YOO, want to know How To Start A Self Hosted WordPress Blog in 2023. Want to become a blogger? Try something new? AWESOME!!!
I’m glad that you have found yourself here. I’ve created this simple step-by-step and free beginner’s guide just for you so that you can easily start blogging and make passive income.
And you know what, It will take you only 8 simple steps to get started with a WordPress Blog 2023.
Building a WordPress blog in 2023 is not complicated at all, but in reality, it is super simple to set up and use. But all you need is some guidance, which helps you to Build A WordPress blog in 2023.
Why? Because WordPress is the most popular CMS online today and it’s a great choice for anyone to use to build a blog.
Here is the TOP NOTCH Expert guide to starting a WordPress Blog in 2023 with Bluehost. Alright……Let’s drive In.
Note: After reading this step-by-step guide on how to start a WordPress blog 2023, You will learn everything about WordPress.
What is Blog And WordPress [In short]
What Exactly Is A Blog? A blog is just like a website and it consists of a series of articles, and posts made by one or more bloggers. The posts appear in reverse chronological order, which means your latest post goes to the top of the pile.
Note: Throughout this article, when I mention WordPress, It means WordPress.org also known as self-hosted WordPress. Please do not make confuse this with WordPress.com which is a hosting service.
What is WordPress? WordPress is a content management system that allows you to create a website, and edit and alter its appearance without having to use code.
You can create any type of website like Blogs, business websites, and e-commerce stores just using WordPress.
The best thing about WordPress is that it’s open-source, easy to use, and flexible. That’s the key reason people love WordPress and it has grown so much in popularity. According to a recent survey from Kinsta, WordPress powers 43% of all websites on the internet.
Why Start a Blog With WordPress?
You must know the fact about WordPress and why should I use it to start a blog.
WordPress is the largest content management platform (CMS) However, it’s one of the big reasons you should be using WordPress too.
Actually, I know what’s going on in your mind and a few questions will cross your mind. Questions like…
Why WordPress is the biggest CMS? Why do people love to start a blog?
People have so many options, to start a blog or build a website. For example, you search something on the internet and get the top ten results, and click on the top five of the website.
I’m sure you visit a website that builds with WordPress because every fourth of the website is created on WordPress.
Does it have any questions?
And most important, is it good enough to be your final choice?
Okay, Let’s figure it out…
#1. WordPress Is Free & Open Source
WordPress is free and open-source software, which means it’s free to use, edit, and redistribute. You can easily find any resources publicly available.
Whether it’s a commercial website or a personal blog, the fact the matter is WordPress doesn’t charge a penny is a major incentive to use it. They don’t charge extra if your site starts to get more traffic than you anticipated, either.
Note: Although the WordPress software is free and open-source. However, you will most likely end up spending a bit of money. Because, WordPress is self-hosted, so hosting is required. The hosting price can be started at around $3 per month with cheap shared servers.
Anyway, all hosting companies generally provide a good price range with a one-click installation. For this, I do recommend BlueHost, which’s flexible and cheap with a strong server.
Besides being free and open-source, meaning that you can alter or improve its source code and make it your way look like your website.
#2. Create Any Website With WordPress
One of the misinformation about WordPress is just a blogging platform.
Well, It is not.
It was started as a blogging platform but it’s now one of the strong CMS. It’s versatile, easy to use, and flexible enough to make any type of pf website.
A wide range of themes and plugins are available to increase its functionality to make your website whatever you want the look like.
That’s why you can create any kind of website using WordPress. Such as:
- eCommerce Website
- Membership Website
- Personal Website
- Business Website
WordPress is also quite good for everything when comes it to building a website.
#3. WordPress Is 100 % SEO Friendly
According to Google and all search engines, WordPress is 100% SEO friendly. Don’t worry, WordPress (CMS)framework makes it easy for the search engine’s spiders to crawl.
However, It takes all the SEO responsibilities that a CMS is supposed to fulfill. There are various SEO plugins available to help improve the search engine visibility of your website.
#4. WordPress Is Easy to Use
You can start using WordPress as fast as you install it. There is no such configuration required instead of the customization you give your theme, as well as the plugins.
Even if you are a beginner, you get tons of resources and tutorials to make your site AWESOME. It’s open-source and just a one-click installation and WP is ready for use.
Once installed WordPress, you can start creating and publishing blog posts and pages. Even you can make custom configurations without any coding.
#5. WordPress Is Easy To Customize
Yes, WordPress is super easy to customize via theme and plugins. And you can build your website to look the way you want. It doesn’t matter if you are a tech guy or not. Customizing and changing the front of your website through coding is not mandatory.
To increase functionality, you can use a theme that it provides, or buy one of the premium themes developed by third parties. It’s also way possible to customize the colors, design, and even features of a WordPress theme.
#6. WordPress Is Secure and Safe
With the popularity of WordPress, it comes with a high-security standard. The WordPress staff regularly updates the CMS in order to protect you from this vulnerability.
Continuously, updating the version is quite effective to fight vulnerability points.
In fact, website hacking mostly takes place due to caution and lack of knowledge. So before you install anything inside WordPress make sure it trusted sources.
Alright, I hope you understand why you should use WordPress. Now let’s drive into the process of starting a WordPress Blog 2023.
How To Build A WordPress Blog In 2023
Wondering know, how to start a blog and don’t know where to start? Don’t worry just follow up the steps and at the end of the tutorials, you will have your own blog. let’s begin!
Step 1: Choose Blog Niche
You know what, your blog topics play a huge role in your blogging career. So, what is exactly a blog niche? A blog niche is a topic that your blog focuses on. It represents the niche market and audience that your blog targets.
For example, you’re not blogging for “Marketing,” a broad audience, and competitive. But you’re blogging for “Email Marketing,” a niche audience with less competition.
Alright, A blog topic would be anything that you’re passionate about that topic. Pick one topic that you want to learn at the same time you are enjoying writing. Make sure it doesn’t bore you.
If you select a blog topic, you don’t even enjoy that topic, then you have a very good chance to quit your blog. Basically, Blogging needs long-term vision, if not then leave it, it’s not for you.
Some of the most profitable niches:
- Health
- Fitness
- Weight Loss
- Making Money Online
- Dating & Relationships
- Self-Help
- Finance
- Beauty & Fashion
- DIY / Home Decor
- Technology
WAIT! All of these niches have one thing in common they’re all broad and highly competitive. So, what things now are you supposed to do.
The things you need to do now get into these niches and find a small topic that is less competitive and profitable.
Before you jump into blogging, make sure you research your blog topic. So how do you find a good topic? Well, there are many marketing tools that can help you to understand the audience you are going to target.
How do I research my audience? Well, For me, I’m done by using the most popular tool called SEMrush which helps me to find the exact audience and topics. Even you can see what readers are searching for and build your blog accordingly.
Step 2. Set Your Blog Goals
Your Blog’s Goals lead you to accomplish your dreams about blogs. Before you jump into the fields make it strategic and enjoyable. Without enjoying your blogging you can’t go longer.
It is high time to think big and write down all the stuff that you want to do with your blog in the future. It should be SMART GOALS – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
Note: Make it clear with the date, easy to accomplish, and achieve short-term goals for long-term value.
Now you have to do is make a simple plan for your blog. Write it down all the plans… Remember, As you start your first blog then treat your blog like a business.
Let’s move on to the next step in picking up a cute blog name.
Step 3: Name Your Blog
Choosing a great blog name might be a scary thing. Because most of the time you find yourself the desired domain name isn’t available.
But it’s okay, why? Because the domain name doesn’t matter as much you think it does.
Yep! you heard that right…
As a new starter, you might think that your blog name is the most important part of your website. I know and I did the same thing as you, spending hours trying to come up with something catchy and cool on our first couple of websites. And the fact of the matter is it doesn’t work that much…
But here’s the secret:
Your content is a matter much more than your domain name. The content will define your blog, not just a domain name.
Still, here are my few tips you can implement to find a great blog name.
- Always Go for the .com
- Make it short and simple
- Choose a Brandable Name
- Easy to say and spell
- No hyphen
- Use keywords
- Check Trademark
- Available on other social media sites
Choosing a kick-ass domain name is vital to making your blog stand out from the crowd. These handy tips can help you to get the right name but it’s also important to focus on content.
If you haven’t gotten your domain name make sure to claim your free domain name.
Step 4: Host Your Blog
For starting a blog, you must need good web hosting. Your blogging success quite depends on a good web server. A good server lets your site up and smoothes for your users.
So, what is web hosting? Web Hosting is a house where you place all the files of your blog in order to live on the internet. When someone tries to access your blog and hosting are connect your blog and show your data like images, posts, pages, and many more.
Now, are you thinking about which WordPress hosting is best for you to start a blog?
Well, there are hundreds of web hosting that you can use to start your new blog. But I don’t recommend all of that because I haven’t used them yet.
Note: Stay away from free web hosting because they are unreliable. At any time they can shut down your blog.
So instead of giving you the big hosting list, I recommended you go with the BlueHost.
Why Start a WordPress blog on Bluehost in 2023?
Bluehost hosts over 2 million sites and 850,000 of them are blogs. That sounds pretty, isn’t it! I recommend Bluehost because of its reliability, good server, and affordable price. Wait! WordPress also recommends Bluehost. Why?
It comes with lots of features like a one-click WordPress installation free SSL and flexibility.
Note: By using our link you can now set up your blog with Bluehost at a cheap price and that also comes with a FREE domain name!
Now let’s get started with our step-by-step guide on how to start a WordPress blog in 2023 on Bluehost.
#1. Go to Bluehost
By using our link you will be landing on this page. Now, you have to do >> Select Get started<.
#2. Select Hosting plans
After heading get started buttons you will be landing on these pages. Choose a basic plan if that is suitable for you. I do recommend going with basic plans because a new blog doesn’t need all the resources they provided.
Obviously, later on, you need those resources when your blog grows. Instead of going with basic plans, you may go with other plans. For these, I recommend choice plus plans that will be suitable from beginning to pro.
#3. Select your Domain Name
After choosing the plan, now you have to choose the blog name you want to host with Bluehost. The interesting fact Bluehost offers a free domain name and you should grab this offer immediately.
There is three-way you can finish these options:
- Create a new domain name (free domain)
- Use your own domain
- Just click on Choose Later options
Whatever options you select it’s not a problem at all. Don’t worry the method will be the same.
#4. Create Your Account
On the next page, you will fill out the info in order to create your account section.
There are two options you can fill this info;
- Signed in with a Google account
- Choose Manually options.
Do what you like. Make sure the information is correct because they send you all the info through your address.
Then scroll down the package information. In the package information area by default, the plans are set to 36 months. The longer the plan would be, the cheaper you get the plans.
NOTE: I recommend the 36-month plan because it provides the best value for your money. However, Signing with a longer plan represents a commitment that you are making to your blog and yourself.
If you start your first WordPress blog in 2023, feel free to start with a 12/month plan first. Don’t worry, You can cancel your plan at any time during the first 30 days and get a full refund.
Furthermore, if you’re interested in it for the long run, don’t hesitate to get a 24-month plan or longer.
What about the extra package.
The straight answer is No! you don’t need them. Like Sitelock security or SEO tools, It just costs you nothing at all. So make sure to uncheck all the stuff that you don’t need for your blog. There are many free plugins that are done for you.
One last step, It’s time to pay for your hosting. You can pay two ways via credit card or PayPal. After you submit the info and click the button, you have successfully done the signup process.
#5. Create secure password
Recently, Bluehost installs WordPress automatically on your account during the signup process. That’s cool, isn’t it!
Once you complete your payment, they will now email you the Bluehost login credentials along with some welcome emails.
In one of the welcome emails, you will need to activate the domain name that you got. And then you will be asked to create your password for Bluehost.
Create your WordPress password for your blog. Make sure your password is secure and safe in order to verify when contacting Bluehost support.
Congratulations!
You now own your blog and hosting plan! And welcome, to the Bluehost community
It wasn’t too painful, right!!!!!
The next steps will log into Bluehost and set up your WordPress blog on Bluehost right away!
Step 5: Set Up Your Blog
Alright, This is the most interesting part you have been waiting for. If you want to start a WordPress blog in 2023 on Bluehost then keep reading.
This part is super easy as you follow up. Don’t worry, Bluehost makes it very easy to build a WordPress blog and it is FREE. Click the login button to log in to Bluehost so that you can choose a blog theme for your blog.
After choosing any of the themes it will take a few seconds to set up your WordPress dashboard. Once it’s done, click “Start Building” to go to your WordPress dashboard.
On the next screen, you can choose “Business” or “Personal” click on “Business” and move forward. If you skip this step and accidentally click Personal, don’t worry. It doesn’t really matter that much. Move on to the next steps.
Next steps you have set up a Site Title and Site Description. This method should be and descriptive of what your blog is about. But if you aren’t sure what you want to set up yet, just click to skip and move on to the next steps. Don’t worry you can change it later on.
Before moving on to the next steps, make sure to check the email account that you used to sign up so that you can verify your address with Bluehost.
However, you have 14 days to do this after signing up. But you should verify it as soon as possible in order to access your Bluehost dashboard.
Step 6: Access WordPress Dashboard
This is one main step back into your WordPress dashboard in order to access your blog. You can do it in two ways.
The first way is to go into Bluehost.com and log in using the email and password that you created in the setup above.
Or, you can access your WordPress blog by typing in yourdomainname.com/wp-admin/ into your browser.
Once you enter and it will be taken to the login screen of your WordPress blog just like the above screens.
Simply enter your login details that you set up during the process and click “Log In”, and there you go! You will be opening up your Awesome WordPress blog dashboard.
Note: Your WordPress dashboard is the main part of your blog in order to control the whole stuff.
Here are a few key features you should know that might help you navigate your WordPress admin area:
Posts: Posts are just your blog posts, or “articles.” This is where the bulk of the content that you write, edit, view, and manage your blog articles.
Media: The media library is where all the images are stored that you upload to your blog posts. This is where you can upload and manage your all images.
Pages: Pages are just like your blog posts in that they look similar and have the same editors. But, Blog posts have certain purposes that usually involve educating your audience about a topic. However, the purpose of blog pages is usually to provide more technical information about your website.
Comments: This is where you can see the comments. And you can manage all comments like approving or deleting from your blog!
Appearance: This is where you can customize your blog by creating and editing your menus, sidebars, and other widgets. In the Appearance section, you can also install, and configure new themes to customize the design of your blog.
Settings: This is where your general blog settings are you can edit the following: Site tagline, Homepage, blog display settings, Email address, and Time zone, and date settings.
Plugins: A plugin is add-on software that helps you add new features to your blog. For example, contact forms, SEO tools, security and backup tools, and much more.
I know it looks a bit complicated but trusts me it’s easy and fun. Thinks as you shift into a new apartment. Once you spend more time inside the house, you will get to know everything about the house.
Just like that… Now the best thing you need to do is just start playing around inside the dashboard. Since the tutorial, NOW move on to the next
Step 7: Increase Blog Functionality
As you start blogging then treat your blog like a business. So invest in themes and plugins, it would be the best investment in your blogging journey.
Remember nothing comes free of cost, there you got tons of free stuff but in the end, you have to pay them to enjoy full resources.
This section just gives you a quick shot to boost your blog functionality. So follow up the steps:
Select a Blog Theme:
A blog theme is a kind of software and coding that allows you to design and customize your blog. When you choose the perfect theme it’s kind of confusing and crazy in the theme worlds. Don’t worry here are a few tips that help you along the way.
- Fresh and Cleans: Keeping your site clean, simple, and accessible. This is the key to engaging your audience and presenting them with a great user experience.
- Responsive: Make sure the theme responds to both mobile and desktop devices.
- Support tools: Make sure the theme you choose will support all plugins and tools. Some themes have limitations.
- Read Reviews: Before you jump into using any theme make sure to read reviews so that you can get clear ideas.
1. Free Themes
Basically, Free themes are a great place to start a blog if you’re a beginner. But they are way too lacking some of the tools that a paid theme gives you. If you have the extra $50 – $100 to invest in your blog, then I would suggest going for a paid theme.
If you feel overwhelmed at this point, there are rock a free theme for a month or so, and get used to the platform.
Note: You can use one of the free themes during the pre-installed under the “appearances” and “themes” tabs. Just click customize to switch themes.
There are also thousands of free themes.
Now the questions are: If there are free themes, why would I ever want a premium theme?
The truth is that premium themes are generally much more strong and more customizable than free themes.
Anyway, starting by playing around with some free themes is perfectly fine. It will get start better understanding of WordPress. For this, I would recommend Astra, one of the great free themes ever.
Note: How To Install A FREE Theme: >>Click appearance >> themes >> add new
2. Premium Themes:
A premium theme is faster and well-designed and compatible with your website’s looks. Basically, premium themes are designed and coded by theme developers.
The price range is between $20 to $100. There is a great platform you can grab your desired theme like Themeforest and Studiopress.
Some of my personal favorite themes are Avada, Genesis, BeTheme, and Whmcs Templates over the last five years, I have used them for my clients and those are awesome. For HostingRaft I use GeneratePress as a trial this is also one of the popular themes around.
You can use any of them above what I mentioned or you can play around and find one that is compatible with your needs… All are pretty good and easy to customize.
How to Install premium themes: >>Go to appearance >>> themes >>> add new >>>upload theme>>> Get the zip files>>>installed
Must-Have Plugins:
Now it’s time to install the WordPress plugin. There are some essential plugins you should use on your blog. Some come for free and some are premium.
For newbies free plugins are way enough but if you are on a budget go for the premium.
There is a marketplace called Codecanyon where you can buy tons of premium plugins. It all depends on you… here are some plugins I’ve been using for a couple of years of my blogging career.
How to add new plugins: Head to Plugins> then Add New
What Plugins I use:
1. Yoast SEO: Yoast SEO is one of the most popular plugins out there, to help optimize your site for SEO.
2. SeedPord: SeedProd is the best WordPress plugin for coming soon page and maintenance mode.
3. OptinMonster: If you want to grow your audience then OptinMonster helps you to do that. It is the most popular conversion rate optimization software out there. Basically, It allows you to convert abandoning blog visitors into email subscribers and customers.
4. Akismet: Akismet helps you to reduce spammy comments. it’s free for personal use and supports 50,000 comment checks per month.
5. Jetpack: Jetpack is offered tons of features that help with site security, traffic growth, content tools, and more
6. WP Forms: WP Forms is the easiest way to create simple forms for your site. It is a drag-and-drop builder to create form.
7. Wp Rocket: Wp Rocket’s main purpose is to increase page load times and overall site performance.
8. BackupBuddy: The Most Reliable and popular Backup Plugin Trusted by 400,000+ sites. It’s easy to get started, 100% Restore rate, Secure backups, Inbuilt free staging, bulk site updates.
9. Wordfence: Wordfence is a powerful security plugin that easily protects your site from hackers or malware. It’s super easy to set up and has tons of features.
10. Shortpixel: Shortpixel is a free tool for image optimizations.
11. MonsterInsights: MonsterInsights is one of the best Google Analytics plugins of all time. which allows you to connect your website with Google Analytics.
Step 8: Publish Your First Blog Post
One last step: If you are concerned about writing your first blog post? don’t worry I will show you how! let’s go…
For creating a new blog post, you have to go: Dashboard>>Go Post sections>>Add New
If you follow above all the steps which means you have successfully set up your first WordPress blog. Now it’s time to make some posts for your new blog.
If it’s your first time let me help you to write your first blog post. some posts for your new blog.
Here are the tips:
Writing your first blog post can be a difficult task if you are not sure where to start. But it is easy to get started and make it more traffic engaging a blog post.
1. Come up with great post Ideas: Before you write an article make sure you do keyword research for the blog post.
2. Create an Outline: For your first post, I suggest choosing a topic that you’re passionate about. That makes you comfortable writing. Try to value your readers.
3. Headline: Make sure your post headline is more catchy and engaging.
4. SEO-friendly post: When you are going to write your first blog post, it’s kind of a heavy task to understand. But keep practicing for months and study you will be good at SEO.
5. Schedule: Maintain a schedule, of how many articles you publish in a week.
Overall, these tips help you to grow your blog and give you the full concept of blogging.
FAQ: Start a WordPress Blog in 2023
How do I start a WordPress blog in 2023 as a newbie?
If you want to start a WordPress blog in 2023, here’s a simple step-by-step guide to follow:
- Pick Blog Niche
- Set your blog goals
- Name your Blog
- Host your blog (I recommend Bluehost).
- Set up your blog
- Log in to Dashboard
- Increase Blog Functionality
- Write your first blog post
How Much Does it Cost to Build a WordPress Blog in 2023?
Starting a WordPress blog costs you around $100 to $5000 but it depends on your blogging goals. If you create your website on your own it saves a lot of money it cost just domain and hosting. Or if you hire a WordPress developer then it cost around $500 to $5000 or even more.
Is still worth it to start a WordPress blog in 2023?
The straight answer is Yes! WordPress grows day by day, more people interesting go online. And it makes it easy for everyone this is why to start a WordPress blog in 2023 worth. However, If you are taking Blogging as a business then it’s still worth it
Is WordPress free with Bluehost?
YES, WordPress is 100% free to use with Bluehost. The only thing that costs you money with Bluehost is your web hosting. As you know WordPress is self-hosted so you need web hosting.
Is Bluehost good for Blogging?
Well, Bluehost is the best place to start a WordPress blog because of its simplicity. They also provide a great interface, and excellent support, overall, it gives you full value for your money. It also happens to be the recommended web hosting by WordPress.
Which is better Bluehost or GoDaddy to start a WordPress Blog?
Overall, Bluehost is by far the better web host choice to start a WordPress blog. And WordPress recommends Bluehost for their users. On the other hand, Godaddy and offers a much better set of tools – especially if you look at their web hosting packages.
Are WordPress and Bluehost a good place to start a blog?
WordPress and Bluehost is a great options if you want to start a blog. WordPress gives you full control over every aspect of your Blog. And BlueHost helps you to grow your blog. Both of these combinations make a great place to start a blog.
Conclusion
WOOHOO!!! Now you have your own WordPress blog. Now you all have to do is work on the design and produce high-quality content. All the way, your domain name, and blog hosting are all set perfectly if you follow up on the step above.
Now it’s all your responsibility to make your blogging journey perfect. And it is the perfect time to start getting more knowledge by fulfilling your daily and weekly blogging tasks.
Note: Successful blogging is all about planning and creating good content and connecting with your readers. As long as you stay focused and consistent and help your readers with useful blog posts, well, I’m sure, you’re on the right track.
Hope this helps you to start your very own WordPress blog in 2023. Still, If you face any problem during the signup process for Bluehost or blogging stuff let me know via email. I will help you to solve the problem, that’s what I’m here for. So don’t be afraid to contact me via the contact page.
Wait! if you think this blog post helps you to start a blog, then share it with your friends and families. And let me know what the experience was to start your first blog in a comment below!
Happy Blogging!