Are you looking for information on how to set up a WordPress blog? This article will help you achieve that goal Every business owner has a story that requires exposure, and a blog offers you an opportunity to get out there to start writing those stories. A few years ago, bloggers needed to have more expertise on technical SEO to become successful. That is not the case today because all tools are available for you to play with.
The best thing about having a blog is that you can earn some income if you delve into it. Many people are determined to post regularly on their blogs to get large incomes. It is a full-time job for some marketers. Here is a guide on how to set up a WordPress blog without spending a fortune.
How to Set Up A WordPress Blog
WordPress is the best platform to start with to get your blog going. I have summarised a valuable guide for the people who want to set up a blog below. Have a look!
WordPress.com and WordPress.org
The initial step to starting your blog is understanding the WordPress framework. WordPress is primarily a CMS that assists users to upload content to your website. It is easy to understand for individuals from all expertise levels, so you do not have to be a web developer.
There are two types of WordPress systems – WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.org indicates that you own and host your website. WordPess.com means that your site is hosted by WordPress company. With WordPress.org, you can customise your website depending on your needs, and add thousands of plugins available to make your website exceptional.
What You Need to Start a WordPress Blog
- Little money – hosting is inexpensive
- A WordPress Theme – can be free or paid depending on the selected theme
- A SiteGround account for hosting – you can use this to save significant amounts on your monthly subscription
- A domain name idea
Step #1: Coming Up with And Buying the Right Domain Name
The name of your domain is your identity online. The Domain Mediaonemarketing.com.sg is what people type whenever they need to visit your website, and ensuring that people remember your brand is a great online marketing strategy. Use some time to determine a domain name that relates to your brand.
Most people utilise their names while others may have business names to use. Other brands try to focus on keywords, which can be a bit beneficial, but it will not break or make your SEO.
With $14.95, you can be able to purchase your domain when you signup through SiteGround. However, you can get the platform at a lower price if you source from other WordPress hosts, but it is less complicated to set up your domain if you go through SiteGround. Here are some reasons why SiteGround is the recommended WordPress host:
- The process of upgrading your WordPress software is automated, an aspect that is absent in other WordPress hosting services
- The uptime of the site is incomparable in the industry
- It is cheap when compared to other brands – it starts from $3.95 each month and a free domain.
- Superfast loading time
- Has a 24/7 customer support
- SiteGround has a reputable performance
Step #2: Visit SiteGround and Get Started with Your WordPress Website
To begin, visit SiteGround and click on the “Get Started” button. Do not forget their 60% off coupon code. It is right for you to begin with SiteGround’s plan for starters. It is an excellent choice for individuals who want to test blogging. You get hosting for a single website, 10,000 monthly site visits, and 10GB site space.
The other plan is called the GrowBig plan, and it is the most popular among websites. You can host as many websites as you wish, get 20GB site space, and a maximum of 25,000 visits per month at the cost of $7.95 monthly. Additionally, the plan offers some exclusive features like SuperCacher that helps in boosting the overall performance of your website.
The last plan is known as GoGeek, and it is for companies that require features like WordPress Staging and PCI compliance. Use this plan if you want to host several websites for your business, and you are improving quickly.
Step #3: Complete Acquiring Your Domain
After choosing your hosting plan, it is time to list the name of your domain – Site Ground sites $14.95 per domain, which is a competitive cost. Just click on Register a New Domain and key in the chosen domain into the space provided.
Use the Proceed button to determine if the domain is functional and complete payment. If the domain works, choose another domain name. You will come across various steps to fill out for you to complete the process of acquiring a new domain.
You will get various sections to fill out to continue with the process of signing up for hosting services from SiteGround. You will have to fill out your necessary information and select a password for opening your account and choose your preferred payment method. You will be required to answer some questions and choose some additional features before you complete the payment.
Below is a summary of the last part you need to fill before completing your subscription to SiteGround hosting services:
- Select extra services: HackAlert Malware Monitoring (notifies when there are possibilities of your site being hacked), Domain Privacy (your personal data will not be accessed by the public).
- Choose your duration of subscription: 1 year, two years, three years, or 1-month trial.
- Select a data centre that best suits your audience: Singapore (SG).
After selecting the additional features you want to include in your subscription, go through the Terms and Conditions and verify that you agree. Then proceed to payment.
Step 5: Add WordPress on Your SiteGround Account
Now that you have completed setting up your account, you can add WordPress to the host. After completing Payment, SiteGround automatically directs you to their client area so that you can install WordPress to your account.
You can use the username sent to you via email and the password you selected during the initial setup stage.
To install WordPress on your host, click on the “Get WordPress preinstalled in this account” button.
SiteGround will request you to choose an admin email, username, and password for your WordPress account. You will use this information to sign into your WordPress account and accomplish tasks like creating and publishing blog posts.
You will have the option to include a free WordPress theme on your site. A theme is defined as the way your website appears like on the front end. There exist several WordPress themes today, and you can modify your website’s theme at any time.
When you finish, click on the “Submit” button. If you did everything correctly, you will get a congratulations message for completing to setup your account.
Step #6: Visit your WordPress Account
You will be able to see that you have installed WordPress onto your website successfully from your SiteGround account. Through navigating from “Home” > “My Accounts”, you will see the domain name you selected with a minute WordPress logo located right beside it to ensure that WordPress is installed in your hosting account.
If you connect on the green button written “Go to Admin Panel” on the left of the domain name, you will go to your WordPress control panel login page. You will key in the username and password you chose during the process of installation.
What Will You Find on The WordPress dashboard?
WordPress dashboard is essentially the console of your website. It can help you manage the following aspects:
- Your content and blog posts
- Your blog’s configuration settings
- The functionality of your blog through plugins
- The appearance of your blog through themes
Writing Your Initial Blog Article
Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate through Posts > Add New to compose your first article using WordPress. It will lead you to WordPress Editor which will assist you to:
- Set tags and categories for your blog posts
- Upload images
- Format your content using simple tools
- Enter content for your blogs
- Give titles to your articles
After you are satisfied with how your blog post looks, you only need to click on the “Publish” icon to make your blog post visible to the public.
Step #7: Set-Up and Customize Your Theme
While we highlighted how to choose a WordPress theme from SiteGround during the installation process, you may not like either of the themes SiteGround offers. It is not bad! There are very may WordPress themes that you can choose from out there.
Where to Get and Install Free WordPress Themes
If you don’t want to spend any money on your WordPress theme, the best site to search is the theme directory WordPress official page.
All the themes available there are:
- Branded for easy searching
- Verified by WordPress Review Team
- Totally free
After determining the theme that you would like to use, you to set it up on your website. navigate through the following steps to install your WordPress theme:
- Click on “Appearance” then “Themes” on your WordPress control panel
- Click on “Add New”
- Look for the name of your theme of choice on the resulting screen.
- Click Install
- Hang on until the Install button changes to Activate
- Click the Activate icon to liven your theme
That’s all. Your website now has an active WordPress.
Places Where You Can Purchase Premium WordPress Themes
Premium WordPress themes usually have more features and better designs. If you can manage their budget, you can get a lot of benefits from them.
Here are some excellent places to get premium WordPress themes:
- FancyThemes – They focus on creating simple themes for bloggers. They now have one premium theme and five free themes available for download.
- ElegantThemes – They focus on designing attractive themes. You can get all their themes at a price of $69. You can also choose from their industry options like a blog, business, portfolio, ecommerce, and magazine themes.
- MeridianThemes – this is a trending shop for themes. Currently, they have nine themes in their collection, beginning at $49. They charge $89 to get full access to all the nine themes plus more.
- StudioPress – They have been in the market for some time now, and they are popular as one of the most basic frameworks in the industry.
After choosing your premium theme, ensure that you take the ZIP file of your theme from the website where you bought the theme.
You can install your theme to WordPress by:
- Navigate through Appearance > Themes > Add New on your WordPress dashboard
- On the subsequent screen, click on Upload Theme
- Select Choose File and choose the Zip file of your theme
- Click on Install Now
- Wait for some moments for WordPress to complete installing the theme
- Make the theme live on your blog by clicking the Activate button
That’s all! Your premium theme for WordPress is now successfully installed.
Step #8: Use WordPress Plugins to Boost the Functionality of Your Blog
While WordPress themes are used to enhance the appearance of your blog, WordPress plugins improve its functionality. For example, you may need a contact form for visitors to sign up. WordPress plugins are the tools that allow such functionality.
Where Do You Get WordPress Plugins?
There are thousands of WordPress plugins that bloggers can use. Here are some of the places you can find both free and premium WordPress plugins:
- Code Canyon – This is a popular third-party site for premium plugins.
- ElegantThemes – Apart from themes, they have vast amounts of beneficial plugins
- WordPress.Org – Their official plugin directory has more than 50,000 free plugins for WordPress that you can directly install from your dashboard.
Installing WordPress Plugins
After getting a plugin of choice, here is a way to fix it:
- Select Plugins and then click on the Add New button.
If the plugin is available at WordPress.org:
- Search for the plugin by name
- Click on the Install Now button
- Wait for some moments for WordPress to finish the installation process and Click the Activate button
If you bought a premium plugin:
- Upload the Zip file by hitting the Upload button.
Conclusion
Now you have a functional blog that is developed on WordPress. Understanding how to start a WordPress blog is that simple. We hope this guide was helpful to you. All you need now is to create blog posts that attract readers.
A custom blog that is properly design will help you get more visibility online. Get in touch with us for custom website design service in Singapore. We will also give you additional information and secrets on how to set up a WordPress blog.
