring my domain over from Google.
What to name my domain?
If you aren’t sure what to name your domain, then I would recommend using your name. Unless you are going for a super niche website, using your name allows you to be the face of your brand and for you to be able to cover a range of topics in your blog. Danie Jay was already taken, so I added Hey to the beginning of it. I thought it rhymed and flowed nicely. If your name is already taken, you can add things like “Hey,” “By,” or “Its” in front of your name.
A quick tip: I would check all the handles for the domain that you are wanting before you pick it. This way you can make sure you have the same handle for everything. I have HeyDanieJay as a handle on my website, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest, and Tiktok. I don’t even use all these platforms, but I wanted to make sure I claimed the names to them in case I need to use them. You want people to be able to easily find you and always know the name to look up!
Now that you’ve got your WordPress website and hosting company, you’re ready to build your website and make it beautiful!
Building Your Website with Elementor
There are many different WordPress website builders, but I recommend Elementor. I spent a full two days just researching what website builder to use and what theme to pick. I was between Divi and Elementor, and I am REALLY glad I went with Elementor, as it has been easy to use and the free tutorials on it are amazing (I’ll share those videos in a moment!)
You can use the free version of Elementor or the Pro version, which is $49/year. For me, the Pro version is totally worth it for all the extra features and time-saving templates you get. However, you can build a beautiful website with the free version as well. You can always use the free version of Elementor to start and get a feel for how it works and then switch to the Pro version. The great thing about Elementor is that it makes building your site easier with themes and drag and drop tools. I personally use Elementor Pro. I bought it from the beginning after watching many Youtube videos and coming to the conclusion it was the right fit for me and worth the price.
What Free Theme You Should Use
The theme that I recommend using is Kadence. It is FREE to use, and it is very customizable. I use the theme Astra on my site, but I wish I had seen the videos on Kadence before I started because it is overall a better theme with more features. Both Astra and Kadence are free themes and great choices. If I were starting my website over, I would pick Kadence. This tutorial takes you through how to build a website with elementary and the Kadence theme. I highly recommend setting up your website following this initial tutorial, as it is very informative and will help give you a better idea of how Elementor works!
I really love Freddy’s videos, but another great Youtube channel that covers all things WordPress (and also Kadence Theme) is WordPress Crafters for non-techies. Here is a link to his page.
What Plugins You Need
Having the right plugins for your website right away is very important, as it will help you build a safe and small website. Something I didn’t realize is that you want to make your website as small in file size as possible so that it loads quicker. You can do this by adding plugins to your site, such as EWWW Image Optimizer, that, once activated, automatically reduces the sizes of the images you download onto your website! How convenient!
Here is a list of the Plugins I use for my WordPress/Bluehost Website:
- EWWW Image Optimizer
- Elementor Pro
- Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights
- iThemes Security
- Really Simple SSL
- Updraft – Backup/Restore
- Yoast SEO
- WP Fastest Cache
A good tip: A woman from Bluehost informed me that I should limit my active plugins to no more than 15-16 or it may slow down my website significantly.
Your First Blog Posts
Now it’s time to start writing your first blog posts. I honestly think it’s a great idea to have 2-5 blog posts already written before starting your site, so you can add them right when you start building your website and can see how they look in your theme.
Here are some helpful ideas for your first blog posts (try to use these to think about how you can apply them to your niche):
- 10 Ways to Become ____ (something in your niche)
- The Best ___ Recipe for ____ (example, The Best Bulletproof Coffee Recipe for Early Morning Teachers)
- Top 5 Ways You Can Start Being a More Productive _____
- 15 Hacks for Being Better at ______
- How to Easily Start _____
- How to Learn ____ in 30 Days
Go on and kill it!
I hope that this is helpful for you! Good luck with your blog! You are going to kill it! Know that there are so many free resources for you to find and to help you understand how WordPress and Elementor work.
It may take a few days to get comfortable building your site, but I promise it will get easier as you go!
All the best,
Danie
