Before I started blogging, I spent a good handful of months as a silent reader — I’d eat up the words of my favourite bloggers on a daily basis without ever really interacting with them. Whaaaaaat?! I was shy! But despite my shyness, it wasn’t long before I started feeling the itch. You know the one I’m talking about… the itch to start a blog of my own. And why not?! I loved to write; I loved to take pictures; and I loved the idea of being part of a community of like-minded people.
So after debating it for weeks and trying to come up with the perfect name for a few more weeks, I finally took the plunge. I’m not even kidding when I say that I had a panic attack after publishing my first post, but starting a blog was seriously one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only has it introduced me to so many amazing people, but it’s opened me up to opportunities that I honestly never dreamed of.
Does any of this sound familiar? The desire to write? To share? To be part of an awesome community? If so, then this post might just be the last little push you need to finally take the plunge and start a blog of your own, since I’ll be walking you through the step-by-step process of… well… how to start a blog š And if you already have a blog [that’s not self-hosted], maybe this will help convince you to make the switch!
There are three main steps to staring a blog:
1. Setting up a domain name and hosting.
2. Installing WordPress.
3. Choosing a theme.
Let’s take a look at each one in more detail.
1. Setting Up a Domain Name and Hosting
The best part! Before you can start sharing your brilliant content with the world, you need to have a domain name and a little bit of rented webspace to call home.
Your domain name is basically your web address — mine is runningwithspoons.com. It’s a good idea to have it be the name of your site to make it easier for people to find you, but it can pretty much be anything you want. You should also have a few different options picked out just in case your first choice has been taken.
When you have your list of names, you can head on over to Bluehost to see if they’re available. Just enter the name you want in the box on the left, make sure the .com is selected, click next, and keep your fingers crossed!
Once you have your name all set up, it’s time to get hosted!
Hosting (or self-hosting) is basically renting space on the web to store all your content — like a house where you keep all your stuff — and your host is like your landlord.
There are a few places on the web where you can do this for free, but for anyone who wants to get serious about blogging, self-hosting is the only way to go. Yes, you have to pay for it, but it doesn’t cost much at all (as little as $5 a month), and comes with some really great advantages like:
- more control over the look and feel of your blog (think themes and design options),
- plugins that enhance the blogging experience for you and your readers, and
- the ability to advertise, and therefore monetize, your blog.
For my host, I chose to go with Bluehost. Not only do they have great rates, but their customer service is top notch and they give you your domain name for free when you sign up with them. Winning!
Bluehost gives you a few different options when it comes to hosting packages, with 1, 2, or 3 year terms. I chose to go with 3 years since I knew I wanted to keep blogging for a while and it had the best monthly rates, but you can choose whichever option best suits your needs.
It’s also highly recommended that you purchase Domain Privacy Protection, since that keeps your name, address, and phone number from being displayed to the public.
2. Installing WordPress
Now that you’re all set up with Bluehost, it’s time to go ahead and install WordPress. This will be your blogging software and the platform from which you’ll do almost all of the work for your blog. It’s really easy to use and what I personally use for runningwithspoons.com. And the best part is that it’s super easy to install!
First, log in to your Bluehost account from their main page with the information they sent you in the introductory e-mail. This will get you to your control panel, where you’ll need to scroll down to Website Builders and click on WordPress.
This will take you to the following screen, where you’ll just need to hit Install.
From there, all you need to do is hit Check Domain on the next screen, since your domain name should automatically be filled in.
Almost done! The next screen will let you Show Advanced Options. Check that box and go ahead and set up a user name, password, and e-mail address that you want to receive information to. Make sure you remember this since you’ll need it to log in to your site later on!
Next, check the box that says automatically create a new database for this installation and the one that says you have read the terms and conditions. Finally, click Install Now and you’re all good to go!
To access your WordPress platform and begin working on your blog, type the login URL into your web browser. This is the address that looks something like www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin. It will take you to a screen like this where you’ll enter the username and password that you set up for yourself. This is how you’ll log in every time you want to access your blog.
3. Theme and Design Options
Now that you’re all moved into your new home, it’s time to decorate! A theme is how your blog is laid out visually. It dictates your content area, your sidebars, your colour scheme, your header, your menus, etc. It’s basically the layout your readers see when they visit your blog.
WordPress offers a tonne of free theme options, which you can look through here. But as with free hosting, free themes are somewhat disadvantageous in that you have to stay within the bounds of a pre-determined layout with limited control over most aspects of it. If you feel your creativity being stifled, the solution is to purchase a premium theme.
For Running With Spoons, I use The Thesis Theme for WordPress.
I love Thesis because it gives me unlimited control over my design without having to worry about any complicated coding. The option is there if I want it, but it’s not necessary to make my blog look good. And signing up also gives you access to an amazing community that will both inspire you and help you out with any issues you might have. I’ve been using it since day 1 and have no complaints!
Once you pick your theme, all that’s left is to set it up and voila! You’ve got your very own blog!
Disclaimer: Some of the links mentioned above are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. However, my recommendation of them is based solely on the fact that I use those products myself and find them to be extremely beneficial. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me ([email protected]).
Bloggers: How long were you silent readers before you started blogging, and what made you want to start?
Readers: Do you ever feel the itch to start a blog yourself?
More places to find me!
E-mail — [email protected]
Twitter — runwithspoons
Facebook — runningwithspoons
Pinterest — runwithspoons
Instagram — runwithspoons
Bloglovin — runningwithspoons
Aw look at you helping all the newbies out there. You have a big heart. I like that.
I read a small handful of blogs for a few months before I decided to start my own. The Hubby and I had just gone through a serious health scare so I always knew I wanted it to be food and fitness related, since both had such a positive impact on our own lives. I wanted to spread the love, so to speak.
And you have a love for #publicbanana… I like that š <3
Amanda…..Off topic but Meg’s expecting a spank.
I am usually one to tolerate “itches” all in the name of staying in my comfort zone..BUT, I found I needed to allow myself the “taste” of blogging so to speak. A huge impact it has made in my life: I am more open to pushing my limits, tinkering with new things and foods etc.
It may sound blasphemous that now that I have a little blog (not self-hosted though) and as much as I’ve constantly got a bunch of words in my head – I’m not really “into” blogging timeously and recently I’ve been choosing life over blog-time. That said, it feels good to know that I can always get into it more..and who knows? if I prove to become very passionate; I will definitely look upon expanding into self-hosted.
Great advice Amanda! I recently started a blog of my own after 3 years of being a regular blog reader! I finally took the plunge, but I didn’t buy my own domain….you may have convinced me!
Thanks for posting this info, it’s definitely helpful. Is it bad to admit, that I’d love to self host, but I’m so lazy I don’t want take the time too. I don’t mind using blogger, for right now. But I’d like to buy my domain name. I guess you just gave me a little push. Unlike you, I kept mine a secret for a long time. It was like an on-line journal, because no one knew about it. Then I started finding fun ones (like yours) to read and then I kinda just fell into sharing it with people outside of my real life…weird right?!? Now most family and friends know about it…but I’m not sure too many read it š
I was a silent reader for a little bit, but I’ve been blogging for almost three years now, and it’s nice to feel like a whole part of the community! I don’t know if I’ll ever make the jump to self-hosted–my blog is really just something I do for fun and not something I particularly want to invest in–but I really appreciate this information nevertheless, because to be honest, I didn’t even really understand how the whole self-hosting process worked! Great post š
You went into such detail with this post, Amanda. It’s great! I think I was a silent reader for maybe 4-5 months before taking the leap, but I really don’t remember. I wanted to start because I was in need of a hobby in a bad way and voila – blogging!
Awesome post! I am so glad I decided to go self-hosted from the start. Honestly, I’m so glad getting my blog up and running is over with. You know I never read blogs many before starting my own. I’ve always wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl. It just sort of popped in my head one day after reading an article in a fitness magazine written by a blogger that I should start a blog. So many people always asking about my weight-loss and healthy recipes that I thought it was good time to put it out there and see what happens.
I totally wish I went self-hosted from the very beginning! The process of transferring over was a bit of a nightmare!
Nice advice!
Where was this post when I started blogging! I definitely did things in the wrong order and made life difficult for myself. But whatever because I’m so glad I did! Such a great outlet and great community.
Oh my gosh where was this when I wanted to start my blog lol I don’t even remember how I figured all this stuff out–so confusing sometimes! This is a suuuuper helpful post Amanda and hopefully people will use it to their advantage.
I wish I saw this post when I first signed up for my domain! I’m sure this will be helpful for many people. Great info! I love blogging because it let’s me practice my writing and creativity skills. The blogging community is also awesome!
I have just done the transfer from wordpress.com to self hosted – oh I wish someone had told me to do this from the word go! Transferring is definitely a headache! Great that you are highlighting the best option being going straight to self hosting.
I do want to go for a premium theme but after the upfront cost of self hosting (in UK we have to pay up front, no option for monthy payment) I think it may have to wait a while š
Did you pay a lot for your theme?
It was a little pricey at $87, but it’s just a one-time payment and it’s been more than worth it for the unlimited customization I can do.
Thanks Amanda – I really think it’s something I am going to have to look into – the free wordpress themes are already starting to annoy me on how restricting they are!
Have a great weekend š
I still go through silent reader phases, except with you cause I like you a lot haha! I purchased bluehost like a month ago because I just want to WRITE sometimes. Plus, I miss the connections with people. I just like meeting new people all of the time and letting people take a glimpse at the weird things about me before they even get to know me! But, alas, I haven’t really set it up yet. Oopsies!
Expect my next email to include questions about switching to self-hosted, now that you’ve opened yourself up to that š
Happy Friday, lady!
And expect my next response to include a big “Do eeeeeeet!” š
*sigh* To blog, or not to blog. I’ve had an on-and-off relationship with blogging. When I feel like blogging, it’s very cathartic and fun and it feels great being creative and expressive. But then I’ll get into a slump where I don’t want the obligation of taking the time to sit down and write every day, so I’ll take a break, a few days turns into a few weeks, and then the blog dies. My most recent blog is a no obligation, no pressure, anything goes journal, and I’m hoping I can really keep up with it!
This is a great post. As a blogger myself, it is ironic that I am such a silent reader as I LOVE when I get comments on my posts!!
Thanks Amanda for sharing your knowledge!!
This is great! I just started a blog and need all the advice I can get!
I love reading blogs, and sometimes I feel like I want to start one but I just don’t know what I would write about. Additionally I am currently working full time at a desk job and trying to complete a Master’s thesis, so I feel like when I have a little free time I just want to go outside and not worry about anything. Maybe when I am done with school, I will look into it further. In the meantime I will continue to be an avid reader — makes my morning/afternoon commute so much more enjoyable!
You are AMAZING! How selfless to help others like this. I am grateful. I am inspired. xo
These are some awesome tips! I’ve always been intimidated by switching over to self-hosted. One of these days I just need to take the plunge and do it, so this will be super helpful. Thanks for sharing!
I promise you it’s not that bad, and it’s so, SO worth it in the long run! Plus there’s a really grey support network to make the process a lot easier š
Great tips! I found it so difficult when first starting out. The technical side of things can be such a mind field. I’m definitely still learning nearly 4 years later. š
I was a silent reader for a long time, before I realized that there was a whole community of people behind keyboards whose jobs were literally writing about their lives. I can’t remember when or why I started blogging, but I really picked it up not too long ago and I’ve learned that blogging is a really enjoyable hobby for me, and I can definitely see it becoming a side job someday.
Er why weren’t you around when I went self-hosted. I remember the process being such a nightmare but so worth it at the end of the day. I wish I had this post to guide me through. Is it crazy to admit that one of my main motivators to go self-hosted was the comment notification plugin ;)!
Not crazy at all! It was basically the same for me š
I was a silent-reader for YEARS and always talked about ‘one day’, ‘maybe soon’ starting a blog but didn’t know what niche I wanted to roll with. I’m so glad I took the plunge! This post will prove super-helpful for so many lurkers, like I used to be.
How do you increase comments on your comment section? That’s what I wanna know. I feel like people judge your blog on the comment section…..but how many you have….? yes?!? gasp
A silent blog is a lonely blog!
Sometimes I get a ton!!! Other times, not so much, how do I improve?
I’m planning an upcoming post on how to grow your blog, but one thing I can say is that it takes TIME. Get yourself out there by commenting on other blogs and participating in link parties, and don’t get discouraged! Blow growth takes months and often YEARS.
Great informative post!!! I have been reading blogs for a few years and rarely commented or anything because I was too nervous! I just started my blog a few months ago and with school have gotten off to a slow start but am ready to keep digging in. Any advice on growing your blog would be wonderful too!
Ha I was a silent reader for years until I got the courage to start my own! Even when I started my blog I waited for a while before I started commented with it! This will be really helpful for someone starting out š
I am thinking of changing mine over to wordpress.org – make it look better and all that jazz š
Well obviously not the most relevant post to me since I a) have a blog and b) pay someone to deal with all of the techy stuff but i’m sure loads of people will find this helpful!
This is invaluable advice. š Again, just like some of the readers who have also commented on this post, I have been considering, and reading, about moving my blog to a self-hosted site to give me more creativity and flexibility. I think this has finally convinced me! I’m just a little nervous that I may loose some of my followers as I believe I will have to change my current “premium” wordpress theme back to a free theme on in order to move it. So in doing that my blog may loose its current “personalisation”….. oh well, onwards and upwards! š
I was a silent reader for about 2.5 years before I started a blog. It is so much different to have more of an interaction rather than just read what others are saying! I have been blogging for about 9 months now, and I feel like I have learned a lot about it, but I still feel like there is so much more I can learn to keep improving!
Kudos Amanda! Your blog was the first one I read on a regular basis and the first from which I took inspiration.
I have toyed with the idea of starting a blog for years now. I very much appreciate the information you have provided. I definitely have the itch but I am afraid and hesitant. Do you ever feel as though blogging is a chore? I worry I will tire of it and it will begin to feel like an assignment hanging over my head.
Have a terrific weekend!
I definitely used to feel that way, but now that I’ve fallen into a groove and figured out what kind of posts I like to write, I actually really look forward to it. I think organization and planning was a HUGE benefit for me. It can get a little stressful if I’m trying to come up with posts on the fly, but if I have a general idea of what I want to write about for the next week, I actually really look forward to it.
I was a silent reader for a good year before I finally one morning just signed up on wordpress for a free blog and wrote something up and hit publish. I had thought about it for a while and then just did it. Best decision ever. You just fall into your groove and learn along the way. I haven’t a clue half the time what I am doing on the widget, plug in, tech stuff but that’s ok – I have you to complain to!
Have you had any experience transferring a blog from WordPress.com to self hosting? I’ve been debating about the transition for a month now and I’m worried about lossing my content (not very tech savvy here haha)
Yup! I actually did it myself after coming back from a long hiatus. It can be a bit of a pain in the butt, but you don’t have to worry about losing any of your content — it will all transfer over. And the best part is that Bluehost has a really awesome tech team that will help you out if you run into any problems.
I started a blog for a class in college, at first I didn’t even comment on posts, and I hardly even read any but as I began to discover wordpress I began to read blogs like mine, and then I started commenting. In the beginning it was less about blogging for me and for about reading others and learning and interacting. As I got more comfortable, more posts starting coming up and then I began to have more followers! Now I couldn’t imagine not having one, it is such a great space for me to just talk about my frustrations, get advice from others, and connect with a community I have so much in common with! Thank you so much for this post as well! I have been thinking about self-hosting too and this was such a great thing to read regarding it!
This post is very helpful. I wish I would have started a blog earlier than I have. Mine was started at a really random time in my life (a time with many challenges) and I am glad that I started it! Love the support from other bloggers.
These post is seriously so helpful for anyone looking to get started blogging! Great info, Amanda. Hope this weekend treats you well!
I know the “itch” you speak of well – it took me a long time to stop ignoring it and scratch at it last June!
š
I do use Bluehost and have been “itching” to switch to a thesis/genesis theme – but I haven’t scratched that itch yet – but I hope to sometime between now and my blogversary. By the way – do you happen to have any info/preferences/opinions/gossip/hearsay on thesis vs genesis themes?
This is an awesome post, I cannot help but think it will help someone launch a blog! Hope your weekend is wonderful sweet lady!
Ooo I actually have no idea about the Thesis vs. Genesis debate. I’ve never used Genesis, but a lot of my friends do and they seem to really like it. In the end, I think both options are probably great ones — I just stick to Thesis because I have no complaints with it.
I’ve been reading blogs for four years now and just started I wish I would’ve done it sooner! Just curious if the Thesis theme is user friendly? Is it easy to change colors and stuff? Maybe that’s a dumb question but I’ve been considering it, just can’t decide!
VERY easy. You have a Design Option page where you can easily tinker with anything from content area size, where your sidebars are, font colours, background colours, fonts in general… Basically everything with no coding required š
Thanks girl! Exactly what I need! Just curious, which do you use the basic professional or other option? Not sure which is best?
I use basic right now, but I’m considering switching over to professional for some of the added options. You can always start with basic and upgrade to professional later on if you want more — you only need to pay the difference.
I started blogging for a very similar reason. I had been silently reading them for a couple years, felt like I could really relate to the bloggers, and felt the urge to make my own one night. It was random too, a late night before a cross country meet when I couldn’t fall asleep. I’m so glad I did though. And self-hosting really is the best. I didn’t get why it would benefit me at first but I’ve learned a lot from it and it is proven to be extremely useful.
This post couldn’t have come at a better time! Literally last night I signed up for WordPress and purchased a domain name. Is it possible to start a blog without Bluehost and then switch later if I want? I just have it on WordPress right now and I’m trying to play around with themes.
And, like you, I’ve been a blog reader for a while now and decided to bite the bullet and create one. I absolutely love your blog and your views on a healthy body image š
It’s definitely possible, but the transfer can be a bit of a headache. If blogging is something that you can really see yourself getting into, then I would probably recommend going self-hosted straight from the start so you can avoid the hassle later.
Hi Amanda! Iām hoping to follow your steps From this post and start a blog soon. Thank you so much! Just wondering when you sign up for a blue host, would you recommend the Choice Plus or Go Pro option?
Thanks!
Michelle
I completely agree with Amanda! I was on wordpress from the start (a little over two and a half years now) and I JUST moved to self-hosted (blue host). It wasn’t SUPER hard and stressful, but it WAS. I DID have some complications along the move, but I expected that b/c technology has always been out to kill me. If you have the money, I would start off on self-hosted. And Blue Host support has been THE BEST support!