In this post, you'll learn how to quickly and easily start a blog of your own in less than 15 minutes!
On Dishes & Dust Bunnies I typically write about food, recipes, homemaking and my experiences as a frazzled and busy mom. Since starting my blog back in 2014, I've received a lot of questions from readers about how to start a blog of their own, so I've created this post to help those who are interested in getting started. 🙂
I'm tremendously thankful that my journey as a blogger so far has led me to some great opportunities, including the ability to make a little extra income for my family! As a stay at home mom blogging in my free time, this helps our family a lot. Currently, my adventures in blogging allow me to bring in an extra $500-$1200/month USD before expenses and it continues to grow!
One of the main concerns I hear from others who are interested in starting a blog is:
“I'm not a celebrity or anyone ‘special' – can I make it as a blogger?”
Yes, you can!
The honest truth is that Dishes & Dust Bunnies was started on a whim when I felt isolated and needed a creative outlet after the birth of my son. In the beginning the thought of making money as a blogger hadn't even crossed my mind – I just wanted to do something fun that would help me connect with others online who have similar interests. I'm certainly no celebrity – I'm just me!
Not long after starting my journey, I began to pull in a little money and it's been growing ever since! The more I learned about blogging and the more I worked at it, the more successful I became.
The truth is that anyone can be a blogger and make an income – you just have to work at it and keep consistent. In fact, I know of many bloggers who are earning even enough to retire their husbands! They all started somewhere, you know!
I'm talking to YOU, my friend. If I can do it, anyone can.
Making an income writing about the things I love and my experiences as a mom really is a dream come true. It's allowed me to earn money while staying home to care for my son and that truly means the world to me.
A few Things to Consider before starting
Starting a blog is quick and easy but there are a few important things you need to consider before jumping right in.
What is the end goal for your blog? Is it for the money or for the love of it? There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make money with your blog, but your main goal should always be to help people and for the love of it. Making money doing something you love, while helping others feels amazing!
If you're planning on creating a blog without the intentions of ever earning money from it, then you can choose one of the free options such as Blogger. If at any point (even if not right away) you plan on making money with your blog, it's an absolute must to set up it up as self-hosted with a host such as Bluehost.
Why is having a self-hosted blog important?
When you publish your site using a free service you don’t actually own the blog – the company does. Since you don’t own the blog or site itself, there’s always the risk that the service may suspend or remove your site at some point – and without notice (especially if you start getting a high amount of visitors). I’ve heard far too many horror stories from others who have lost all the hard work they put into their blog when their site gets taken down.
With self-hosted you own your blog AND have complete control over what happens. Being self-hosted also gives you more flexibility to grow. For example, you'll have the ability to make money through ads placed on your site, be seen as more professional to potential sponsors, and have more options in terms of design and the coding that goes into your site. (I'll talk more about this in a future post.)
The quickest, easiest and cheapest way is to start a self-hosted blog with Bluehost. They're one of the top web hosting companies and you can start your own blog with them for as low as $3.75 per month when you use my link. 🙂
Also if you sign up using my link, you'll get your domain name for free when you sign on for a 12 month plan. Bluehost is extremely affordable and by signing on for at least 12 months, you can save a lot of money! 🙂
There are so many reasons to choose Bluehost for your blog and I highly recommend them for the following reasons:
- Bluehost offers excellent technical support and often go above and beyond to help you if an issue arises.
- It's super easy to use, even if you're not great with computers
- Bluehost is extremely affordable. You get a fully self-hosted WordPress blog of your own starting at just $3.75 per month.
- You can get a FREE domain (your site's address)
- Bluehost offers a 30 day money back guarantee if you decide it's not for you. If you have any questions (how to set it up, pick a plan, etc) feel free to send me an email and I'll help you out.
- You'll be self-hosted, which is important when it comes monetizing your site (see above).
To start your own self-hosted blog on WordPress, I highly recommend signing up with Bluehost. Many professional bloggers have started with them and have had a great experiences – that's one of the reasons Bluehost is known for being one of the best!
Below is an easy to follow tutorial on how to set up your blog so you can refer to it as you get set up. Please let me know if you have any questions about the set up, I'm happy to help!
How to Start a WordPress Blog on Bluehost
To get started, go to Bluehost's homepage and click “Get Started Now“
The whole process takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. I've written out the details to help it go as smooth for you as possible. 🙂
Step 1: Select a Hosting Plan for your blog
The first step in setting up your blog is to select a hosting plan. To start, I'd recommend going with the Basic plan for $3.95/month for 12 months. As you grow and begin to earn money from your site, you can always upgrade to a higher plan. Bluehost makes it super easy to level up when you need to!
Step 2: Register your domain name
Once you've selected your hosting package, the next step is to register your domain name. If you already have a domain name, you can enter it in the “I have a domain name” box and click next.
If you're starting fresh, with a brand new domain enter it in the “New domain” box and click next.
For tips on how to choose the perfect domain name, check out this post
Once you've entered your domain name, it's time to fill in your personal information to set up your account. You'll also be given the option to add some extras onto your account if you'd like – these are optional.
Next, enter your payment information to pay for your hosting plan.
Click “Submit” to complete your purchase.
After you've completed the sign up with your domain and hosting package you'll be prompted to create a password for your account. Be sure to choose a password that's unique and strong – make sure you write it down!
Now that your have your account set up, it's time for the next step! You're almost done! Yay!
Step 2: Select a theme
Next, select a theme or “look” for your blog. If you're not sure on a particular theme yet, no worries – you can always change it later!
Next, Click Start Building! 😀
Step 3: Install WordPress on Bluehost
Click “Bluehost” on the left sidebar and you'll see this screen. Click “Launch”.
Fill in your site title and description.
Click “Next Step” and follow the prompts.
… And this is where the magic happens! lol 🙂
Now you're all set to start publishing your posts!
From there, you can create posts by clicking “Posts” and “Add New”.
One quick piece of advice before you start publishing…
Don't be afraid to explore your dashboard and all the options you have! I learned WordPress myself simply by exploring it and trying things out. 🙂
I hope you found this post helpful and please let me know if you have any questions – I'd love to help!
Happy Blogging!