How To Start a Blog In 2024 From Scratch
Blogging is no wonder a great career & you can earn a handsome amount if you put great effort and that too with dedication. If you want to learn how to start a blog in 2024 so that you can grow an audience and make a good amount, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve helped 1000s of people around the world to start a blog, improve their writing skills, as well as helps them to earn income online. And today, we’re gonna help you. In this massive & in-depth guide:
We’ll walk you through the step-by-step process so that you can easily start your blog in 2024. Here we have also covered the answer to some common blogging questions, and BONUS – show you some free tools and resources that definitely going to help you in the blogging journey.
You just need to follow simple steps in order to create your own blog and start padding your wallet.
Sound good? Let’s Start!
Step By Step Guide - How To Start A Blog In 2024
- Step 1 - Pick the Right Blog Topic
- Step 2 - Choose the Right Blogging Platform
- Step 3 - Choose a Domain Name
- Step 4 - Purchase a Web Hosting Plan
- Step 5 - Install WordPress
- Step 6 - Choosing a WordPress Theme
- Step 7 - Install WordPress Plugins
- Step 8 - Write Your First Blog Post!
- Bonus - How to Make Money From Blog
Very Common reader questions: “What are the popular blog topics?” “How do you start a blog?” “What should I blog about?” “How to choose blog topics?” & more….
We get more questions like and usually they come from people at their wit’s end. Want to know what’s the big problem with blogging?
No doubt blogging is wonderful but harsh truth is that most people don’t know there’s a huge chance of failure. They spend lots of time creating a blog that has almost zero chance of succeeding.
When they see their blog not working or not driving traffic, eventually, they give up and start over. But again, they repeat the same mistakes. The reason?
Not because they’re dumb or they’re lazy, it’s because they’re choosing the wrong blog topic or the topic that’s not so of their interest.
Always remember before starting – Do you enjoy the topic? Is it fun? These 2 questions are very important when you have planned to start your blogging journey. But yes, if you’re looking to start a blog to generate passive income… then you need to choose a viable blog topic that has great chance to succeed.
Again in thought? No issues, we’re here & we’re going to show you how to pick a a great blog. It’s pretty simple!!
How to Choose a Winning Blog Topic
List down the topics that interest you. These could be your hobbies, or something closely related to your searches. To be a viable blog topic, you have to be able to answer “YES” to these five questions:
- Do any existing blogs on same topic that you think have a Facebook page with more than 10k fans?
- Do any blogs on this topic have more than 50k followers on Twitter?
- Does Amazon have any books on this topic?
- Are there any Google ads, when you searches for the topics.
- Any words have more that 100k searches in Google’s Keyword Planner tool?
Very Common reader questions: “Which blogging platform is best?” “How do I start a blog for free?” “What are best blogging platforms?” “Which of free blog platform is best?”
There are several free blogging platforms out there. In fact, we’ve witnessed many bloggers starting with a free Medium.com account. here you can test out your ideas and make sure they’re viable before creating a full-fledged blog.
Remember, once you’re ready to build an audience and make money online, there’s only one blogging platform that you must consider and that’s WORDPRESS
Heavyweights website like TechCrunch, the Star Wars blog, Mercedes-Benz are made on made on WordPress (self-hosted WordPress). A self-hosted WordPress blog offers quality & flexibility that other free platforms can’t match. WordPress is technically free too. It’s open-source. As it’s self-hosted, you need to purchase a hosting plan so that you can install WordPress on your own web host. Web Hosting Plan costs money (unless you choose free hosting). Additionally you also have to purchase your own domain name. We’ll discuss in a moment.
If you’re serious about the blogging journey, building an audience, and then monetizing your blog content, you just need to set up your blog on a rock-solid foundation.
Very Common reader questions: “How do I choose a good domain name?” “What do I need to know before buying domain name?” “How can I come up with good blog name?”
Suppose you’re browsing the Internet, and you see a headline for a blog post that suddenly catches your attention. Maybe that blog or article is shared on your on Facebook or you have came up on a Google search or some other possible way…
You may ask yourself a single question – “Is this for me?” as you browse through it…
Just looking at the domain name within a few seconds, you decide whether to keep reading the post or simply move on and the only way you’ll stay is if it’s relevant to you. Domain name plays a very important role. For example, consider Entrepreneur.com. Definitely there is no doubt about it. Just take a other example – How about BeABetterBlogger.com? Obviously, it’s for people who want to become bloggers.
Names are not clever, but they greatly help you decide to stay or just go by clearly articulating who they are helping. That’s simply what a good domain name does & so having a good domain is a bless.
How to Choose a Custom Domain Name for Your Blog
Here I’m presenting 3 different methods for finding the perfect domain name:
- Name the audience: Call out the audience in the domain itself (eg. AFineParent.com, CouchPotato.com)
- Name the topic: If you are planning to blog specific topic try finding a domain name that describes it in clear & concise language.
- Name the benefit: If you have the answer for – “Why should people stick around?” you can get a great domain name.
Very common reader questions: “What is web hosting?” “Do I need to pay for web hosting?” “Do I need web hosting with the WordPress?”“What is the top web hosting providers? “How much does web hosting cost?”
Web host is like a warehouse for the websites on the Internet. You pay a minimal fee to keep your website on the Internet. It helps to handle all your visitors, back up your website, as well as provide customer support & manage security of your website.
In short: website hosting costs money, but you usually get a good bit for your money.
Note: If you’re on a tight budget, check out best hosting deals & offers.
There are number of web host providers for WordPress but we always recommend “SiteGround” to our readers because it’s quite affordable & offers great features at low costs.
Here are a few of our favorite features:
- Great technical support team
- Built-in Content Delivery Network (CDN) that speed up your site
- Free SSL certificates
- Daily backups
- 60% OFF to a new customer. GRAB DEAL
How to Purchase Web Hosting at SiteGround
Go to SiteGround >> click the GET PLAN button under hosting option that best fits your needs. If you are a beginners we recommend you to go with the StartUp plan.
On the next screen, do the following:
- Click the I already have a Domain option (if you have already bought else register a new domain)
- Enter the domain name >> Click the PROCEED button
On the final screen, you’ll need to complete four sections:
- Account Information
- Client Information
- Payment Information
- Purchase Information (Let’s look at Purchase Information in more detail:)
Important Note: If you choose a 12-month billing period without any extra services or add-ons, then it will be $47.40 for 1 Year (still very low)
Review your order >> click the PAY NOW button.
Congratulations! You’ve purchased SiteGround hosting. Now it’s time to connect it to your domain name:
How to Point Your Domain Name to Your Web Host
This next part is a little technical, but we’ll make sure it as simple as possible.
To connect your domain name with your SiteGround hosting account, follow these steps:
- Sign into your Domain Name account.
- Click Domain List.
- Select MANAGE next to your domain.
- In the Nameservers section >> choose Custom DNS from the drop-down menu.
- Enter your SiteGround name servers.
To Find SiteGround Name Server:
- Log into your SiteGround account
- Go to cPanel button >> Copy the Name Servers listed in the ACCOUNT INFORMATION section.
- Save your changes now
Very common reader questions: “How do I install WordPress in cPanel?” “Do I need to install WordPress?” “How do I install WordPress on my website?”
As you have already connected domain & hosting so it’s time to set up WordPress. You don’t need to think a lot over it. It’s pretty simple & SiteGround makes this ridiculously easy.
If you have chosen a different website host, we’ll also go over their steps for installing the WordPress in a moment.
First, quickly walk through SiteGround.
When you login into SiteGround user panel for the very first time, the Account Setup Wizard will appear like:
As in the image, click the Start a new website option and then after select WordPress as the software. Next, you’ll create the login details for your WordPress account:
Enter your preferred email address, a good username, and a very strong password. Now after, click the Confirm button to continue. Finally, after reading the SiteGround Terms of Service >> Click the Complete Setup button. SiteGround will now install WordPress for you & you’ll be ready to log into your own WordPress Dashboard within few minutes.
How to Log Into the WordPress Dashboard
Go to your WordPress login URL by appending /wp-admin (or /admin or /login or /wp-login) to the end of your domain name.
Examples:
- yourdomain.com/wp-admin
- www.yourdomain.com/admin
- yourdomain.com/login
- www.yourdomain.com/wp-login
You’ll be taken to your WordPress login page:
Enter the username and password you created earlier.
Click Log In.
Your WordPress dashboard will look similar to this:
CONGRATS!! Let’s begin customizing your WordPress site.
Very common reader questions: “What are the WordPress themes?” “How do I choose a the WordPress theme?” “Are there any good free themes?” “What is the most popular free WordPress theme?”
Before starting your customizing process, we need to be clear about that your content matters more than anything else.
If you have great content, you can still get traffic and earn passive income but having most beautiful & user-friendly website online, but if your content sucks, nobody will care about you.
How to Choose a WordPress Theme
In WordPress, your “theme” is the design of your website. There are 1000s of theme options out there for you to choose from — some free, some that cost money. Pick the WordPress theme that best fits your situation and needs. Download it >> Now, let’s install it.
How to Install WordPress Themes
To install a WordPress theme, follow these steps:
- In the left-hand navigation pane, go to Appearance
- Choose Themes
- Click the Add New button
From here, there are two paths you can take:
- Search themes… from WordPress.org’s huge directory of free WordPress themes, or
- Click the Upload Theme button to install a WordPress theme.
Path #1: Install a New Theme From WordPress.org’s Directory
If you want to install a free theme from WordPress.org:
- Enter a theme name or a desired feature (Example: “minimalist”) in the Search themes
- Click the Install button
Path #2: Install a Thirty-Party WordPress Theme
If you want to install a WordPress theme you downloaded >> click the Upload Theme button and:
- Click the Choose File button
- Find the third-party theme you downloaded >> select it
- Click the Install Now button
How to Activate a WordPress Theme
Soon after installing the theme, you’ll be given the options to “Activate” or “Preview” it. If you want to immediately publish the theme to your website, click the Activate button. Otherwise:
In the left-hand navigation pane >> Go to Appearance >> Choose Themes. Find the theme & click the Activate button:
And that’s it.
Your new blog design is now visible to the world! But is your blog ready? Not yet. To improve its functionality we’ll start installing a few WordPress plugins.
Very common reader questions: “What are the WordPress plugins?” “How do I use WordPress plugins?” “How to add WordPress plugins?” “Are WordPress plugins free?”
No wonder, WordPress is packed with features but Plugins add even more.
There is a plugin for everything. Around 50,000+ free plugins are there in the WordPress.org. You can also buy premium plugins.
With so many options available, you must be confused. In this step we’ll discuss about “must-have” and “essential” WordPress plugins.
Here’s the thing:to
The 5 Types of WordPress Plugins You Need to Install
- Performance Plugins (Our Pick: WP Super Cache)
- SEO Plugins (Our Pick: Yoast SEO)
- Backup Plugins (Our Pick: UpdraftPlus)
- Security Plugins (Our Pick: iThemes Security)
- Social Sharing Plugins (Our Pick: Social Warfare)
How to Install WordPress Plugins
It’s pretty simple:
Go to your dashboard >> Go to Plugins >> Choose Add New
You then have 2 paths:
- Click the Upload Plugin button (if you downloaded a third-party plugin), or
- Enter the name of the plugin in the Search plugins
Path #1: Install a Thirty-Party WordPress Plugin
- Click the Upload Plugin button
- Click the Choose File button
- Find the third-party theme >> Select it
- Click the Install Now button
Path #2: Install a Plugin From WordPress.org’s Directory
- Enter the plugin name (Example: “wp super cache”) in the Search plugins… field
- Click the Install button
How to Activate a WordPress Plugin
- Go to Plugins
- Choose Installed Plugins
- Find your plugin >> Click Activate
Very common reader questions: “How to structure a blog post?” “Can you write 3000 words in a day?” “How long is a blog post?” “How to write a blog post for SEO?”
This is the fun part… YES, content creation!
It’s the time to start writing blog posts. Taking ideas in your head & turning them into words on the screen & finally sharing them with the world.
Let’s walk through how you do it.
How to Start a Blog Post in WordPress
In the left-hand pane of WordPress dashboard >> Hover over Posts >> Click Add New
If you’re using the new WordPress block editor your screen will be like this:
If you’re using the classic content editor, you’ll see this:
Note: If you want to add a new blog page in WordPress such as About page, Contact page, etc., the steps are similar:
- In the left-hand pane of your dashboard >> Go to Pages
- Click Add New
Block Navigation in Gutenberg
- Add a new block
- Undo and Redo buttons
- Content structure (word count, headings, paragraphs, blocks)
- Block navigation
Sidebar Navigation in Gutenberg
- Review and Publish the post
- Categories, tags, permalink, and publishing options
- Block settings
- Hide the sidebar
- More editor settings
This is the bonus part of the guide – how to start a blog in 2024 for you all! Here I’ve shared some great ways which help you to make money from your blog.
Before beginning , let me CONGRATS, you because you have published your own first blog.
There are multiple ways following which you can make money from your blog. I have created a list of ways that surely help you to earn your first dollar online. Excited?? Let’s begin…
#1 – Affiliate Marketing: One of the effective methods for make money online. In this method, you have to promote some other products on your blog. Whenever, there is a sale through your website/blog, you will get a commission from the product owner.
#2 – Advertising on your blog: This is the most common ways. You can monetize traffic and make money handsome money out of it. Many bloggers are making decent amount of money following this earning methods. Two leading websites – Adsense & Media.net, You can easily apply to there program & make money from there. If you need help in setting or applying with AdSense you can contact us.
#3 – Offering Services: If you are good in SEO, you can offer services to your reader, and they will pay you. This is one of the fastest ways to earn money from your blog. If you are looking for digital marketing services you can directly contact us at [email protected]
These are some quick ways to make money from your blog. But one important point PATIENCE, CONSISTENCY & HARD WORK is KEY TO SUCCESS in blogging field.
Conclusion - How to Start a Blog in 2024
Most people read about how to start a blog but seriously saying don’t follow through. They want to start a blog in 2024 and they also talk about it nonstop, sure, but frankly they never take action.
I’m sure you are not gonna to just read but you are gonna to take action today. We’ve outlined everything above one by one. You’re going to create a blog, grow an audience, and start making money.
If you have any questions or hiccups, we’re right here to help you.
Are you ready?
Then let’s do this thing.
FAQ Related To How To Start A Blog In 2024
In order to start a blog in 2024 it cost you around $3.50/month from the SiteGround. However, I would suggest you to go with 1 year plan to get a special discount.
We’ve already discussed all the steps to get started with a blog in 2024. For getting paid from your new website you can use Google Adsense as well as go for Affiliate marketing.
If you are in need of personal blog (no email list, no affiliate marketing, etc.), then just go with Medium.com. It’s free & easy to use.
Yes! and that’s why you’re here. You also want to start your blog in 2024. If you are taking Blogging Journey as a business then it’s still worth it
Yes, you can start for a free using platform like Blogger. But if you want to make real money from your blog you need to go with purchased hosting & domain.