How To Start A Blog - A Simple Step-By-Step Guide

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I was on maternity leave and looking for ways to earn money from home when I came across blogging. I wasn’t sure if it was really a way to earn money from home, but I was inspired to give a try after reading so many blogging success stories from other moms. When my daughter was a couple of weeks old, I decided to dive in and start a blog.

Within a couple of months, I was earning money from blogging, and it’s been growing ever since. It really is a way to earn money from home!

I love helping other moms start their blogs and begin creating the stay-at-home, work-at-home life they’ve dreamed of. The six simple steps below will help you start a blog today.

How To Start A Blog – Step-By-Step

Step 1: Choose your hosting plan.

SiteGround is the company I use for hosting and is highly recommended by many fellow bloggers. When I switched to SiteGround, my page loading speeds improved greatly! Plus, their customer service is super helpful and is available 24/7.

SiteGround offers three plans. The StartUp plan is great for the new blogger with one website. Once you select the right plan for you, click Get Started.

Step 2: Choose your domain.

You can register your domain easily through SiteGround in this step.

For help with deciding your niche and blog name, sign up for this free First Month Blog Plan.

Step 3: Review & Complete.

Enter your Account Information, Client Information, and Payment Information.

Review your purchase information. I recommend adding Domain Privacy.

Step 4: Install WordPress for Free.

SiteGround makes this process simple with the Autoinstaller. If you have any issues at all or would like SiteGround to set it up for you, click the Live Chat button, and a SiteGround representative will help you.

I’ve contacted SiteGround many times through Live Chat and have always been super impressed with their customer service! They make things so simple!

Step 5: Check your email & get started!

Once you’ve purchased your domain and hosting and installed WordPress, you will receive an email from SiteGround confirming the installation. You’ll see your Admin URL, Username, and Password.

Yay! You can now log into your new site and get started!

Step 6: Install your theme.

Now that you’ve created your blog, you will want to install a theme. This is the overall design and look of your site. I have used Pretty Darn Cute Design themes from the beginning and have found them to be a great fit for my blog. The setup instructions are so helpful, and the support team is always willing to answer questions in a timely manner to help you set up your site like the demo. It was important to me to have great setup instructions and excellent support, so I found the investment in the premade theme to be completely worth it.

Included with every theme purchased at Pretty Darn Cute Design are also 20+ WordPress video tutorials to help you with posts, pages, categories, photos, widgets, plugins, menus, and more.

With your theme in place, you can begin personalizing your site by adding your blog name, creating your About page, and writing your first post.

For more information on setting up your blog with recommended resources and courses to begin making money as soon as possible, check out this post: How to Start a Mom Blog and Make Money

Congratulations on creating your blog! Subscribe below to receive information on blogging freebies from top bloggers earning thousands per month!

Be sure and check out these blogging-related posts to help you along the way!

Helpful Resources

Below are some great resources for shopping, saving money, making money, and more!

Ebates – Ebates is a free and easy way to earn cash back when shopping online. Some of my favorite places to shop through Ebates include: Etsy, Amazon, Target, Old Navy, Lowe’s, Walmart, and more! Ebates earns a commission on referrals, and they share that commission with you. I talk about it in depth in my post here: How To Earn Cash with Ebates. It’s super easy (and free) to join. You just provide your email address, and choose a password. You can get a $10 cash bonus after your first $25 purchase by signing up through my link here.

Ibotta – Ibotta is another free way to earn cash back. It’s like using coupons without the hassle of clipping coupons. You simply sign up for a free account and then after you shop, scan your products that have coupons in the app, scan your receipt, and watch the cash fall into your Ibotta account. I use the app when I shop at Target and Kroger, but there are a lot of places you can use the service. You can receive a $10 welcome bonus by signing up through my link here.

Airbnb – Airbnb is a great way to travel. Instead of staying at hotels, you can rent someone’s house, apartment, or room. I have even seen people list their Airstream trailers for rent. How cool is that?! We used Airbnb on our last trip to Washington, D.C., and it was awesome. We stayed in a cute little neighborhood near Dupont Circle and were able to walk to the grocery store, local bookstore, and local restaurants nearby. There were four of us total, and we rented the whole apartment and had everything we needed for a great stay. If you’re looking for a fun, cost effective way to travel, check out Airbnb. This referral link will give you $40 toward your first trip.

VIPKID – Do you have a bachelor’s degree and want to teach English online? With VIPKID, you can apply to be a teacher with a flexible schedule, working out of the comfort of your home, teaching English virtually to children between the ages 4-12 in China. And, VIPKID provides all lesson plans!

Free Blogging Resources – There are so many amazing free blogging resources available that I listed all of my favorites in one place. From learning how to start a blog to learning how to increase page views… even a free Pinterest course! You can access the full list in this blog post here.

Grab your copy of the Pregnancy Planner with over 20 pages of printables to help you stay organized during your pregnancy! Get the printables here.