How to Start a WordPress Blog in 2023: Create, Setup, Launch!

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Wondering how to start a wordpress blog or website for money this year? You’re not alone. According to growthbadger.com, there are over 600 million blogs out there worldwide and 31 million active bloggers in the US alone. Ever since the first blogger reported making money from it in the mid-nineties, more and more bloggers want in on the action. Can’t blame us!

But is there room for more?

Oh yeah. Don’t you crave looking at new content online every day? So do billions of other people.

Plus, you’re the only one in the world who can offer your unique perspective on your blog topic.

Why you should learn how to start a WordPress blog

I caught the blogging bug a few years ago when I kept finding awesome deals and I wanted a way to share these deals with others. It was hard to keep up that blog–imagine constantly keeping on the lookout for deals, then writing up posts, then promoting. But it was gratifying to have that creative outlet where I could write and an audience could read and benefit from what I wrote. The design aspect was a blast too–I think creating the website is the most exciting part of all.

But the real blast comes when you throw ads and affiliates in the mix and suddenly your little blog hobby starts earning a little money. Then a lot of money.

Why blog?

I constantly hear from other moms about a strong desire to stay home with their kids. But there are so many factors that hold them back:

loss of income
loss of a social life
lack of some fulfillment that work often provides
loss of self-identity–fear of becoming wrapped up in their kids’ lives and losing their own.
lack of a creativity outlet

Interestingly, learning how to start a WordPress blog can provide an answer to all these concerns. In the years that I’ve been blogging, my blogs have provided:

Income! Yes, blogging for money is a thing! I know it’s hard to believe, but once you start seeing pennies, and then dollars roll in, you’ll know it’s true. It took me about a year to start seeing $400 a month from blogging. Some make more sooner, and some never make a dime.
A social life! It may not be the same as a real-life social life, but there can be so much online conversation and collaboration that goes on with other bloggers and readers. If you participate in Facebook groups dedicated to bloggers, you might even get too much socialization.
Fulfillment! When you’re blogging about something you’re passionate about, blogging is very fulfilling. I’ve always enjoyed writing, but combine that with writing about a concept like DIY, deals, or blogging, and I’m your go-to gal! Heck, even if you’re not passionate about a topic, it’s amazing how passionate you can feel about a concept once the money starts rolling in.
Self-identity! I always wanted to teach, but after working at a daycare and then as a teacher’s assistant for several years, I grew weary of other people’s kids. Teaching others how to blog fits me perfectly because I love sharing knowledge about something I know–and I don’t have to deal with discipline issues.
Creativity! There is so much creativity involved in blogging. From designing a logo on Canva, to finding the perfect font, to scouring the internet for stock photos, I love bringing all these ideas together into this one website that represents a culmination of all I have to offer on this subject.

How to start a WordPress blog

Learning how to start a WordPress blog takes some ideas, some perseverance, and lots of patience. It also takes these steps:

1. Have an idea or ideas to blog about

Years ago, if you wanted to start a blog, the first step would be to decide on a niche or topic. While it’s still a great idea if you want to be seen as an authority figure in Google and Pinterest’s eyes, it’s no longer a necessity for traffic. With the massive success of list-type sites like Gatheringdreams.com and Chasingfoxes.com, new bloggers can see they have the freedom to blog about whatever the heck floats their boat. In fact, many of my favorite bloggers use their first and last names as their domain names and write about multiple topics. These blogs about multiple concepts are also called lifestyle blogs. Mom blogs are usually also considered lifestyle blogs unless they center on some specific idea–then they’re niche blogs. As long as a blog has quality content and excellent search engine optimization (SEO), traffic will come.

Questions to ask yourself when wondering how to start a WordPress blog:

What are going to blog about? What’s your bright idea or bright ideas?

What are you knowledgeable about?
Anything you love doing in your spare time?
What do you always find yourself talking about to your spouse or friends?
Have hobbies you could share?
What could you see yourself writing about at least weekly for the foreseeable future?

Despite what most Pinterest mom bloggers will tell you, you don’t necessarily need to be passionate about your topic, but it definitely helps if you’re knowledgeable. Sometimes, when the money starts rolling in, you’ll find “passion,” may be overrated! After all, isn’t it easy to be passionate about making money? I’ve read many success stories about people just reviewing products and selling said products for a full-time income.

Make sure your blogging idea or topic is feasible for the long haul

Let’s go back to my first blog as an example. Man oh man was that hard to keep up on my own! Imagine constantly scouring the internet for deals, then writing 2,000 words about it, then making ten different Pinterest pins for it. It wasn’t workable for the short-term or even long-term future, especially with a newborn at the time. I then shifted to an easier idea: a more generalized “frugal living” concept about things I’ve learned while being a stay-at-home mom, and that was much more fun for me to keep up. Then an even more general lifestyle blog. And here we are.

What about the money? Any topic can be monetized, you just have to find the right strategy. More on that later!

30Rock Tina Fey GIF from 30rock GIFs

Imagine yourself blogging, and blogging, and blogging

I’ve noticed something interesting about deal bloggers or any bloggers who post timely information with an expiration date. They often start out excited and strong, blogging daily because it’s all so fun and new. Then they fizzle out after a few weeks because it’s crazy time-consuming to write up several posts a day. Or even one a day, if you’re doing it right. Or one a week. Even if you do get them written up, the time it takes to keep everything updated and make sure links are still working–it’s an absurd amount of work for one person. A disheartened blogger then looks at some of the big-boy blogs, realizes they’ll never compete, and inevitably gives up. How can they compete with these teams of people writing up and maintaining endless posts every day?

That blogger has a few options:

Pluck the lower-hanging fruit. Use Google’s keyword tool and find keywords (topics) with low competition. The competition for a topic idea, the harder it will be to rank for it on Google. Every one of my top articles has low competition for keywords I use.

Change your focus.

A change in format from time-sensitive content to evergreen content–content that stands the test of time–may make sure you’re rewarded for your labor for years to come. For example, the exhausted deal blogger could become a more general frugal living blogger. She or he could still post weekly Walmart deal-type posts, but also general posts like “10 Ways to Save Big Money at Walmart.” No more posts like “Kohls 40% off Sale, Today Only” until she has a team working for her. Those posts require too much upkeep, and too much wasted marketing time only to expire in 24 hours. Plus they will have a tough time competing with the big bloggers like slickdeals.net on Google’s first page.

In contrast, generalized money-saving idea posts do really well on Pinterest and Google. As long as you practice good SEO (more on that later), you can write about whatever you want. Just make sure you can imagine yourself maintaining it long-term.

How to start a WordPress blog when you have lots of ideas

Grab your notebook and pen, and make a list of ideas. Think of your hobbies, what you love to talk about with friends, and what you know a lot about. Ask loved ones what they think you should write about. Browse Pinterest for these ideas, and see how other bloggers write about this topic. What are they missing that you could bring to the table? Or maybe you’d have similar content, and that’s OK too. Google and especially Pinterest can never have too much content.

How to start a WordPress blog when you just want to write about one topic

Nevertheless, focusing on a niche could help you become more of an authority figure on your topic. This could make readers remember you more easily when they think of your topic. If you do want to go this route, think of a way to make your topic more specific. This can be as simple as taking a topic like “easy recipes,” and adding an adjective or a type of food. For example, “easy recipes” become “easy, healthy recipes.”

Many bloggers find it easier to stand out from the crowd if they choose a micro-niche topic. Even if you have a general recipe or lifestyle blog, niching down in posts could help bring in traffic that large websites tend to overlook. Niching down means narrowing your focus to an even more specific subject.

For another example, “easy, healthy recipes” might become “easy, healthy, gluten-free recipes.” By choosing to niche down, you narrow your focus and–sooner or later–become a master of that subject in Google’s eyes and your readers’ eyes. You narrow your competition because your topic is more focused on a very particular set of words a person might search for on Google. Niching down helps you stand out from the competition.

2. Think of a domain name for said blog idea

Once you have your topic in mind–or not–decide on a domain name. This is where lots of folks get stuck. The analysis paralysis struggle is real, and I wrestled with this step for years. Yes, years.

Make sure to go with a .com domain, even if it means choosing an alternative name that’s slightly different than what you had in mind. Yes, it seems like all the good .com domains are taken. But, by adding a prefix or suffix to your original choice, you might be surprised to see what’s still available.

A really popular trend among lifestyle bloggers is to just use their first and last name as their domain. They assume that the readers they get will be subscribers or followers and not necessarily have to remember the website name every time they want to read it.

Need a domain?

If you’d rather go with a fun or catchy title, there are some domain name sites that can help. My two favorite sites to help choose a domain name–and find alternative domain ideas if your original is taken are:

Namemesh.com
Leandomainsearch.com

Namemesh adds a suffix, prefix, or word you may not have thought of based on priorities like SEO. Leandomainsearch has a good selection of title name/word combinations to choose from if you’re having trouble thinking of title words. For example, I wanted something with the word “home,” but I wasn’t sure what the first or last word should be. Leandomainsearch gives you a humongous list of options to choose from.

You don’t need to decide on a domain name right this minute–but it’s more exciting if you do! It helps your blog idea become a little more real. You can always come back and determine the name at a later time, and if go this route, you’ll get a temporary domain where you can work on your blog whilst pondering its perfect name.

3. How to start a Wordpess blog with cheap web hosting

If you want to look professional and start blogging for money, you need quality web hosting. I’ve tried several different blog host companies and my favorites are Hostgator and Bluehost. I currently use Bluehost and their customer service via chat has helped me out many times. They’re both popular recommendations for beginner bloggers in particular because their web hosting is super affordable without sacrificing quality.

Want affordable, fast hosting with free SSL and a free domain? Need quick, easy setup and excellent customer service? Feel better if there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee? I’ve found these with Bluehost. Even though I’ve had more expensive hosting in the past via Godaddy, I’ve never noticed a difference in quality.

A few tips when you purchase web hosting:

-No matter whom you choose for web hosting, ALWAYS check the box for domain privacy–unless you want to be inundated with spam phone calls starting from the day after your purchase. I learned this the hard way.

-Some hosts give different prices/values depending on how long you sign up for. Monthly is usually most expensive if calculated on a monthly basis, whereas if you sign up for three years you often get a better overall value for your money. Of course, you’ll pay more upfront for this option.

-If you’re not sure about blogging for money or just want to experiment for a while, the monthly or one-year plan is probably a better idea than the three-year plan, even if the three-year is a better value overall.

4. Install WordPress

After your web hosting purchase, you’ll go to your Hostgator or Bluehost dashboard, where you can see the “Install WordPress” link on the right side.

WordPress is popular software bloggers and businesses use to manage their sites. Another option is Tumblr, but most bloggers recommend WordPress due to the vast customization available. Here’s how you install it from a Hostgator dashboard.

Write at least 5-10 blog posts before sharing your site with others. You want readers to see a full front page and have at least a couple of articles to click on when they’re done reading the first one.
Write an “About me” page that tells readers a little about yourself, what you have to offer, and why you started this blog.
Decide what your categories will be. These will be the titles of the items in the menu across the top near the title.

5. Choose a theme

Here comes the best part–choosing a theme. There is no reason for a beginner blogger to pay money for a premium theme. There are countless beautiful/functional themes available for free! Just look for the “Appearance” link in the left sidebar, and click on “Themes” from the subcategories that pop up. Sort them by “popular” and see what so many thousands of other users are using…for free. Play around with several…hundred…theme ideas to get a feel for what you like and what you don’t.

Some of my favorite free, SEO-friendly themes I’ve used in the past:

Generate Press- It’s simple, beautiful, and my favorite!
Baird
Zakra

6. Canva, Canva, Canva

Get to know Canva, the free graphic design website that lets you play around with pictures and fonts. Just choose what you want to design: logo, Pinterest graphic, etc. Then upload a picture of your own or choose from their huge selection. After you’re done with your logo, save your design so you can upload it to your website via your WordPress dashboard. The customize button at the top of the dashboard is where you’ll go to upload your logo, change your site layout, and make any kind of changes to the appearance of your site.

For every post you make, you’ll want to create a Pinterest graphic in Canva to promote it on Pinterest. Canva makes this so easy by automatically including a pre-measured “Pinterest Graphic” option in their drop-down list.

You’ll want to bookmark Canva! You’ll use it for every single social media post you create. It’s addictive and will bring in traffic much faster than Google!

7. Customize and connect

After you create an awesome logo in Canva, go back to WordPress to customize your theme with said logo. You’ll find this option in the left menu under “Appearance>Customize.” Upload that bad boy under the “Header Image” or similarly titled section–depending on your theme–and watch your blog feel like it’s yours instantly.

Back in the WordPress dashboard, you’ll add an “About Me” page from the “Page” section on the left sidebar of WordPress. Then you’ll add categories from the “Posts” section in the sidebar. Together these pages and categories will make up your menu. The menu is the bar of topic links that often can be seen under a blog’s title or to the side. Pages are for things that don’t change, like “About Me” or a “Blog” page full of posts while categories are how you’ll organize your posts. For instance, will a post go under the “Side Hustle” category or the “Blogging for Money” category? Sometimes both.

Connect important plugins

This is also a good time to connect to necessities such as:

Google Analytics via the Monster Insight plugin
Google search console via the Yoast plugin
Pinterest for Business
Plugins like Yoast, Monster Insights, and more (future post to come)

You’ll find plugins on the lefthand menu of links in your WordPress dashboard.

7. How to start a WordPress blog and make money:

Ah, finally the missing piece of the puzzle.

The dough. The moolah. The money.

Add affiliates: affiliates = money

You’re here because you want to start blogging for money. Remember how you read that it takes patience to blog? Money is one of the last pieces of the puzzle. This is because you need to have all this other stuff set up before you start applying willy-nilly to affiliates and ad networks.

Affiliate marketing, ads, and products are how you’ll make money blogging.

Affiliates

Affiliates are companies who pay you to sell their product. I’m an affiliate of Bluehost. For every Bluehost plan I sell, I make money. I’m also an Amazon affiliate. For every Chevy encoder I sell on my Hubpage, I make money from Amazon. Bluehost, Amazon, and others pay me money to sell or refer to their services or products.

While you don’t need a blog or website for some affiliates, it certainly helps to have a review or story to back up the service or product. If I just posted a link to a Chevy part on Pinterest, I might sell one or two a year. But if I write a 2000-word post about how to use this part to fix such-and-such symptoms on Chevy and then point people toward Amazon where they can buy said part, you’d better believe I can sell many more. I’m helping folks solve a problem and pointing to where they can buy the solution.

Where to find affiliates

The best affiliates to start with are the ones you’re already a customer with and therefore don’t need to apply for a publisher relationship:

Your phone company: I have a post about Tello where I tell about my experience with their service. I then show them how they can save (and make) money by becoming a Tello customer.
Web hosting: After you become a Bluehost customer, you can refer others and earn $60 per referral.
TV service: When I had DirecTV, I used to refer others to them and make $100 in credit per referral!
Internet service: Century Link offers up to $600 off your bill for referring customers to their internet service. They give the new customer $60 off their bill.
Ibotta: I refer folks to Ibotta here and earn $5 per referral. Ibotta offers the new customer a $10-$20 sign-up bonus and cash back on purchases.

Outside of your own companies, there are affiliate company sites you can join and apply to be store affiliates for. Some popular ones are Impact Radius, Panthera, and Flex Offers. I’m an affiliate at Impact Radius (for Walmart and Hostgator), Flex Offers for other stores, and Panthera for surveys. Shareasale and Awin have a lot of smaller and sometimes shadier-looking stores I’ve never heard of, and I’m a member of both but have never utilized either.

I suggest you make your site look professional and legal before applying to these affiliate group companies. When you start a lifestyle blog, there are rules you need to follow. Make sure you have an affiliate disclosure before each post. I use the FMTC Affiliate Disclosure plugin for this. You can use the GDPR Cookie Compliance plugin for the mandatory cookie compliance acceptance popup. I also have a privacy policy link. Affiliate companies want to see that you’re a professional-looking site with all the legal requirements in place.

You can apply to Google Adsense to get automatic ads on your site. The minimum payment threshold is $100, and it may take you a few months to reach this. While Adsense doesn’t pay the best, it’s a super easy way to monetize your site. After you get 25,000 visitors per month, you can apply to Mediavine which pays much better.

Products

If you’re an expert at something, consider making your own e-course and selling it. Or sell a product that you’re providing an expert review about.

Start a lifestyle blog now and kick butt as a new blogger

You can google the heck out of “how to start a WordPress blog,” and you can read story after story and review after review. The truth is, blogging is very much a learn-by-experience type of concept. Toy around with WordPress. Explore every button on Canva. Experiment with different themes. Mess around with the plugins. You’ll learn so much more by doing than reading. You’ll really learn how to start a WordPress blog when you’re in the process of making said blog.

Have I inspired you to use these tips about how to start a WordPress blog?

I know firsthand how the concept of blogging can be something you’re not completely sure about even as you’re jumping in. But that’s part of the beauty of blogging–you can make mistakes, and you can learn at your own pace.