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 😀 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
This is really helpful! I’m trying to decide if I’m going to make the switch to self-hosted on wordpress. Sounds like I should… You make it sound so simple. Thanks!
Okay so I have a few questions…I started a blog, but I didn’t have a domain. I purchased one since I heard I could transfer my info but now I am stuck. I would like to build a better website but can I transfer my blog from blogger? I would hate to lose all my content so far. Also I haven’t been able to change my domain…so confused!
Thank you! I started a blog recently and your directions were extremely helpful. I’m still trying to figure it all out and like some others have said, I’m nervous about reaching out and connecting with other bloggers! Anxiety! However, this has been a fun process so far, and I’m learning a lot!
No reason to be nervous, Bridget! The community is full of so many wonderful people, that you’ll have no problem feeling like you fit right in 🙂
I too have started a blog but feel just like Timi, I need to get out of my shell and stop being shy. =)
Hi! This was very helpful. I just started a blog a couple weeks ago, and a few of these things were still very helpful. I guess the hardest part for me has been trying to reach out to fellow bloggers. I’m a little shy, not in my writing but everywhere else, and I’m having to come out of my shell to develop a community around me. I guess the more I try the better I will do. 🙂
Definitely reach out and get your name out there, Timi! The blogging community is full of wonderful people, so there’s no need to be shy! And no one will be able to find you if you don’t get your name out there 🙂
Yeah I wish I had something like this when I started blogging! I started with Blogger and it was crazy moving to self-hosted Word Press. Sometimes I think I should just start over fresh!
I have a question that I think you might be able to help with! I already have my wordpress, but if I start hosting using bluehost, will it transfer my current account and posts that I have already made?
It sure will! That’s actually the route that I went. All you have to do is export your blog as an xml file (easily doable from the dashboard), and upload it to the WordPress platform you install with Bluehost. It’s super simple, and BH has great techie support if you run into any problems!
is there an easy way to switch to self host, but keep domain name?
There is! Bluehost gives you the option to transfer over a domain name. All you have to do is fill out “I have a domain name” instead of “new domain” at the start up page.
Thanks for the info.. maybe after my one year subscription is over ill switch..
Do you have to pay for all the months at one time? I tried to sign up and it said my card didn’t have enough funds…
You do have to pay everything up front, which I know might seem like a lot, but it’s nice to just get it over with and not have to worry about it later.
Love your tips, thanks for sharing! I just started a blog a month ago but have been reading blogs for 6 months. It is a new experience for me and definitely outside of my comfort zone but I am loving it….hopefully as time goes on I get better at it!!
Amanda, this is simply perfect timing! I started my blog in October but only began the regular posting thing a few months ago. I recently made the decision to invest in a custom design and move from Blogger to self-hosted WordPress, so that should be done by mid to late June. I’m so excited but very nervous – there are soooo many “healthy living” blogs out there, so I don’t know what I have to offer that’s different from anyone else. I guess that’s the point though – we all do and that’s the beauty of it!
Thank you times a million for this post – exactly what I needed to jump on getting my blog to be more my own than just something on WordPress. This is going to be amazing…can’t wait to make time to sit back and blog it up. It took me about…2ish years to get the real itch, and forever to start commenting…but I think meeting more blends at HLS helped me realize to just comment, and not think twice! I love interacting with the bloggers I follow, and hearing back from them honestly lets me know they care!
Hi Amanda. I was definitely a silent reader for a very long time- more than a year! In some ways I still am. I ready a lot of blogs and comment on quite a few, but not all. Sometimes it’s because I run out of time, sometimes I’m not quite sure what to say. But getting there!
Love this post and wish this had been around when I started mine 5-6 months a go. It’s pretty straight forward it you know what to do, but if you’re like me and clueless, then this is will help a lot 🙂
Thank you for walking me through the process. I wish I would have read it before I started my blog. I had to ask my bother to help. He is very tech savy, he was laughing at me throughout the whole process. I still have to take abuse for all the stupid questions I asked him.
I’m thinking of moving from blogger to WP…this is very helpful!
Hi Amanda, thanks a lot for this post. I’ll keep it in mind since I’m playing with the thought of creating my own blog. It’s like it was for you: I read lots of blogs and so inspired, and I would love to connect and become part of this community! I’m already very active in instagram so I know how pleasing it is to be part of sucha community of like minded people. But I’m not sure if I had enough time for blogging. If I had a blog, I wanted it to be perfect, post regularly and puta lot of effort into it. I don’t know if I had the time… but maybe some day I will try out!
I was a silent reader for a couple months too, and then finally TOOK THE PLUNGE. I am SO glad I did, blogging has become so much apart of my life. I really can’t imagine my life without it! This post will definitely be bookmarked for when I make the switch..since you know…I’ve only been talking about it for like a YEAR! HAHA.
Love this post! I’ve been wanting to switch over to self hosted, but I have no idea what the heck I’m doing. I want to make my blog my own, ya know?
Definitely know what you mean! It really does make a huge difference in making things feel more like your own 🙂
This would have been blogging gold when I first started my blog- I went from blogger, to wordpress to self hosted and mannnnn it was a nightmare.
You are a talented (peanut free) cookie with doing this all on your own!! I am such a twat with technology, when I first got my macbook I had to google on my phone how to shut it down… :s
😆 Omg DYING. Then again… when I got my iPad, I had no idea it kind of worked like a phone in that you didn’t have to switch it off all the time, so I was constantly turning it off and on to “save battery life.” Annoying.
I was a silent reader of ONE blog before I started my own. And then I was a silent writer… I didn’t realize that the only way to be part of the community was to read and interact with other bloggers! Because that’s what it’s about… community. I wrote for like 5 months with only my mom and grandma reading my blog hahha.
When I think about the fact that I figured out how to buy a domain name, set my domain to point to my host, and set up self hosted WordPress, I truly don’t know how I did it. I am SO bad with tech stuff. But I am 100% thankful that I just started out self hosted from the get-go because it seems like nothing but a pain to switch over.
Great tips! I always tell me clients it’s not as intimidating as it seems.
You literally read my mind by posting this. Thank you for the information! It looks easier than I expected it to bel I may make the plunge this summer when I have the time!
way to make use of your affliates! those are all great ones too. And well done on the blog, which we all love, because it’s YOU
Great tips! And I’m actually in the middle of purchasing my own domain. However, when I look into thesis, there are 3 different options/payments. Which do you recommend?
I started with basic, and that’s what I’m still using right now. It’s great and I have no complaints, but I’m looking to upgrade to professional to see what the added options are. You can always start with basic and upgrade later if you want more! You’ll only have to pay the difference in prices.
Great info Amanda! I definitely wish I’d self-hosted from the start, but at the time I wasn’t sure how “into” blogging I’d get and had no idea I’d still be doing it a year later. Now that things are slowing down I’m thinking of making the switch over, but it’d be so much better if someone could just come to my house and do it for me…..feel like coming to VA? haha
So awesome of you to reach out to those considering starting a blog! I’m sure that this post served as inspiration for many of your readers 🙂
Great post, Amanda!! This would have been SO helpful for me back when I started my blog!
I currently have one through Google right now. Can I transfer my content if I start at with Blue Host/WordPress?
You sure can! I’m not all too familiar with the details since I started on WordPress, but there are some great tutorials online that will help you through the process.
Thank you!
This is so, so helpful.
Obviously I’ve been blogging for a while and have been really interested in making the switch to self-hosting but the process has always intimidated me. This post actually makes it seem doable and I think I’m ready to take the leap…
I still may be emailing you if I come across any questions!
PS: Do you do all of your own designing for Spoons? Or did you have someone design your header, layout, etc.?
xoxo
Do it, do it! It’s really not as bad as it seems, and if you run into any SNAFUs, there’s always a way out of it 🙂 As for designing, I’ve been doing all my own!
I am for sure a silent reader and I am so obsessed with blogs! I spend most of my mornings at work reading blogs and thinking about how much I would love to start my own. I am just having such a hard time coming up with a name!! How did you come up with Running with Spoons? Did you have a list of other names? Any suggestions or help you can give me with coming up with a name? Thanks!!!
Oh girl, believe me — I’m definitely familiar with the name struggle! I wanted something that would incorporate fitness and cooking, hence running and spoons, and eventually it all came together as a play off of running with scissors. Really, though, there was no rhyme or reason. It helps if you start writing down a few words you might want to use and see how you can combine them differently.
I was probably a silent reader for 3-6 months before I finally started my blog. The hardest part was honestly choosing a name… despite other things being hard, they are fun – choosing a name was stressful!