Whether you want to build a new business, monetize your blog, or just want to take up blogging as a hobby, I’ve got your back. I made my blog from scratch and I’m going to show you step by step how to get it done, how much it’s gonna cost, and where you can find the relevant services.
You’ll also find a bonus #BOSS tip under each section, for what solutions are most business savvy and economic if you’re just starting out and want to make the smartest choices. Let’s start!
1. Domain Name
If you’re serious about building a blog and turning it into a business, having your own domain name is essential. Why? It shows to the world that you’re professional and that you invest in your own brand. Plus, isn’t it exciting that you can decide on any name and the world can just reach you through it? Your domain name is like your badge, so pick something perfect for your business/blog!
- Estimated cost: 2.63$ – 8.99$ / yr
- Recommended services: Godaddy, NameSilo
- BOSS tip: you can find the best deals for domain names by going for combo packages that include both domain name+hosting (usually paid hosting + free domain name), it will save you trouble, time and $$ if you opt for the right deal.
2. Hosting
The second step is decide where you want your blog to be professionally hosted. This is important because you don’t want to be investing time and effort into creating a blog, and have your hard work be at the mercy of a platform that can vanish, change policies, own your data, etc. Your content should be hosted professionally so YOU are in control of your website.
- Estimated cost: 3.35$ – 10$ / month (Note: this depends on the hosting & payment plan you pick, some are indeed that sum per month, but will require you to pay for 1-3 years in advance)
- Recommended services: Godaddy, Bluehost, Dreamhost, WordPress
- BOSS tip: for best deals, research your local hosting websites in your country, you might even find better deals than the popular ones on the market. Make sure to compare the ratio of price + features + guaranteed uptime as they’re all important. Extra tip: if you wanna bootstrap your business, go for monthly or quarterly payment plan, instead of yearly (or 3-yearly) – that way you’re set for the moment, and can invest more later! Plus, this way you can also test out if it’s the right service for you, since it’s just 1-3 months.
3. Set up your WordPress
I highly recommend using WordPress as blogging platform, because it’s a great foundation to add plugins to, customize theme, add Woocommerce plugins and whatever else you want. For this, your hosting will most likely provide a Cpanel where you can install various platforms with just a few clicks. Alternatively, you can install it yourself manually by just following the steps.
4. Customize your blog
How far you wanna go with customizing the design of your new blog is up to you:
Free + Quick + Basic skills
For a quick & simple look, just pick one of thousands of free themes and play around a bit.
Paid (49$/yr) + Time + Basic/Intermediate skills
If you want professional-grade aesthetics and don’t mind the DIY, install the Elementor plugin for WordPress and customize your site to your heart’s content. It works both if you have basic or intermediate skills, if you’re more CSS savvy you can just tweak more details. I highly recommend Elementor, it’s what I used to design my site to look 99.9% like I originally imagined and I absolute love it. It’s very efficient, user friendly, and fast. How to do this? Create an account on Elementor, select the “Personal” plan for starters, and they’ll send you an easy 5-step guide to set it up.
For more details on sprucing up your blog’s design as well as Elementor Pro, you can check out WPCity’s in-depth comparison on Ultimate Addons for Elementor vs Elementor Pro.
Paid (300$+) + No time + No skills
You can always reach for a professional web designer to design your website if you have the resources for it. You can find quality designers on freelancer websites like Freelancer, Upwork and Fiverr.
Personally, I recommend the 2nd option because when you’re just starting out, having the perfect design is not essential, instead focus should be on content and creating your brand. Brand design & logo should come AFTER you have proof of concept (you’ve figured out your tone of voice, goals, the feel of your brand).
5. Create your main pages
Now it’s time to actually write the main pages! You’ll need:
- Landing page (homepage)
- About page
- Blog Archive Page
- Single Blog Post Page
- Contact Page
BOSS tip: I would also recommend having basic legal pages for: Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, Terms & Conditions. You can find quick, free & easy generators by just looking up “free generator (insert page)”. It will take a couple of hours at most to just copy/paste the templates & add your blog details. After all, you should protect your business from the getgo. Later, you can invest in professional legal drafts when you have the resources.
6. Write your first articles
Make sure to have 5-10 articles published on your blog before you officially launch it. If you have no articles or only 3, they’ll either finish reading in minutes or lose interest already. That’s why you should have a good library from the start to ensure you’re offering juicy, valuable content to your new audience, and they’ll keep coming back for more!
Voila – congrats on your new blog darling, I’m so proud of you! Make sure you celebrate your launch and tag me on social media, I’d love to hear about your new start-ups.
In my next article in the BLOGGING series, I will be sharing the top plugins you need to set up your blog for success from the start. If you’d like a detailed article for either of the mentioned steps, or if you have any questions or feedback, let me know in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to help you guys out!
