Last updated on March 14th, 2018 — Do you want to learn how to start a WordPress blog the right way? More than 8,500 people have used this tutorial to start theirs! Let’s get yours set up…
Bluehost is where I started my first WordPress blog almost a decade ago. They’ve now put together an exclusive deal for Blog Tyrant readers so I can help you get set up properly as well!
All you need to start a WordPress blog is a domain name and a hosting platform. Once you’ve got that you just install WordPress for free and start blogging!
Let’s dive right in and show you how to start your first self-hosted WordPress blog today. It’s super simple and with this walk-through and video tutorial you’ll be blogging in no time!
Disclosure and quick interruption – I started my first blog on Bluehost and have now partnered with them to get you a big discount rate. If you purchase hosting through one of the links on this post I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. They are a great place to start and I’m happy to promote them!
An overview of how to start a WordPress blog
Watch this video to see how simple it is to start a WordPress Blog. After, we have a quick summary of the process and then the full walk-through details for you to follow along.
Here’s the quick summary of the set up stages that we’re going to cover in the rest of the article below:
- Purchase your blog hosting — This is where you install WordPress and host your future blog’s files, articles and images. [1]
- Install WordPress from your new cPanel — Install WordPress with just a few clicks from inside your host’s control panel. [1]
- Choose a free theme for your blog — Pick a theme that suits the colors, branding and goals for your blog and install it from your new WordPress blog’s dashboard. [3]
- Publish your first post — Now start writing amazing blog posts that help people, attract traffic, get email subscribers, and more. [4]
Now let’s get into the step-by-step, detailed tutorial on how to start a WordPress blog that over 8,000 people have now used to start blogging properly! As I mentioned in my latest blog hosting review it literally only takes a few clicks to get your own blog.
Step 1 — Purchase your WordPress blog and domain name hosting package
The first thing we need to do is purchase some domain name and blog hosting. This is where all of your blog’s files are stored, and where we will eventually install WordPress as your blogging platform.
(The following images are screenshots I’ve taken from Bluehost so you know what to do. Open up Bluehost in a new window and follow along.)
Once you’ve arrived at Bluehost, click the green Get Started Now button that you can see in this image and that will begin the process.
On the next page enter in the domain name that you’d like to use.
You can add unlimited websites and blogs to your Bluehost account so don’t worry too much if you’re not totally sold on your current domain name idea because you can always add more to the same account later using the Addon Domains feature.
The next step is easy – just fill out all your contact details and payment information (billed annually). Make sure you use your real details so you can verify your account.
As you can see below, that same screen has some optional extras. It is up to you whether or not you purchase these but I would generally recommend you buy the Whois privacy as this keeps your email, address and other private details hidden on the web.
At this point you should have completed the first step and you’ll have your very own professional blog hosting area. Congratulations!
Step 2 — Install WordPress for free from your new cPanel within Bluehost
Now that you have purchased your domain name and hosting package you will get given access to something called a cPanel (short for Control Panel).
This is the “engine” of your hosting and has dozens of different icons that link to all the different services and features that are available inside your hosting account such as email, scripts, accounts, and more.
At first it will seem a little overwhelming but don’t worry, you can ignore 95% of them. But this is the page where we need to find the little WordPress icon so we can make our first WordPress blog.
IMPORTANT: I’m going to show you how to do a WordPress install by yourself but you can always ask Bluehost to do it for you. This is a message you’ll see when you first get cPanel access.
We’re going to ignore that message because installing it ourselves is easy!
Scroll down until you find the icon called Install WordPress. This is the amazing new software that lets you install WordPress on your host in just a few clicks.
Now, the next screen has a few options but is actually really simple.
Here you want to fill out all the options like the name of your blog while also making sure you use a complex username (not admin) and password. This is literally all you have to do to get started.
And you’re done!
Once it has finished crunching the installation it will give you a confirmation screening showing you your unique WordPress login URL that will look like this:
http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin
Copy this and bookmark it and make sure you write down your username and password on a piece of paper. Never write this information down on your computer.
This URL is where your WordPress Dashboard is located. This is the “back end” of of your blog and it’s where you publish posts, change themes, edit fonts, upload images and generally run your blog. From this point onward you don’t need to log back in to the cPanel to blog.
Step 3 — Change your WordPress theme
The final (and most rewarding) step in the process is where you install a beautiful new WordPress theme and start writing your first posts!
To change your theme simply login to your WordPress dashboard using the URL we got above and go APPEARANCE > THEMES > ADD NEW and then use the search box to find a theme that suits your needs. There are literally thousands to choose from.
Once you have found a theme that you like you can it’s a good idea to check that it has good ratings from other bloggers and that it has been updated regularly.
You can preview it in this window pane or you can just install it right there!
Now you are ready to start blogging on your new WordPress blog! That whole process from sign up to installing a theme can literally only take five minutes to do. Just follow this guide and if you run in to any problems you can ask one of Bluehost’s amazing live support crew for help. They are there 24 hours a day.
Step 4 — Start publishing blog posts
Once you have started a WordPress blog it’s a good idea to have a look at how to create amazing content for your blog.
After all, there is no point going to all the trouble of starting a blog if you don’t put something great on it!
I really recommend taking an approach that involves a deliberate blogging strategy that helps you to get more traffic from Google, lands you consistent email subscribers, and builds you a profitable blog over time.
If you’d like a full picture on how to take your blog to the next level then make sure you subscribe to the mailing list and get a free 10,000-word eBook that gives you a complete picture about how to start a blog and build it to a professional level.
Any questions on how to start a WordPress blog?
Are you thinking about starting a WordPress blog but you’re not sure about something? Feel free to leave a comment below with any concerns or questions and I’ll reply to you as soon as I can. I answer each comment personally so feel free to jump in!