How to Start a WordPress Blog [6 Easy Steps]

the ultimate guide for beginners

So, you too, want to become a blogger? Try something new? Face a new challenge? Great!!! I’m glad that you have found yourself here. I’ve created this step-by-step, free beginner’s guide just for you so that you can easily start blogging. And you know? It will take you only a few minutes. You are just a few steps away from becoming a blogger. So, let’s begin. Are you ready to learn how to start a WordPress blog?

Contrary to what you might expect, creating a blog is not that difficult. Your age and skills are not as important as your motivation and willingness. Besides, you no longer need any knowledge about the HTML code, coding, or graphics. Sounds cool, doesn’t it?

how to start a blog

I’ve written this simple, step-by-step guide on how to start a WordPress blog to help you get started (because anyone can do it). Here I’ll show you the exact steps you need to follow to set up a blog. You don’t want to wait any longer? Ready to get down to work? You sure are!!! So, we will start with some necessary information. Let’s start a WordPress blog!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. It means that we get a commission when you click a link and purchase. Thanks to this, we can share free themes and free content. It doesn’t cost you anything.

So, how do you start a blog?

How to start a WordPress blog on your own in six simple steps:

  1. Choose a blogging platform
  2. Pick a blog name
  3. Get your blog online (hosting)
  4. Get started with WordPress
  5. Design your blog, i.e. choose the right free theme
  6. Add posts & pages
How to start a blog #1

1. Choose a Blogging Platform

The blog platform is, in simple terms, service or software (like WordPress) designed specifically to allow you to publish your content online.

Free Platforms

Many people think that setting up a blog is very difficult. That’s why free blog platforms are so popular (such as WordPress.com, Tumblr, Blogger, or Medium). They offer free publishing and running services for your blog.

You create an account, and you can start blogging. You do not worry about your blog hosting or domain name, and you do not have any fees. There is only one thing that is very unfavorable to you: in fact, your blog does not belong to you. You do not influence anything; you’ll never be able to make money from your blog.

Self-hosted Platforms

To create your website or start your WordPress blog, you can do everything yourself. And believe me, it’s not so complicated.


The best and the only right solution is having a self-hosted site for your blog. That is web hosting, your own domain name, and free CMS.


If you want to start a blog you should create a self-hosted blog. To do this you need three things: blog hosting, domain name, and a content management system (CMS), thanks to which you can manage your website through a simple user interface (update, extend or add posts, video or audio content, etc.).

What is a CMS?

A Content Management System, CMS is a software that allows you to manage your site (update it, expand, add posts and individual pages, etc.) using a simple user interface.

Among the most popular content management systems, I can mention WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. You must have heard these names before.

WordPress – best free Content Management System

Of the many free CMS, I recommend WordPress, which you can download from WordPress.org (don’t do it now, we will do it together in the following part of the article)

  • it’s 100% free (you only need a web host & domain name, but this will be discussed later),
  • very easy-to-use, especially for beginners,
  • very popular (see here: https://w3techs.com/),
  • the most important thing is that it is a Self-hosted cms, which means that you are the owner of your content; you are managing it by yourself. No one will remove the content you have created without your permission. You decide by yourself what kind of advertisements appear on your blog or how you make money on blogging. This gives you the opportunity of flexibility as well as the opportunity of controlling your own work, and this is what it’s all about, right?

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com

Almost identical names, but completely different functions.

Before we go any further, you must know that WordPress.org and WordPress.com are two completely different platforms based on the same free and open-source content management system (called WordPress).


REMEMBER
WordPress.org IS NOT WordPress.com


WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that is available on the WordPress.org website.
On the other hand, WordPress.com is a blog platform with a hosting service that works on a modified version of WordPress.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – Which is Better?
WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com

What are the differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?

WordPress.org:
  • Your Website and all its data belong to you.
  • Full control of your website – you can do everything you want to customize the page to what you need.
  • Complete management over the database and files.
  • Full freedom in adding ads.
  • The ability to add free and paid plugins and themes.
  • You can create your own online store or sell membership for premium content.
  • Possibility of using tools like Google Analytics.
  • You have full SEO control.
  • Direct access to files (FTP/SFTP/etc. – depends on hosting provider – good for development).
  • Direct access to database (phpMyAdmin/Adminer/etc. – depends on hosting provider – good for development)
WordPress.com:
  • They place ads on all free sites, so you have to go to a paid plan to delete them.
  • To delete powered by WordPress.com, you have to go to the Business plan.
  • No possibility of adding your own ads.
  • There is no way to add your own plugins (allowed in a paid plan).
  • You can not install your own themes (allowed in a paid plan).
  • You cannot use such tools as Google Analytics (allowed in a paid plan).
  • Building any membership sites with WordPress.com is forbidden.
  • Creating your online store is possible only in the E-commerce paid plan.
  • SEO tools are not available in the free plan (allowed in a paid plan).
  • They can delete your content without your consent if they think you’ve broken the rules.
  • No access to files.
  • No access to the database.

WordPress.org the best solution to start a blog

You want to be a blogger. You want to share something valuable with others, and the content is the thing that matters to you the most. It has to captivate the readers and spark their interest. Why start a blog if you don’t control your content? It does not make sense.

Don’t let anyone control your content!!!

That’s why you shouldn’t waste your time on free of charge blogging platforms, such as WordPress.com, Tumblr, Blogger, or Medium, especially if you are serious about blogging.

These types of platforms control your content, have a lot of constraints, and contrary to what you may think, it is challenging to relocate the content, which you have been creating there for years.

So, what steps ahead of you?

First, you’ll select the name of your blog and pick a domain name (that is the address of your blog). In the next step, you will choose a hosting provider, and you will buy hosting (so that your new blog has the place of residence). Finally, you will install WordPress, thanks to which you will be able to publish your first post.

Seems complicated? It is not so, do not worry! Step by step, we’ll go through all these stages; you’ll see how simple it is. In the end, you will be the owner of your blog. And you’ll be able to teach others how to start a WordPress blog.

Now, let’s move to the second step on how to start a WordPress blog; we’ll take care of the name for your blog.

How to start a blog #2

Step 2. Pick a blog name

Choosing the right name for your blog will be your most challenging task today. But I have some tips for you that I hope will help you get through it easily.

Your blog’s name is crucial because it will become your brand. Users will associate it with you. Therefore, it should be easy to remember and related to the content of your WordPress blog.
The domain name should distinguish you from the competition – it should be short, simple and leave a good, lasting impression.

Let’s not pretend that choosing the right domain name is an easy task. It requires some thought, but don’t be put off – others can do it, you too! Do not give up!

If you already have a blog name, skip this step, and install free blogging software to start a WordPress blog. Click here to go directly to Step #3 – finding a hosting provider.

Here are some quick tips:

1. Do not use numbers and hyphens

They are difficult to remember. All additions disrupt the fluidity of the name. They make a user wonder where to place them, and therefore, the risk of making a mistake increases.

2. Select the .com extension or national extension

Select the .com extension – the most popular and recognizable, or national (like .us, .uk, .fr). The choice of domain name extension depends largely on the target market of your site. If you are only interested in the local market, you can use the popular national extension operating in your country (.us – USA, de. – Germany, .uk – United Kingdom, etc.). They are appreciated in local markets but are not necessarily known around the world.

3. Easy to say, easy to spell and, above all, easy to write

The name should be catchy to remember easily. It is also useful if the user can enter it in the search browser from memory.
It should be easy for people around the world to remember. Easy to say, easy to spell and, above all, easy to write.

4. The name should be short

Preferably one word, which can be difficult because most of these domains are taken. It should have a maximum of 3 words.

5. Use your name

You can use your name. If you’re starting your WordPress blog or personal website, consider using your name. It is also an excellent strategy for building a unique brand.

6. Avoid general names

You can use the keyword. But remember names that contain only keywords are too general and therefore difficult to remember. e.g., Domains carrental.com or rentalcar.com. I have the impression that they are the same. And you don’t want to get lost in a crowd of similar, competitive domains. You always have to remember that a domain name is essential but not the most critical thing, so don’t waste too much time searching for it.

7. Check social media

Social media play a vital role in the modern world. Therefore, you should have configured profiles on the most popular social networking sites. Here, too, you should check that your name is not used by someone else, and if so, consider changing. One of the tools that will help you check domain names in popular social networks is https://knowem.com/.

8. Avoid trademark infringement

Always, make sure the name you choose is not a third-party trademark. It can cause serious legal problems that will cost you a lot of money.

9. Use a domain name generator

If you are not inspired, use a domain name generator. It’s a great tool that generates many new domain names based on your recommendations, and thus stimulates the mind to think and create. The generator will help you collect the best ideas and add some new ones. You do not need to use names to be generated. You will find that new ideas will appear.

Remember

Check if your domain name is available

Everyone wants to make the best choice and be recognized and successful, that’s clear. To be honest, you never know if your domain name will win the hearts of users, but don’t worry about it.

Stick to these simple rules, look for unique but easy to remember names. When creating a domain name think globally, unless you want to focus on the local market, in which case you should think locally. Remember that both of these markets have their own rules.

When creating a new WordPress blog or a new website, pay attention to the fact that a domain name can help users remember it. However, the most important are the content, product, or service that you want to share with others, not the domain name itself. These things, together with your domain name, create an unforgettable, well-known, and unique brand many times chosen by users.


REMEMBER
It is better to have a HORRIBLE domain and start a blog than to search for months and never start.


Now we can move to the third step on how to start a WordPress blog for beginners – finding a hosting provider.

Find a web hosting provider #3

Step 3. Get your blog online – Find a Hosting Provider

Disclosure: Please note that when you purchase hosting using our Bluehost affiliate link, they compensate us, which helps us make our blog & themes free of charge to you. Know that we recommend only products, tools or services that we have tested.

Hosting Provider is ensuring a server space for your website. If the site is present in the server space, then people can find it on the internet. In other words, your blog needs the server to be visible on the web.

Hundreds of thousands of web hosts exist, the majority of which meet the basic requirements of WordPress, however finding the best one may prove to be quite a challenge.


GOOD TO KNOW
You can always change your hosting provider and relocate your website. 


For the starting bloggers, I recommend Bluehost, which is also recommended by the WordPress community.

Click here to go directly to Bluehost, please click WordPress > WordPress Hosting in the top menu, and then Start My Website button after that choose a plan which has sparked your interest.

Starting a blog – Bluehost WordPress hosting provider
Starting a blog – Bluehost WordPress hosting provider

3.1. Choose a plan

I advise using the ‘Basic’ plan in the beginning – it’s cheap and has all the necessary functions which you will need now. Remember, you can always upgrade later if you decide you want more advanced WordPress features.

The Basic plan is the smallest hosting plan offered by Bluehost starts from $7.99/mo (or $2.95 with our discount). It is perfectly tailored for a novice blogger. This plan offers 50GB of disk space and gives you the possibility to host one website. In addition, you will receive a free domain name for the whole year. And it is cheap and consequently trendy.

Furthermore, three more are almost identical. The Plus plan – the most cost-effective option gives you the ability to host an unlimited number of sites and an unlimited number of domains. What’s more, it offers unlimited storage on the server. In turn, the Choice Plus plan additionally includes one domain privacy and Automated Backup, which means daily backups and monitoring of the website for changes. The Pro plan – the highest of the offered is perfect for top business website performance. In this plan, you will also receive a dedicated IP address and optimized website resources

To start to click the ‘Select’ button.

Hosting Plans in Bluehost

3.2. Pick a domain name

Check if your domain name is available

Apart from the server, you also need a domain: an Internet address under which your readers will find you (our domain is: blogonyourown.com).

Read more about how to choose a good domain name

Write the name of the domain you want to use in the ‘new domain‘ box and click ‘Next.’ If this name is available, you can register it with your hosting account.

Choose your domain name for your blog
Choose your domain name for your blog

If the domain you wanted to use is not available, Bluehost will show you alternative names – it will suggest using a name ending with .us .net .org.
You can either use one of the suggested names or choose another name, repeating the whole procedure until you are satisfied with an outcome.

Take your time to make this decision.

Already have a domain name?

Just type your domain name in the provided space in the ‘I have a domain name‘ box, and click ‘Next.’

When you already have a domain name for your blog
When you already have a domain name

Can’t decide yet?

You need more time to choose your domain name. No problem! Just click on the ‘Choose Later!‘ link below the content, and you will be able to take care of it later.

Read more about how to choose a good domain name

You may choose your domain name later
You may choose your domain name later

When you chose your domain or used the one you already have, or you decided to select the domain name later, provide all the necessary information on the next page to start the registration process.

3.3. Enter Account Information

Make sure you use your active email address because your personal details will be sent there.

You can also sign in with your Google account by clicking the ‘Sign in with Google’ button.

Enter account information
Enter account information

3.4. Enter Package Information

Choose the period of payment, depending on how much earlier you want to pay. Bluehost offers the possibility of paying in advance for a period of 12, 24, or 36 months.

Add additional services (package extras) if you want, but, they are not necessary at this stage. You can skip them if you wish.

Starting a blog - Bluehost package information
Enter package information

If you’ve chosen the Basic or Plus Plan, you can check ‘Domain Privacy Protection’ in package extras. So that all your data (such as name, surname, or phone number) as the domain owner will be hidden.

Such information can be collected by marketing companies that use it to flood you with unwanted spam. When you add ‘Bluehost Domain Privacy’ to your registration, the only mentioned information will be Bluehost.

If you can’t afford the additional costs, skip ‘Domain Privacy Protection.’ You can always buy it later.


GOOD TO KNOW

If you previously selected the ‘Choose domain name later,’ the ‘Domain Privacy Protection’ option will not be visible. It will appear when you choose a domain name.


3.5. Enter Payment Information

Choose payment options by clicking on the ‘More payment options‘ link (you can pay by credit card or with PayPal). Read the terms of the service, cancellation policies, and privacy policies. Confirm that you’ve read the fine print and then click ‘Submit’ to complete your purchase.

Starting a blog - payment information
Enter purchase information

Well done! It’s almost everything!

Bluehost coupon:
BlogOnYourOwn users receive an exclusive special discount with our Bluehost coupon code. Click this link to buy your hosting at a special price of $2.95 per month

3.6. Set a password to your Bluehost account

After shopping, you will receive a confirmation email to the email you provided during registration.

In the next step, Bluehost will ask you to create a Bluehost account password, click on the ‘Create your password‘ button. Make sure you have chosen a strong and secure password. Use capital letters, numbers, or symbols. The stronger your password, the safer your page. Then log in to your Bluehost account by clicking the ‘login‘ button.

Start a blog - Bluehost account password created
Creating a password for the Bluehost panel

GOOD TO KNOW
The created password gives you access to the Bluehost client panel. This is not the password for your website in WordPress. But it’s worth remembering that by logging into your Bluehost account you can also get to your WordPress site.


3.7. Install WordPress

Bluehost has the advantage over other web hosts that it has ‘Automatic WordPress Install,’ which makes it much easier when you take the first steps in WordPress.

After logging in to the new Bluehost account, WordPress is already installed. That’s great.

3.8. Choose a theme

Next, choose one of the free available themes. It doesn’t matter which one you choose – we will change it together using the instruction provided later in the article. You can also skip this step by clicking the ‘Skip this step‘ link at the bottom of the page to choose the right theme later.

Then click the ‘Start Building‘ button, and you will be automatically transferred to the WordPress dashboard.

Start building your blog with Bluehost
Start building your blog with Bluehost

Enter your ‘Site Title‘ and your ‘Site Description.’ You can easily change them at any time in your WordPress dashboard, so don’t worry about it.

In your email, you will receive detailed information about logging in to the WordPress panel (your username and password).


REMEMBER
The login details for your blog (the WordPress Dashboard) are different from the login details for the Bluehost account.


So now you are in the WordPress dashboard. Congratulation!

And that’s it. Yay!

Now, you are the happy owner of the domain, the hosting, and the website. Easy, right?

You have installed WordPress yourself, as well as configured your blog. Now you know how to create a blog on WordPress.

Congratulations – you already have a website! It’s incredible how simple it is?

A few tips at the end:

You can access your new blog’s dashboard by going to www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin (where “yourdomainname.com” is your domain name).


REMEMBER
Access to your new blog’s dashboard:
www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin
To log in to your website, you will need your Username and Password.


WordPress login panel - log in to your new blog
WordPress login panel

If you haven’t chosen a blog name yet, don’t worry. At Bluehost, you can register your domain later after creating a hosting account. Click here to go directly to Bluehost, and register your domain if you haven’t already.

Why do we recommend Bluehost?

In my opinion, Bluehost is great for new, beginner bloggers who are just starting their adventure.

Bluehost has tools that make managing WordPress sites easy, which is very useful when you’re taking your first steps in creating your website. It’s one of the cheapest hosting providers on the market, which is essential when you’re just starting your WordPress blog – for a small price, you get a lot.

There are more reasons:

  • Automatic WordPress Install – this is the most important and useful thing for beginning bloggers. Upon creation of your WordPress Hosting plan, Bluehost automatically installs the latest and most secure version of WordPress.
  • Free Domain Name Registration for 1st Year.
  • Free SSL Certificate Included.
  • Money-back guarantee – Bluehost provides a 30-day money-back guarantee if your account does not meet your needs.

When you start blogging, your site is lightweight and doesn’t require too many resources. It guarantees that there will be no frequent downtime when using shared hosting. Over time, when your site starts earning, you can move to another, more expensive hoster.

Alternative hosting platforms

The hosting market is quite extensive so that you will find many hosting platforms. Some of them worse, others better. In my opinion, alternative hosting platforms that are worth considering are:

Now let’s move on to the fourth step of how to start a WordPress blog – get started with WordPress.

Meet WordPress #4

Step 4. Get started with WordPress

The first thing that you need to do before you start designing your blog is to make your blog more search engine friendly.
It only means that you need to make your permalinks clean and readable. After that, you should set up comments and check the username for your own security.

4.1. Change your permalinks

Permalinks are fixed and unique URL addresses of particular posts, pages, categories or tags on your WordPress blog site. Permalink is visible in the top browser bar. It is nothing else but an internet address making a link from a post published on your blog.

Read more about

When you are installing WordPress, you are installing default settings at the same time, so it is important to remember that some of those settings should be changed before you start to blog. After installing WordPress, the first thing you should do is change the permalink structure.

How can you achieve that? Don’t worry, it’s straightforward.
Enter Settings < Permalinks and choose Post name

WordPress blog change permalinks
How to change permalinks in your blog
Setting up a blog - permalink settings
How to change permalinks in WP blog

4.2. Set up Comments

Make sure that your blog is free from spam comments, which will make it full of unwanted content. Many companies use automatic spam, leaving comments with links to various sites to promote themselves.

To control messages appearing on your blog, go to :
Settings < Discussion and choose two options

Comments in free WP blog
How to set up comments in your blog

From this moment, you will have to accept the incoming comments before anyone will see them on your blog.

4.3. Check your username

In WordPress,” admin ” serves as a default username of every user, that’s why it’s crucial that you change your name into something more unique for your website’s safety.


REMEMBER
Change your username from “Admin” to something safer.


First, go to www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin (where “yourdomainname.com” is your domain name) to log in to your blog dashboard.


REMEMBER
Access to your new blog’s dashboard:
www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin
To log in to your website, you will need your Username and Password.


To check the username enter Users > All Users.

Changing the user name in WordPress blog
How to check the user name in the WordPress admin panel
User name in WordPress
Where to find the user name in your blog

If your ‘Username’ is different from an ‘admin’ you do not have to do anything.

If your username is admin, you must first create a new user to change it as soon as possible.

In WordPress, it is not possible to change the username, you can only delete it. The second important thing is that in WordPress, every user is assigned to one email address. You can not create a new user using the same email address. That’s why you will need a new email address.

How to change Username?

Click Add User on the left and fill in the required fields (username and email), show the password and save them – you will need it to re-log into your account. Then, from the list, select Role: Administrator and click Add New User button.

If you want to learn more, read the article: How to add a user in WordPress

Starting a blog with WP
Adding a new user in the blog dashboard

Now you have to Log out of your blog, click Log out in the upper right corner.

Starting a blog with WordPress
How to log out the user

Then Log in again, but as a new user (this one just added). Go back to Users > All Users and delete the ‘admin’ user by clicking Delete.

If you have already published any posts, remember to assign all content to the new user (select ‘Attribute all content to’ and select the new user) then click the Confirm Deletion button.

Starting a blog with WordPress.org
How to delete a user in your blog dashboard

Read more

Now, if necessary, you can change the email address by clicking the Edit link next to the appropriate user. Search for ‘Email‘ fields and enter the correct address, click the ‘Update Profile‘ button.

WordPress will send you an email message to your new address to confirm it. The new address will not become active until confirmed.

4.4. Edit general settings

General Settings in WordPress
General Settings in WordPress

Go to Settings > General and change some necessary settings for you. Enter Site Title and Tagline, add the correct email address. Set the correct timezone. It is according to this setting that the scheduled posts will be displayed. You can also look at the writing and reading settings (Settings > Writing, or Settings > Reading) and adapt them to your needs.

General settings are always available, and you can change them again whenever you need it.

Let’s move on to the fifth step of how to start a WordPress blog and take care of the appearance of your blog.

Design your blog #5

Step 5. Create a blog – Designing your WordPress blog

Finally, you can take care of your website’s appearance. In my opinion, this is the most enjoyable part of creating a blog.

One of the most significant advantages of creating your blog using WordPress is that you are provided with free themes and plugins.


REMEMBER
Themes are responsible for the website’s appearance, plugins – for its functionality.


WordPress offers more than 5000 free themes and more than 53,000 free plugins. It means that you have a wide selection of options, and you will surely find something for yourself.
Amazing, right? You can start a WordPress blog without worries.

5.1. Add or change your blog theme

Right after you create your blog, you are already in possession of either active default WordPress theme, or the one you have chosen in Bluehost. It’s effortless to change and adjust to your own needs.

Meet the WordPress dashboard

After logging to your WordPress blog, you will see the following screen: the main Administration Screen called the Dashboard.


REMEMBER
You can log in to your blog by going to
www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin
and using the credentials you set up with Bluehost or any other hosting company you used.


Your blog dashboard panel
Your blog dashboard panel

Go to Appearance < Themes < Add New

Add a new theme to your blog
Start blog on your own with WordPress add a new theme

Find Your Perfect Theme

On the right, you can type the name of the theme, which you know or tag -such as ‘blog’- and search for the most suitable theme for you among the other screened ones.

WordPress free theme how to install
How to install a free theme

On wordpress.org site you can freely see Theme Homepage as well as theme’s demo, get to know the author, see his other projects, and read about other people’s opinions.

I recommend one of our themes available on our website or the WordPress directory. We make sure that all of our themes are free, secure, light, responsive and regularly updated.

Free blog theme
Free blog theme site

Don’t get discouraged

There are a lot of free themes, and you can lose plenty of time searching for the perfect one. Choose something that you will love, something that will suit you and your readers’ tastes.
After you make up your mind, click Install and then Activate.

How to start a blog - WordPress theme activate
How to activate WordPress free theme

And that’s it!!! It’s done!! 

Here is a short checklist of what you should look for when choosing a free WordPress theme:

  • Check reviews – choose only themes well rated by users. Opinions are usually written by people who had a problem with the motive. Thanks to their assessment, you will learn more about the company behind the theme.
  • Support – look for themes that offer technical support in case of problems you will be able to ask for help.
  • Responsiveness is a must – your theme must work in all browsers and on mobile devices. Test the theme in different browsers. Copy and paste the theme demo page URL into different browsers.
  • Check out the Theme Homepage and watch the demo of the theme to learn about the theme’s layout and capabilities.
  • Check, whether a theme that you have chosen is regularly updated.
  • Simplicity – in the beginning, you do not need too many functions; the most important is content. Look for legible and straightforward themes.
  • Do not panic when the theme looks terrible after installing (unlike the demo). After adding content, photos, and adjusting the theme, the result should be the same as in the demo.

All themes available on the wordpress.org site are free (GPL-licensed)


Perhaps you are wondering how these authors make money? Some of them sell a Pro version of a given theme with additional expanded functions. Others offer payable support and customization of their themes.

We are WordPress developers, which is why we are able to perform almost any WordPress customization. To do so, we partnered with Codeable – the best WordPress outsourcing service. Please go to their website to get a free quote, or you can hire Patryk directly. Please note that when you use Codeable services with our Codeable affiliate link, they compensate us, which helps us make our blog & themes free of charge to you. Know that we also only recommend products we personally stand behind.

You don’t need all of these functions at the beginning. It will be enough if you choose a theme, which you should be able to use easily on your own, without the need to generate additional costs.

But in case you need to tweak a bit of your blog design or functionality, you may check out our customization service or read our other article: Where to find the best WordPress developers?


One more small tip:
To log out of the WordPress panel hover the mouse over the text ‘Howdy, your user name’ in the top right corner and click ‘Log Out.’

How to start a blog - WordPress panel
How to start a blog – log out

And finally, we can go to the last sixth step on how to start a WordPress blog; we will add posts and pages.

Add your first page and post #6

Step 6. How to start a WordPress blog – Adding Posts and Pages

At this point, you have a fully operational and well-configured blog with your theme and your domain. Now you know how to start a WordPress blog!
AMAZING:)!

You have done so much – I am proud of you :).
Your blog is now ready for work.

At this moment, the question “how to start a WordPress blog” is not so mysterious anymore. Big relief right :)?

Now, it is time to get to know WordPress. I will show you where to start?


Worth knowing: With the new WordPress 5.0, the update appeared the new WordPress block editor named Gutenberg.


So, in this section, I will show you:

6.1. #How to write a new post
6.2. #How to add images, links, audio, video and pdf files
6.3. #How to add tag and category
6.4. #How to add “About me” page

The new block editor is an entirely new approach to editing content on the site. It is built of blocks. What does it mean? To create a blog post, you have to put a series of these small blocks together.

Do you want to learn more?

It’s straightforward because each element is just a block. A separate block is a header, and a separate one is a paragraph, an image, and so on. There are blocks available for all kinds of content: you can insert text, list, headings, columns, and lots more. You can also change the order in which blocks are displayed, and you can move them to any place on the page.

Giutemberg WordPress editor
New blog editor – Gutenberg

6.1. Writing Blog Posts

You can add a new blog post in three ways (choose the one you prefer) from the Dashboard:

  1. Dashboard > Write your first blog post or
  2. Dashboard > +New > Post or
  3. Posts > Add New
Adding posts
How to add posts in your blog

You will see a minimalist screen that can be divided into several areas. I will describe these in brief:

Writing a blog post - Gutenberg the new WP editor
The new WordPress editor – Gutenberg
The new WP block editor settings
How to add a new post in your blog

1) Option bar

A set of the most necessary tools to help you work with the document during editing: adding a block, undoing changes, outline a document.

2) Publishing Options

Here you can publish or save a draft of your article. You can also see what your post looks like before publishing it by click on the Preview button.

By clicking the cog icon, you will hide the settings sidebar.

You will also find here the ‘More tools and options’ button (the one with three dots). Here you will find many attractive options that will facilitate the use of the new editor.

3) Document and Block Options Settings

In the Document settings, you can set the visibility of your post. You can share it for everyone publicly, and you can set your post as private or password-protected, so only those with the password can view this post. You can also schedule the publication of your post later, setting a specific date of its release.

In this section, you can also mark the post as sticky, and you can change the post’s formats, add a category, tags, Featured image, Excerpt, and set up Discussion.

Clicking any block will bring you to the block settings on the right side of the screen. Depending on the type of block you choose, its settings will change.

4) Content Area

As the name suggests, this is the place where you put your content. Now you can start writing your first post.

6.1.1. Add Title & Permalink

Enter the title of your post in the ‘Add title’ field. Please pay attention to the permalink before continuing.

Permalink is a permanent and unique URL for individual posts, pages, categories, or tags on your blog site. This is nothing but the internet address of your post that makes it visible on the internet.

Learn more about What are permalinks

After adding the title, the permalink will appear. To see it, click again on the title. Permalink will appear above.

How to change permalink in WordPress editor
Where to find Permalink in your blog

You can change it by clicking the ‘Change Permalinks‘ button. Do this before saving the post. You can also change the permalink in the Document Settings on the right, in the permalink tab.


GOOD TO KNOW
Everything that you publish on your website (a post or a page) has its own unique URL address (permalink), which makes it visible on the Internet. If you change an URL address of an already published post, the previous address, which you might have shared on social media or other sites, will not work.


Be careful about changing the permalinks of the already published content.

It makes a massive difference for your browser, whether you will write an address such as this one https://blogonyourown.com/support/ or this one https://blogonyourown.com/supports/. These are two different pages, two separate URL addresses.

6.1.2. Writing your content

Then write the content in the place ‘Start writing or type.
Remember that each paragraph is a new block, so when you hit enter, a new block will be created.

Gutenberg the new WP editor
Adding a title in your post

You can also add a new block by clicking on the ‘+’ icon, which you can find in various places.

Writing a blog post - Adding a new block
How to add a new block

You can always change a given block to another one, for example, after writing the text you want to be a header – click the ‘Change block type or style‘ icon and select ‘Heading.

Writing a blog post - adding a heading in the new WordPress block editor
How to add headline in the block editor
Writing a blog post - saving post
How to save your first post

Save Your content

In the end, you must save your first post, but do not worry; you don’t have to publish it immediately – that is, show it online. WordPress gives you the option to save your post as a draft/sketch, invisible on the web.

You can publish or save a draft of your article using the publishing options (top right). You can also click the Preview button to see how your post looks before publishing.

In the document section, you can specify whether the post should be public, private, or password-protected. You can also choose the date of its publication.

Choose one of the options to save your post. Of course, you can edit your document at any time, remember always to save the changes you have made.

To Sum up:
  • To publish your post, click the ‘Publish’ button, located on the right side.
  • Click the ‘Save Draft’ button to save the draft version of your post.
  • If you want to make your post private or password-protected choose the right option from The Post Visibility.
  • To schedule, a later publication of your post choose the date of its publication in the document section.

6.2.1. Adding an image

Adding an image is very simple. Add a new block by clicking the ‘+’ icon, search the ‘Image’ block in the list and select the photo from the Media Library, or upload the file from your computer.

Starting a blog - how to add image
Image Block in your WordPress blog
Adding an image to your post
Upload an image in the Block editor

Then customize it using the basic settings found on the top of the image (align left, right and center) or on the right in ‘Block Settings‘.

How to adjust an image in the Block editor
Where to find image block settings
Adding an image in Block editor
Image Blok settings sidebar

In the Block Settings on the right, you can find Image settings like alternative text, image size, image dimensions, and link settings.

Adding Caption & Alt text

To optimize the image, you need to add Caption, Alternative Text (Alt Text) and Image Title (optional). Where to find them if they are not in the Image Block Settings on the right?

If you want to learn more about image optimization in your blog, read the article: Optimization of images in WordPress. How you should do it and why it is so important

To add a Caption or to change the Title of the image, click the Edit image icon (pencil icon above the picture), make changes, and then click Select or ‘x.’

You can also go to Media > Library, click on the image you are interested in, fill in the appropriate fields, and leave the site by clicking ‘x.’

Where to find the Caption in WP block editor
How to edit an image in WordPress
Caption and image title in WordPress
Image settings in the block editor

GOOD TO KNOW
Never add images directly from the camera. Before they are added on your website, they should be optimized, reduced, and compressed.
The browsers see only the text – they don’t recognize images. Photos are an essential part of your content, not just an addition. Always remember to fill the Alt Text – ‘Alternate Text’ space.


Imagine that a blind person is searching through your site using a screen reader, which will read everything but images. Describe your pictures by giving them a description using AltText, and your whole content will be available for everyone.

6.2.2. Adding links

In the blog editor, links are created in the same way as in other well-known editors.
Select the text, click the ‘Link’ icon at the top, then paste the URL into the field and press the ‘Apply’ icon to accept.

How to start a blog - meet WordPress editor
Adding a link in the blog editor

To open the link in a new browser window, click the ‘Link Settings’ icon and then click the ‘Open in New Tab’ button.

Starting a blog with WordPress
Link settings in Gutenberg

6.2.3. Adding video, audio and pdf files

To insert audio, video, etc. on your WordPress blog, copy the URL and paste it into the editor. WordPress will automatically convert it to the embed block.

The new WordPress block editor - embeds
Embeds blocks in Gutenberg

To see all available block settings, you have to click the mouse on the block area.

Audio in block editor
To insert Audio paste the URL into the new editor

You can also add a block by clicking ‘+’ Add Block > Embeds and choose from the long list what you want to insert and then paste the URL. The new block editor has a lot of different Embed blocks.

How to insert embeds in block editor

If you want to insert audio, video or pdf files that are not already on the network (files have no URL), go to ‘+’ Add block > Common Blocks > select Audio, Video or File and upload your file.

Common Block in WordPress
Common Blocks – How to insert Audio / Video or File block
How to insert Audio / Video or File in WP
Upload the media file in a WordPress blog

6.3. Adding tag/tags and category/categories

Adding categies and tags in the block editor
Tags and categories in WordPress blog

Tags and categories are a crucial element of your blog because they organize the content, group it into specific sections, allow the reader to find articles that he is interested in.

But how do tags and categories differ?

6.3.1. Categories

Consist of the main topics, which can be found on your blog and which create your blog’s main structure.

The average blog has about 7-10 categories. It’s not beneficial for a blog to have more categories, because then it becomes confusing and unreadable.

In the WordPress blog, you can find the categories or tags on the right in the Document Settings section.


GOOD TO KNOW
in the case of WordPress blog, categories can be embedded, which means that you can create subcategories of a given category.


To add a new category, click the ‘Add New Category’ link. To add tag write the tag in the field and hit enter.

You can manage your categories or tags by going to Dashboard > Posts > Categories or Tags.

6.3.2. Tags

They are very similar to categories, but they serve as a more detailed description of your post. Tags divide your posts into groups, regardless of the structure, which a category has.


REMEMBER
Do not create a tag for just one post.


Let’s suppose that your blog is about cooking. You are writing an article about a lemon-flavored sugar-free lemonade:), which you will put it in the category: Refreshments and tag it: lemonade, lemon, sugar-free.

If someone is interested only in your sugar-free recipes, then they will be able to find them by clicking on the tag ‘sugar-free easily.’

Tags divide your posts into groups, so if you do not plan on publishing more sugar-free recipes (which would be tagged ‘sugar-free’), then it’s better not to use this tag at all. Using a specific tag for only one post doesn’t make sense and only creates a mess.

6.4. Adding ‘About me’ page

As with the addition of posts, there are also three ways to create a page in WordPress blog:
1. Desktop > Add page Information or
2. Desktop > + New > Page or
3. Pages > Add new

Adding WP page
How to create a page in your WP blog

About me page is one of the most viewed pages, so it should be well-prepared. It’s worth putting effort into it:).


You may also like

Because the new editor is a total novelty, I can even say a ‘revolution’ for many people, WordPress – to meet the users – allows you to use the classic editor with a plugin.

If you want to use the classic editor, you must first install the ‘Classic Editor’ plugin. To do this, go to Plugins > Add New and enter the ‘Classic Editor‘ in the search window. Then click the ‘Install Now’ button and then ‘Activate‘ and you can start writing your first post.

How to start blog - adding a post
Classic Editor Plugin Installation

Summary

I have to congratulate you sincerely. You’ve come a long way. But that’s all you need to know about how to start a WordPress blog. It wasn’t that difficult. Wasn’t it?
I hope you have already started your journey. If you have any questions, write in the comments below. I will answer as soon as possible.

If you have a Pinterest, I will be grateful if you pin this image.

Good luck with starting your new blog!
Starting a blog with BOYO

Good luck with blogging.

61 comments

  1. This blog is very helpful to me and also give me a basic idea of blog creations and its steps one by one .

  2. Informative Article.
    Thank you for sharing an amazing article.
    I really admire your efforts in your work.
    Keep posting…

  3. Can the original editor be used in WordPress.org? Is there a way to revert back to the old one? I have tried Gutenberg in WP.com trying it out, playing around with it and I don’t like it.

  4. Can you please tell me what Theme design this blog is using? I really like the layout of it. Would work nice for my idea. Nice job on the article.

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