How To Build A Blog In 5 Steps

I’ve been blogging since having a blog became a trend in 2002. At that time, social media hadn’t been invented yet and the only way netizens could share their thoughts on the Internet was through blogging.

What is a blog?

A weblog or commonly known as “blog” is an online journal or informational website that displays text entries in reverse chronological order. It is similar to what you do on Facebook—you compose a post and submit it—except this is not a social media platform because it is standalone.

Blogging had been popular in the early ’20s. Every “Internerd” owned a blog then. Since the popularity of social media took the Internet by storm, the number of bloggers had significantly diminished. Today, blogging is still a thing. Many bloggers continue to prefer to write their lengthy composition of thoughts, views, and experiences in their personal place on the Internet.

 

Why keep a blog?

 

  1. If you love to write and narrate personal experiences, a blog is a handy tool for you.
  2. If you are an introvert, this is perfect for you. Social media is too loud and crowded and may not suit your personality.
  3. Having a personal place on the world wide web is always a cool idea. It is like having a home where you do not have to be always mindful of your movements.
  4. You can monetize your blog and earn money from it.
  5. You do not need to be computer savvy to own and build a blog. If you’ve managed to learn how Facebook operates, you can also learn how to make a blog.
  6. Posts are properly indexed and archived so past posts or entries are always easy to search.
  7. You can post inline images and design them the way you want. Just like this one below. You can even put a caption.
Image by Peter Olexa from Pixabay

 

So you want to start a blog? Here are the five simple steps.

 

1. Plan your content.

Do you have a particular topic you want to focus on or do you want to write about different subjects? Do you want to make a travel blog? A movie review blog? A health and fitness blog? Focusing on your niche is ideal but if you do not want to limit yourself with what you can put in your blog, you are free to write about whatever topics you like.

2. Think of a name for your blog.

It must suit you and your content. You can also use your name if you have a good-sounding one. Be creative. If you are able to come up with a catchy name for your blog, it might even attract more traffic to your blog. Mine, for example, is Matters Of The Heart. Initially, my visitors might think that my blog is about love and relationships but once they find out that my name is actually “Heart,” they might catch on with the real meaning of the title. 

3. Find a web host.

A web host is basically a service that you need to avail in order to obtain a spot on the Internet. There are web/blog hosts that offer free services but they come with limited customizations and tools. They even put ads on your blog and you don’t earn a single cent from it. If you don’t get a paid plan, you won’t be able to monetize your blog and put your own ads on it. If you think you are okay with those disadvantages, you can sign up for a free account on WordPress.com or Blogger. But if you choose to get a paid plan, I highly recommend getting one from the web host that is hosting this blog–Hostinger

 

Hostinger is a European web host that offers affordable, fast, and easy to use service. Before getting their service, I first checked the Internet for reviews for their service and read many good reviews about them. And after getting the first taste of their service, I could say that they really delivered. 

And you know what’s the best thing about this host? They are currently on sale for up to 90% off! You can get a web hosting plan for as low as 35PHP (0.99$)! I was so happy that I, myself, was able to avail of a promo plan. I got myself a premium hosting plan with unlimited websites, a free domain, an SSL Certificate, and a lot of cool inclusions for only 85PHP (2.89$) a month!

If you want to avail of a paid web hosting plan for a very cheap price, Click HERE now!

If you are from the Philippines, you can easily pay using GCash if you enter their PH website, Click HERE to go there. Otherwise, go HERE if you live in other countries.

 

4. Think of a domain name.

A domain name is your blog or website’s unique web address that you can find at the URL address bar above your browser. Mine is ayilee.com. I got that for free when I availed a web hosting plan from Hostinger. But you can register your own domain in Hostinger for as low as 31PHP (0.60$) a year during the sale period! Yes, that’s for a year already.  

Meanwhile, if you choose not to register your own domain, free web hosts can provide you subdomains for free. For instance, you signed up on WordPress.com, your blog address will read as nameofyourblog.wordpress.com.

TIP: *As much as possible, keep your domain short. Long web addresses are often hard to remember and they will take up longer time to type. Most visitors are impatient when typing long URLs and they are susceptible to typo errors.

5. You’re all set to start building your blog.

If you choose to avail of the free blog platforms, all you have to do is to choose among the limited sets of themes that they offer, name your blog, and make your first post. It is that easy because there aren’t a lot of customizations and tools available as their service is limited.

If you choose to build a self-hosted blog with your own registered domain, the web builder will guide you on the step by step process of building your blog or website and before you know it, you have accomplished it in no time. You can also visit their help section as they offer instructional videos and articles on how to fully customize your website. 

Personally, I use the WordPress blogging platform for my blog and website because it is easy to use. 

TIP: For WordPress users, install Akismet Anti-spam, Yoast Seo, and Jetpack plugins for starters.

Just a clarification: WordPress.com is different from the WordPress that self-hosted websites use as a blogging platform. WordPress.org provides a platform that is bundled with different web hosting plans. Meanwhile, WordPress.com is a web host that offers free and paid plans. 

So, do you want to have your own blog? Yes, you do. Try it. It’s fun!

 

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