How To Start A Blog In Less Than 20 Minutes

I started this blog in 2011 and I’m very glad I did

Are you looking to stand out from the crowd and simultaneously create value for others? Why not start a blog?

I started this blog in 2011 and I’m very glad I did. If you do, you’ll find like I did that it opens up new opportunities you never could have thought possible. This magic happens because your message and personal brand gets exposure that is simply not possible on most other online properties such as social networks. And, unlike social networks, your blog is your property—-you own it and no one can ever take it away. As you add content each month, your blog starts ranking for increasingly more keywords in Google search, which drives increasingly more visitors to your front door online. Once these new visitors reach your blog, you can turn them into subscribers to an email list. Or, you could simply have new visitors fill out a “Contact Us” form. Either of these methods can turn online visitors into real-world offline business contacts. This is exactly the experience I have had over the years since starting my blog. You should have no doubt that this is possible for you. You just need to get started.

Here’s how my guide helps you start your own blog

I’m about to walk you through, step-by-step, how to start your own self-hosted WordPress site. Just like my site here that you are visiting today. I’ve used the below approach multiple times to start several different blogs, so I know that the process does not take long.

So let’s get entrepreneurial and take some action! Here are the step-by-step actions you need to take to start your own blog!

Setup Overview

Here are the main objectives you’ll cruise through to start your blog:

1. Purchase website hosting
2. Choose a domain name—this is your address on the web (e.g. www.kevinkauzlaric.com)
3. Install WordPress blogging software on your site
4. Log in to WordPress to create your first blog post

Step By Step Guide

Step 1: Purchase website hosting

• Go to the Bluehost home page

• Click on the Get Started Now button.
• This will take you to a screen where you select your plan

• If you only have one website to set up, select the “Starter” package

Step 2: Choose a domain name—this is your address on the web (e.g. www.kevinkauzlaric.com)

• Now you need to decide whether you need a domain name or you already have a domain name.

• Enter your domain name in the left-most box, choose the appropriate extension (com, net, biz, whatever) and click on the Next
• If you already purchased your domain somewhere else like GoDaddy.com, don’t worry, because Bluehost will provide you the information you will need for easily transferring your domain.
• If the name you selected is available, you will get a confirmation such as below:

• Now you fill out your account information:

• Then choose the specifics of your plan:

• Continue by entering your billing information:

• Confirm that you have read and agree with Bluehost Terms of Service, and then click on the Submit The system will now verify your credit card information.
• Bluehost will next ask you to “Select the Upgrades that Best Suit Your Needs.” I would skip all of these. Click the Completebutton at the bottom of the page. Be patient. This may take a minute or two.
• You should now see the “Welcome to Bluehost” screen, along with a “Congratulations” message. Now you need to choose a password for your account. Click on the Create your password button:

• Now click the checkbook that says, “I confirm I have read and agree to the Terms of Service …” Then click the Create This creates your new Bluehost account.
• Warning: You might get an error message here. It is simply because it sometimes takes a few minutes for the Bluehost robots to create your account. Don’t panic. Worst case scenario, call BlueHost Support at 1–888–401–4678.
• This will bring you to the Bluehost screen seen below. Click on “Setup your site”.
• You should see a question “Do you have a website created already?” Click “no”.
• Now click on “website” in the menu. You’ll see a sign that says “Click here to get started installing the software for your website”
• You will next get a popup asking what kind of website you would like. You will select “Wordpress” to set up your blog.

Step 3: Install WordPress blogging software on your site

• Now you will install WordPress software on your site so you can create a blog.
• Click on “Install WordPress”

• A new “WordPress” screen appears.
• Simply click on the Start That will bring you to a new screen.

• Now select the domain on which you want to install WordPress. It should default to the correct one. Click on Check Domain.

• The next screen will say “Last step, you are almost there.” Click on “Advanced Options.” Type in your site name or title. (Don’t worry. You can always change this later.) Accept the “Admin Username” and “Admin Password” that Bluehost suggests.
• Now click on the item that says, “I have read the terms and conditions of the GPLv2.” Now click on the Install Now button
• The installation process should begin and will keep you updated on the process. Be patient, this will take a minute or two.

• Bluehost might then offer you another upsell. (I realize this gets annoying. Hang in there. You are almost done.) Just close the pop-up if there is one. You can usually do so by clicking on the Xin the upper right-hand corner of the pop-up.
• You should now see a progress meter at the top of the screen. Again, this will take a minute or two, depending on how busy the Bluehost robots are. It will eventually say, “Your install is complete!”

• Now click on the View Credentials This will take you to the Notification Center. Click on the View button.
• When it is done, you will get a screen with your Blog URL, Login URL, username, and password. Bluehost will also e-mail this information to you, but I like to have a backup. I would write it down or take a screenshot.

Step 4: Log in to WordPress to create your first blog post

• Click on the “Admin URL” link. This will take you to the WordPress login page.
• Now enter your username and password. (Remember, you wrote these down in Step 3. You also copied the password to the clipboard.) Click on the “Remember Me” checkbook and then click on the Log In
• You should now be looking at the WordPress “Dashboard.” Sometimes, bloggers refer to this as the WordPress back-end.The front-end is what your readers see—your normal blog site. The back-end is what you see—how you control what appears on the front-end.
• You might see a welcome screen or an offer for JetPack. Don’t worry about these now.
• [insert image of wordpress dashboard here]
• Write your first blog post
• You are all finished creating your new blog!
• From here you can tweak your blog’s look and feel by referring to the many resources out there in this subject.
• To write your first blog post simply go to Posts | Add Newoption in the left-hand side menu. You should now see the New Post screen.
• Once finished, you can hit Publish and your new blog post is live on the world wide web!