10 Steps on How to Put AdSense Ads on a Blogger Blog

Steps

1. 
   

   

1. 1
   Go to Blogger. Use the link to the left or type "www.blogger.com" into a browser window.
   

   • Click on SIGN IN in the upper-right corner of the window, enter or click on your Google ID, and enter your password. Then click on Sign in
2. 
   

   
   2
   Click on 🔽. It's next to the blog title that appears below the word "Blogger" in the upper-left corner of the window.
3. 
   

   
   3
   Select a blog. In the drop-down menu, click on the title of the blog to which you'd like to add a Adsense ads. It will be in either the "Recent blogs" or "All blogs" section.
   

   • If you don't already have an Adsense account, you'll need to sign up and get approved before using AdSense ads on your blog.
4. 
   

   
   4
   Click on Earnings. It's on the left side of the window next to a "$."
   

   • Your blog must be eligible for AdSense before you can link your AdSense account to your blog.
5. 
   

   
   5
   Click on Sign Up for Adsense. It's a blue button in the right pane of the window.

1. 
   

   
   6
   Click on Sign In. Follow the on-screen instructions to sign in with the Google account associated with your AdSense account to link AdSense to your blog.
   

   • If you're not automatically returned to your Blogger dashboard, go back to Blogger.com.
2. 
   

   
   7
   Click on Earnings. It's on the left side of the window next to a "$."
3. 
   

   
   8
   Click on the radio button next to "Yes." It's next to "Show ads on blog" near the top of the window. It should be blue.
4. 
   

   
   9
   Select an ad setup for your blog. Do so by clicking on the radio button next to one of the ad setup options:
   

   • "Display ads below my post and in the side bar"
   • "Display ads below my posts only"
   • "Display ads in the side bar only"
   • Click on Customize further in Advanced Ad Setup at the bottom of the "Ad Setup for blog" section to create custom ad placement on your blog.
5. 
   

   
   10
   Click on Save settings. It's an orange button in the upper-right portion of the window. This saves your ad settings and enables AdSense ads to appear on your blog.

how to earn Money from Blog | Beginers Guide

Are you looking for a free, easy, step-by-step guide on how to start a blog? My free guide on this page will show you how to create a blog that is beautiful and functional, all in an easy step-by-step tutorial (with pictures). Ready to start the simple step-by-step tutorial? Click here to go to Step #1 My name is Scott Chow, and I am going to show you how to start blogging. I have been building blogs and websites since 2002. In that time I have launched several of my own blogs, and helped hundreds of others do the same. I know that starting a blog can seem overwhelming and intimidating. This free guide is all about blogging for beginners, and will teach you how to be a blogger with just the most basic computer skills. So whether you’re 8 or 88, you can create your own blog in less than 20 minutes. I am not ashamed to admit that when I was first learning how to build a blog I made a ton of mistakes. You can benefit from more than a decade of my experience so that you don’t repeat these same mistakes when you make your own blog. I created this free guide so that anyone can learn how to blog quickly and easily. And if you get stuck at any point, please send me a message and I will do my best to help you! Skip the rest of this introduction and start building your blog! What is a blog anyway? In short, a blog is a type of website that focuses mainly on written content, also known as blog posts. In popular culture we most often hear about news blogs or celebrity blog sites, but as you’ll see in this guide, you can start a successful blog on just about any topic imaginable. Bloggers often write from a personal perspective that allows them to connect directly with their readers. In addition, most blogs also have a “comments” section where readers can correspond with the blogger. Interacting with your readers in the comments section helps to further the connection between the blogger and the reader. This direct connection to the reader is one of the main benefits of starting a blog. This connection allows you to interact and share ideas with other like-minded people. It also allows you to build trust with your readers. Having the trust and loyalty of your readers also opens up the door to making money from your blog, which is something I discuss later in this guide. Should you start a blog? One of the misconceptions about starting a blog is that you need to be a great writer to be successful. Nothing could be further from the truth. People read blog sites to get a personal perspective on things, so most bloggers write in a very informal and conversational style. In addition, you don’t need to be an expert on your topic in order to have a successful blog. For example, readers of a cooking blog don’t want to read a textbook from a food scientist, they want to hear the experiences of someone who has actually cooked some real meals, mistakes and all. To be successful as a blogger there is really just one requirement: a passion for your topic. At its heart, blogging is about sharing your knowledge with the world. Choosing a topic that you are passionate about makes the process of starting a successful blog so much easier. Writing about more than one topic is totally fine too. As long as you are writing about things that you are genuinely interested in, your passion will shine through and keep your readers interested. So why would you go to the trouble of blogging? There are a few reasons: Make money from home. Blogging can be quite lucrative if done correctly. The top bloggers in the world obviously earn quite a bit, but even a part-time blogger can expect to make a nice profit if things are done correctly. The best part about it is that blogging is a form of passive income, since you can spend just a few hours a week writing a blog post and then continue to make money from it long after the blog post is written. I go into much more detail on how to blog for money later in this guide. Share your story. A blog allows you to have a voice and be heard. You can share your story with the entire world if you so choose. One of the most common ways blogs are used are as a diary where the blogger writes about their daily experiences so that friends, family, and others can all be a part of their lives. Recognition for yourself or your business. No, you probably won’t have paparazzi following you around because of your latest blog post. But a successful blog can gain you a ton of recognition in your respective field. Many bloggers are known as experts just because of their blogs, and some have even gotten book and movie deals based on their blogs. Find a community. Blogging at its heart is interactive. You write a blog post and people comment on it. This is a great way to connect with people who are interested in the same things as you are. Blogging allows you to teach these people based on your experience, and it gives you the opportunity to learn from your readers as well. The good news is that the internet is exploding with growth right now. More people than ever are online. This explosion in growth means more potential readers for your blog. In short, if you are thinking about starting a blog then there is no better time than right now. So, just how do you start a blog? How to Start a Blog in 6 Steps Learn how to create a blog in about 20 minutes following these steps: Pick a blog name. Choose something descriptive. Get your blog online. Register your blog and get hosting. Customize your blog. Choose a free template and tweak it. Write & publish your first post. The fun part! Promote your blog. Get more people to read your blog. Make money blogging. Choose from several options to monetize your blog. Let’s start your blog! Step 1: Pick a blog name The first step to finding a good blog name is choosing your topic. If you’re not sure what to blog about, there are a few ways to find a good blog topic: Hobbies & passions. Hobbies or other interests you are passionate about are a great place to start. Cooking, travel, fashion, sports, and cars are all classic examples. But even blogs about more obscure hobbies can be successful, since the your audience is literally anyone in the world with the internet. Life experiences. Everyone has lessons they have learned through life experience. Sharing this knowledge can be incredibly helpful to others in similar situations. For example, I recently helped a woman start her blog about being a fireman’s wife. She has a lot of experience and knowledge to share with others about this topic, and it has helped her connect with others in similar situations.Think about the things you have experienced in life. This could be related to your family (example: a blog about being a stay at home mom), work (a blog about experiences dealing with clients), or other life experiences (a blog about dealing with a troubling time such as a disease or divorce, or about a happy time such as preparing for a wedding or a birth of a child). A personal blog. A personal blog is a blog all about you. This will include a variety of topics, from things you do on a daily basis, to random thoughts and musings. This is a great way to share you thoughts with the world without having to stick to just one topic. Once you have a topic it’s time to choose your blog name. A good blog name should be descriptive so that potential readers can instantly tell what your blog is about just from the name. If you are blogging about one specific topic then you will definitely want to include that in some way in your blog name. Try not to get hung-up on just one word though. For example, a cooking blog doesn’t necessarily have to have the word “cooking” in it. The words “food”, “recipes”, and “meals” would also let people know that your blog is about cooking. If you are planning to create a personal blog where you discuss a variety of topics then I recommend using your name, or some variation of it, since your blog is all about you. For example, I own the blog scottchow.com. You can also add your middle name or middle initial if you find your name is already taken. Or you could use a variation like “Scott Chow Blog” or “Blogging with Scott”. Once you have some blog name ideas you will need to choose a domain extension. A .com domain extension is the most preferred, but .net or .org work as well. It is also important to note that for the purposes of a blog domain you cannot have any spaces between words. So “Blogging with Scott” becomes bloggingwithscott.com Now that you’ve got your name and have picked an extension it’s time to make sure that no one else has already registered the same name: See if your blog name is available Note: You cannot use any spaces or punctuation other than dashes in a domain name. If you find that the name you wanted is already taken there are a few things you can do: Try a different domain extension. If the .com version is already registered you may still be able to get the .net or .org version of your blog name. Add small words. Words like “a”, “my”, or “the”. For example, this site is called TheBlogStarter.com instead of BlogStarter.com. Add dashes between words. For example, scott-chow.com Step 2: Get your blog online Now that you’ve got a name picked out it’s time to get your blog online. This might sound hard or technical, but the steps below will walk you right through and make the process easy. To get your blog up and running you need two things: blog hosting and blogging software. The good news is that these typically come packaged together. A blog host is a company that stores all of the files for your blog and delivers them to the user when they type in your blog name. You must have a blog host in order to have a blog. You also need to have the software to build your blog. In this guide I will be showing you how to build a blog using the WordPress blogging software, because it is the most popular, customizable, and easiest to use. post-itThe blog host I recommend, and the one I show you how to use in this guide, is BlueHost. I personally use BlueHost and I recommend them for all new bloggers because: They will register your blog name for you for free, making sure no one else can take it. They offer a free, simple installation of the WordPress blogging software (which I show you how to use in this guide). They have been recommended by WordPress since 2005 and currently host over 2 million blogs and websites. They have helpful 24/7 customer service via phone or web chat. They have a money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any reason. Use any BlueHost link on this site to make sure you get the special discount price of $2.75 per month. BlueHost compensates me when you purchase through my link, so my services are free of charge to you! In fact, if you have any trouble at all setting up a blog with this tutorial, just contact me and I will do it for you. 1. Click here for the special $2.75 per month rate on BlueHost and then click “get started now”. 2. Select your plan. I recommend that new bloggers get the basic plan. Click “Select” to choose your plan. 3. Type in your domain name in the left box and then click “next” to start the registration process. If you already own a domain name and want to use it for your blog, type your existing domain in the right box and then click “next”. Only use the right box if you have previously paid to register a domain! 4. Fill out your billing details on the registration page. 5. You will also need to choose your hosting package and options. The 36 month package gets you the lowest monthly rate, while the 12 month package has a lower up-front cost. Remember, you can cancel anytime. I uncheck the boxes next to the other products when I sign-up. You can always get these products later if you decide you need them. 6. You will then need to create a password for your account. Once you do that you can choose a basic design template for your blog (you can easily change this later, as you will see). Now your blog software (WordPress) will be installed. Once the install is complete click “Start Building” to be logged-in to your blog. You should also receive an email with your blog log-in details. (NOTE: The login details for your blog will be different than for your BlueHost account.) Having trouble installing your blog? Get help here. Step 3: Customize your blog Logging in To start with, you will need to login to your blog. Go to http://www.yourblog.com/wp-admin to bring up the login screen (replace “yourblog.com” with your domain name). If you are unsure of your login name or password, check the email that was sent to you from BlueHost that has this information. Changing your blog design Once you login you will be in the WordPress administrator area. This is where you can make any changes you want to your blog. Everyone has a different idea of how they want their blog to look. One of the great things about a WordPress blog is that you can change your entire layout and design with just a few clicks. In WordPress, blog layouts are known as “Themes”. What is a blog theme? Themes control the entire design of your blog. To change your theme you are going to click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu. You will see several themes are already installed on your blog: Twenty Seventeen, Twenty Sixteen, etc. These are well-designed, clean-looking themes that can work for just about any type of blog. In fact, many of the world’s top bloggers use one of these themes. Unless you have a very specific design in mind for your blog, I suggest you use one of these themes to start with. For our example, let’s use the “Twenty Twelve” theme. In order to activate the theme on your blog, hover over the theme and click the “Activate” button. That’s it! You have changed the entire design of your blog with just one click! If you don’t like any of the themes that are already installed you can easily choose from thousands of other free themes. To install a new theme, click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu and then click “Add New”. This is the theme search screen. By clicking the “Feature Filter” you can search by color, layout, and more. Check the boxes that you want and then click “Apply Filters”. Now you can browse the themes that have the characteristics that you want. When you find one that you like click the blue “Install” button. Once the theme is installed click “Activate” to activate the theme on your blog. To see your new theme in action, go to your blog and take a look! Changing your theme is the simplest way to customize your blog, but there are lots of of other customizations you can do. Check out my full post on customizing your blog for an in-depth step-by-step guide. You can also watch the video at the end of this guide to see me completely customize a blog from scratch. Step 4: Write & publish your first post! Now that your blog is up and running it’s time to actually do some blogging! Go to the left menu and click on “Posts”. You will see there is already a post there. This is a default post on every new WordPress blog, and we don’t need it. To delete it click “Trash” just under the post. To begin writing a new post, click the “Add New” link. You are now on the post editor screen. Enter the title of your post in the top box and then begin writing your post in the lower box. If you would like to add a picture to your post, click on the “Add Media” button and click “Select Files” to upload a picture from your computer. You can make adjustments to the picture size on the next screen. When you are ready click “Insert into post” to add the picture. Once you have finished your post just click the “Publish” button on the right side of the screen to publish it. Publishing Your Blog Even after you have written a post your blog may still be showing a “Coming Soon” page. When you are ready to make your blog public just click the “BlueHost” menu at the top left of the menu in your administrator area then click the blue “Launch” button to remove the “Coming Soon” page. Congratulations! You now know how to start your own blog and publish content! Step 5: Promote your blog Creating a well-designed blog and writing great content is just the start. In order to get readers for your blog you will need spend some time promoting it, especially when you first start. One of my favorite ways to get readers to my blog is to post links on my social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter. This is great, because not only do your friends see the link, but if your friends share the link with their friends it automatically multiplies your readers. If you have created high-quality content on your blog then social media is a great way for your blog to go viral. In addition to getting new readers to your blog, you will also want to make sure your current readers are coming back. This is where email marketing plays a big role. By collecting the email addresses of your visitors (with their permission of course), you can then notify them when you post something new on your blog. This keeps people coming back to your blog, which not only gives you more readers over time, it also allows you to build a closer relationship with your readers. Email marketing is too big a topic to cover well here, so I created a separate guide to email marketing for those who are interested (hint: every blogger who wants more readers needs to read this guide). For more tips on promoting your blog make sure to check out my in-depth guide to blog promotion. Step 6: Make money blogging Once you have put in the effort of creating great blog content and promoting your blog, making money from your blog is actually the easy part. There are several ways you can make money blogging, from selling your own products or services, to getting paid to write reviews of products on your blog. But the easiest way to make money from your blog is to sell advertising space. Once you have a popular blog, advertisers will be hounding you for the opportunity to advertise. The best way to take advantage of this situation is to use Google Adsense. They find the advertisers for you and all you have to do is place the Google Adsense code on your blog to start running ads. Google Adsense takes all of the hard work out of the process and just cuts you a check. I go into the full details of how to set up Google Adsense for your blog here. For more information see my full guide to making money blogging here. Need more help? I hope this guide has answered any questions you had on how to start a blog, but if any of the steps were unclear to you, you can find a more detailed version of each step by using the menu at the top right of this page (or at the bottom of this page if you’re on a smartphone). How do I start a blog? You can watch me build and customize a beautiful blog from scratch here: The video above should answer a lot of questions you might have about getting your blog set up and customized, but more specific tutorials can be found on my blog page. Here are some of the most popular tutorials from my blog: How to add custom logos or images How to get readers to subscribe to your blog How to see how many people are visiting your blog How to move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org How to make a website with WordPress How to automatically share your new blog posts on Facebook and Twitter How to choose the best website builder How to link to other sites from your blog How to change text size and color How to make your blog private Contact me if you have any issues at all and I will personally respond to your email. The step-by-step guide on this site should give you everything you need to get started, but if you run into some issues, or just want some personalized advice, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. Blogging is my passion, and I would love to talk with you about it!

how to start a blog

HOW TO START A BLOG
YOUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR FIRST BLOG UP AND RUNNING IN NO TIME!

So you want to start a blog. That’s great! Not only is blogging a great pastime, but with a blog, you can express yourself in a unique way, help others with problems you’ve overcome, establish yourself as an expert, and even make money.

If you’re new to blogging, it really helps to get started off on the right footand have someone to help you avoid mistakes.

That’s why I’ve put this page together for you, to give beginners a fast, foolproof guide to starting a blog, without having to learn HTML or waste your time reading long, boring tutorials. In fact, over 9,500 people have already setup blogs using this guide!

I’ve put this guide together for you, to walk you through the process to setup your blog in 5 easy steps.

Here’s how to start a blog:

1. Choose a blogging platform.
2. Register a domain name and hosting.
3. Design your blog.
4. Add posts and pages.
5. Start growing your blog.

The goal of this page is to help you get started the right way. From years of coaching and helping people with their blogs, I’ve found that many people make mistakes when starting a blog, sometimes resulting in them abandoning the project altogether. We don’t want that to happen.

So I want you to take the time to thoroughly read this post. It’s about 4000 words long (20 minutes), so get comfy and set aside some time; I’m going to walk you through the entire process of setting up your self-hosted blog, so you ‘get it right the first time’. And if you already have a blog, sign up for my FREE course below for great tips on how to get readers, establish yourself, and even make money!

Don't have the time to dive in right now? No problem!
Enter your email to come back to this post later.
Once your blog is set up, you will also get a FREE bonus blogging course!

Ready to create your blog today? Alright, let’s get right into it.

Step 1: Choose the right blogging platform (WordPress)

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Before you can even start worrying about how your blog will look like, you’ll need to choose your blogging platform. 

There’s a lot to choose from. You are able to create a blog with many different blogging platforms, such as WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger and more…

However, given that there are over 72 million active usersusing WordPress today, it’s clear which platform is the boss. Even my own blogs and sites are built with the WordPress blogging platform. Here’s why:

• It’s FREE for everyone to use (including themes, layouts, and add-ons that many other blogging platforms don’t provide).

• It’s super easy to set up.

• It’s secure; WordPress is always updating their software and keeping everything sound and secure, so there’s rarely a worry of having your blog come under hacking attacks. No wonder Facebook, NASA, and even university blogs are using WordPress.

• It’s HIGHLY customizable. There are hundreds of free themes and plugins that add more functionality to your blog, from contact and subscribe boxes to plugins that improve blog performance and more.

While the other blogging platforms are generally all pretty OK, nothing, in my opinion, has ever come close to matching the freedom and customization options that WordPress offers. So without a doubt, go with WordPress. Especially when you are just starting out.

Why you shouldn’t create a blog on a free blogging platform

Without a doubt, you need to self-host your WordPress blog.

Think about it – what famous, successful blogger you know is using a free blogging website like “startbloggingonline.freeblogs.com” instead of their own domain name like “StartBloggingOnline.com”, for example?

It’s not just that – free blogging platforms have other problems too – including…

• You don’t control your content – the blogging platform does. They could shut you down anytime, and for any reason. Don’t believe me? Read this.
• The web address of your blog will be long and hard to remember(like yourfreeblog.blogspot.com) instead of a catchy, branded address you choose.
• You’re not allowed to advertise on most free blogging platforms, making it much harder to ever make money from blogging.

All of these limitations apply to the WordPress.COM blogs. What you really want is to self-host a WordPress blog – it’s the same software without all the limitations!

If I were you, I’d start with a self-hosted blog on my own domain from day one. Setting up a blog like this is WAY easier and less expensive than you think.

Finding a domain name and web hosting provider

Now to the exciting part! To set up a self-hosted blog on your own domain name, you’ll need two things:

Domain name – This will be your personal blog address where people find you over and over again. For example, Google’s Domain is www.Google.com. Your new blog domain name will be www.YourBlogName.com, except you’ll choose what’s going to be behind YourNewBlog. The cost of a domain name is usually $10/year, but if you follow this guide all the way, I’ll show you how to get one for much cheaper.

Web hosting – This will be the home of your blog address and content that’s on the blog. Without web hosting, you’ll be unable to use your domain. Think of it as a computer hard drive that stores all your content on your blog (images, blog posts and so on). The cost of web hosting is usually somewhere between $2-5 per month.

It’s less than a venti coffee at Starbucks – so it won’t break the bank. But it’s an important investment to your blog success.

Where should I get my domain name and hosting?

When it comes to hosting, there are only two things that matter.

• Page load speed – The average amount of time (in seconds) it takes your blog to load.
• Uptime – 99.9% isn’t enough (it’s 42 minutes of downtime per month). You should be aiming for 100%.

There are hundreds of different web hosting providers. They all offer you a similar service (domain + hosting) with a similar price, but since I’ve dealt with and monitored many famous and recommended web hosting companies like Bluehost, iPage, Godaddy etc…

I now only use and recommend www.HostGator.com for domain names and web hosting.

Why? Nothing has ever come close to HostGator in terms of blog load speed and uptime (see below):

HostGator has great performance, they are easy to use and it’s probably the best pick for beginners.

However, you can always go with another web hosting as long as it’s fast, reliable and offers unlimited storage & bandwidth. This helps you to avoid problems later on.

Now that we’ve gone through the basics of blogging platforms, it’s time to start walking the walk! With the next step, we’ll get your blog set up and running. If you’re not ready yet because you still need to think of a domain name or can’t set up a blog right away, that’s okay. Click here to sign up so that when you’re ready, you can pick up right where you left off.

Step 2: Set up a Blog on your own domain name (self-hosted WordPress)

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If you don’t have a hosting or a domain name yet – don’t worry. I’ll be showing this in a minute…

At the end of this step (2), you will have a fully working self-hosted WordPress blog on your own domain name! Sounds promising, huh?

If for some odd reason you don’t want to use HostGator, you can always choose another hosting provider. I can’t promise they’ll be that good, but the registration and the setup process should be somewhat similar. Some hosting companies do not have one-click install for WordPress. If that’s the case, see this guide for installing WordPress manually (not recommended for beginners, though).

1. Go to www.HostGator.com and then click “Start Your WordPress Blog”.

Remember: Since I’m using HostGator by myself too, I’ve negotiated a discount for people who use this guide (72% off). This discount should be applied automatically. Enjoy 🙂

2. Pick a Domain name for your blog

Already have a domain name?Just write it in the right box (I already own this domain) and keep moving to the next step by scrolling down a bit.

How do I choose a good domain name?

Choosing a bad domain name is one of the most common mistakes I see bloggers make. Be sure you choose a domain name that is…

1. Easy to Remember – Don’t choose a nonsense name, something tough to spell, or a long name full of dashes. “www.best-tech-gadgets-in-the-world.com” won’t ever stick in someone’s head, but something like “www.techgeeks.com” rolls off the tongue.

2. Unique and Descriptive – You want a name that reflects who you are and what you care about. Be creative and build an identity you’re excited about!

3. Trustworthy – Domain extensions like “.com”, “.org” or “.net” are the most popular, with “.com” being the one most people think of first. Try to avoid crazy extensions like “.rocks” or “.biz”, as these are less commonly used, tougher to remember and not as trusted.

Type the domain name you want to use in the box, then click “next”. If the name is available, you’ll be able to claim it. If it’s not available, choose another one.

If the name you want isn’t available, HostGator will show you some alternatives that are similar – or you can punch in a new name and try again. I’d suggest you use something that ends with .com, .net or .org

3. Choose your blog hosting plan

I recommend the “Hatchling” plan for now – you can always upgrade later if you decide you want more advanced features, but you get more than enough with the Hatchling.

4. Complete your registration

Once you’ve chosen Hatchling plan and found a name you like that’s available, you’ll need to register it by putting in your contact and billing information.

You’ll also have a chance to customize your package a bit. This is a chance to save some more money, so don’t skip it! Apply discount code “STARTBLOG”

I would take a look at each of these additional services to see if you want any of them.  I don’t believe they are necessary for you at this stage.

5. Log in to your new account and install WordPress blog

It may take a few minutes for HostGator to register your account, so be patient. You should get a confirmation email when your account is ready.

Once you’ve logged in to your control panel (all the information you need for that should be in your inbox), it’s time to install WordPress. Thankfully, this takes just one click!

• Log-in to your Hostgator control panel
• At the top click “Get Started With WordPress Today”
• If WordPress isn’t there for some reason, scroll down a little bit on the control panel and click on “Quick Install” under the Software & Services section. Look at the top of the page, in the left sidebar section for WordPress.

Once clicked, you’ll be automatically transferred to Mojomarketplace.com – don’t panic, this is just a site that helps HostGator install platforms (like WordPress).

You should immediately see a screen where you’re offered to “Install” or “Import” WordPress.
Click “Install” to get to the next step.

When you’re finished, “Install WordPress”. Once you’ve done that, you’ll see a loading bar at the top of your page that will eventually tell you that your WordPress blog has been installed and you’ll see your log-in credentials.

6. Log in and check out your new blog

Once the installation completes, you’ll get an email that shares your login information, including an “Admin URL”. (In case you missed that notification bar)

To log in to your blog, click the admin URL. If you forget this URL, it’s simply www.yourblog.com/wp-admin (where “yourblog” is your domain name).

Congratulations – you now know how to make a blog using WordPress. You’ve installed WordPress and set up your blog, all on your own! As you can see, it was really easy and straightforward.

Now that your blog is set up, sign up for my FREE blogging course for tips on how to get readers, earn money, and personalize your blog. Or read on to learn how to design your blog and make your first post.

Step 3: Designing your blog

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In this section, I’ll show you some WordPress blog basics, including:

Sample of a customized WordPress blog (SmartPassiveIncome.com)

• Changing your blog’s design
• Installing new plugins/features
• Making your blog search engine friendly

If you’ve set up your blog, you’re now ready to start using WordPress and customizing your blog. I promise – it’ll be pretty easy and fun at the same time.

Remember: You can log in to your blog by going to www.yourblog.com/wp-admin/ and using the credentials you set up with HostGator or any other hosting company you used.

Changing Your Blog’s Design (Themes & Layouts)

WordPress blogging platform uses design templates called “Themes” to figure out how your site should look. Changing your blog’s layout and design is as simple as installing a new theme.

There are over 2,000 professionally designed, fully-customizable and free themes to choose from – so you’ve got a lot of options. If you want to see premium themes and designs like the Genesis Framework, head over to Themeforest.net

Here’s how to find and install a theme you love:

When you log in for the first time, you’ll see a dashboard or admin panel that looks something like this:

Mouse-over the “Appearance” tab in the WordPress sidebar, then click on “Themes”.

On the next screen, you’ll see several themes are already installed. If you don’t like those, click the “Add New” button at the top, or the great big “Add New” square to start searching for a theme.

Now, you’ll see tabs where you’ll find featured, popular and brand new themes, as well as a “Feature Filter” and search bar.

I really like the “Feature Filter” option, because you can choose themes in certain color schemes, select specific layouts and even choose themes with built-in advanced features.

Just choose the options you want, then click “Apply Filters” on the left hand side. If you’re finding this challenging, just search by keyword – there’s no wrong way!

When you’ve found a theme you like, click “Install”. You’re nearly done!

Once the theme has been installed, all that’s left to do is click “Activate” on the next screen:

Configuring your blog to be search engine friendly

There are some things you’d need to do to make your blog more search engine friendly. Search engines do not like two things:

1. Ugly and clumsy URL-s – http://yourblog.com/2012/04/topic-a/author-Karen/how-to-start-a-blog. A much better way is to use: http://yourblog.com/start-a-blog

See the difference? One is filled with irrelevant information and the other one is short, clean and neat.

In order to change your links to a more cleaner, click on the “Settings” -> “Permalinks” and use the following settings:

2. Spam comments – Unfortunately, lots of people want to leave automate spam comments on your blog. They do that for a couple of reasons – to get people from your blog to their blog and to advertise their services/products.

To avoid that, make sure you moderate your comments. Here’s how to do that: Go to “Settings” -> “Discussion” and tick those two options.

Step 4: Adding/Writing Blog Posts and Pages

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By now you should have fully working WordPress blog on your own domain name. You should also have a custom blog theme that fits with your blog’s topic. Congratulations – you’ve done a LOT and I’m proud that you’ve managed to get so far.

In the LAST step, I’ll show you how to write your first blog post and share some tips for writing blog posts.
In this section, I’ll show you…

• How to write a post in WordPress
• How to add images, links and format text
• Some quick tips and tricks for writing great content

Using WordPress to Blog

Adding a New Post

To add a new blog post, click the “Posts” section on the left-hand side-menu, then click on “Add New”.

On the next screen, you’ll see something like this:

You can add the title to your blog post in the top field, and your content goes in the big text box below the title.

You can save your draft or publish your content live by using the box menu on the far right of the page. You can even schedule the post to be published later – or make the post private so only friends can see it.

Once published, your new post can be found in the “All Posts” section of the “Posts” tab, so you can edit it anytime.

Let’s take a quick look at some things you can do to spruce up your post:

Adding Images

To add an image to your post, click the “Add Media” button right above the lower content field.

Tip: Before you click “Add Media”, be sure you’ve left your cursor inside of your blog post where you want the image to show up. Otherwise, you’ll have to move it later on.

Next, click the “Upload Files” tab on the screen that pops up, then click “Select Files”.

Once you’ve found the file, double-click it and WordPress will upload it automatically.

When the upload is finished, make sure the image you want is selected, then click the “Insert into post” button to add the image to the post you’re writing.

Adding a Link

Linking out to other websites is a great way to build relationships and share interesting content.

To add a link, click on the icon in the toolbar that looks a bit like a chain link.

On the pop-up, you’ll need to enter a few important bits of information.

• URL is the web address of the link you want to share. Make sure you include “http://” before the “www.” address, or your link will be broken.

• “Link Text” is the text you want people to click on to get to your link. It might be “Click here”, or anything you choose.

• “Open link in a new window/tab” – it’s a smart idea to check this box. Otherwise, when someone clicks your link, they’ll leave your blog.

• If you want to link to an existing page, you can use the “Search” section to find a post or page you’ve already created and click it to add a link.

Finally, click “Add Link”, and your link will be added where you left your cursor in the post you were writing.

Adding Headers & Editing Text

It’s a good idea to use headers and bolding to make your content easier to read and scan.

Adding Headings

To add a heading, click on the drop-down menu on the bottom left of the toolbar.

Try to only use “Heading 1” once within your page (usually at the top), and use “Heading 2” or “Heading 3” for other sections in the copy, as this is better for search engines.

Tip: You can also highlight the text you want to change in your blog post, THEN click on the drop-down menu and select the format you want the text to be in.

Editing Fonts

You can also bold, italicize, underline and even change the color of your text in a click or two.

• “B” is for bolding
• “I” is for italics
• “U” is to underline your text
• “A” will open a dropdown menu where you can select font color

As you can see, this is all pretty simple for someone who has worked with Microsoft Word.

Step 5: Start Growing Your Blog

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Analytics from StartBloggingOnline.com (taken from my personal laptop).

Now that you have set up your blog and know the basics, it’s time to make your blog successful. Many
beginners struggle at that point, thus I’ve put together a handful of guides to get you going easier.

If I were you, I’d suggest you go and check my resource page here. It contains all the content that I’ve published on StartBloggingOnline.com over the past couple of years. It’s nothing too much, but enough to get you going and a bit more.

Things to do after you’ve created your blog:

The first thing I’d do is create a proper About Me and Contact page.

• Creating a perfect about me page (This is usually the most visited page on your blog)
• Adding a Contact Page/Form on your blog (So that your readers could contact you)

Done those two? Go and read those posts.

• 8 Common blogging mistakes (That many bloggers do, including me)
• Where to find FREE images for your blog (Without breaking the copyright)
• 135+ blog post ideas for your NEW blog (Warning: HUGE list)

Ready to take your blog to next level?

Once you have some content on your blog it’s time to get some traffic and make it profitable.

• Get your blog listed on Search Engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo)
• Get more traffic to your blog (I’ve used those techniques personally and they’ve worked well)
• How to monetize your blog (Affiliate marketing, selling advertising space, getting new clients etc…)
• Add a subscription box (So you could email your blog visitors personally)
• Set up Google Analytics (For tracking your blog visitors)

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: What blog site should I use?
A: WordPress is the most popular platform, powering over 25% of the web! Best of all: it’s free.

Q: What should I write about? What blog should I start?
A: Recipe blogs, fitness blogs, and business blogs are some of the most popular. Here’s how to pick a blog topic people will really want to read.

Q: How do bloggers make money?
A: There are a number of ways including advertising and digital products, but some people just do it for fun. Check out my article How To Make Money From Your Blog.

Q: How Do I Pick A Domain Name?
A: I would suggest using your real name (because you can change it later). Here’s more on picking a domain name.

Q: Are blogs social media?
A: Blogs can be considered social media, because they have comments and social interactions. However from a technical standpoint, analytics software does not count blog traffic as social media traffic.

Q: Is blogging dead?
A: No way! Over 409 million people read blog posts every month. You’re reading one right now!

Q: What’s the difference between a blog and a website?
A: Blogs are frequently updated with articles while a website is generally “set it and forget it”. Blogs might have fewer features than a website and just focus on creating really good content. For this reason, a blog is more socially active, with shares and comments.