How to Start a WordPress Blog From Scratch 2024

How to Start a WordPress Blog from Scratch

Searching for a beginner’s guide to start a WordPress blog?

If yes then in this tutorial we have shared how can get started easily and on the right track.

When it comes to blogging, there is a clear line of divide between “starting a blog” and “starting a blog the right way”.

If you are wondering what is the difference between the two then let me explain it briefly.

Buying a domain name, hosting, and publishing content is one part of blogging.

And, when you add other aspects to it such as setting up your blog correctly, having access to the right tools and knowing the promotional techniques from the very first day, it puts you in a very strong position.

In this tutorial we have shared all the resources you need to easily start a WordPress blog from scratch.

All you have to do is follow this guide carefully and if have questions get in touch using our contact form or comment section.

The goal behind writing this guide is to get you started on the right track.

Requirements for Starting a WordPress Blog

Starting a WordPress blog is straight forward process and there are a few things that you will need.

First things first, when we say WordPress here, it is the open-source software we are talking about and not the WordPress.com website.

It is important to know that there are 2 versions of WordPress available

• Self Hosted
• Hosted

Self-hosted version is the one where you are the one managing every aspect of your website and enjoying the complete control.

Basically on a self-hosted WordPress blog there are no restrictions.

You can install plugins to add new features, customize your blog’s design as per your needs and monetize to make money without having to worry about anything.

However, this is not the case with its Hosted version otherwise known as WordPress.com.

Here you will have to pay for even the most basic features such as connecting your domain which is an essential part of your brand.

Keeping this in mind, below we have listed all the necessary things you will need to start your WordPress blog the right way.

Domain Name

Domain name is the URL that users will identify your WordPress blog with.

When this URL is typed in the browser address bar, it will take the user to your blog. The gist of the story is- it is the address of your website on the internet.

Few examples of domain name

• Blogging Unplugged- bloggingunplugged.com
• Facebook- facebook.com
• YouTube- youtube.com
• Instagram- instagram.com

Please note- Domain names can have extensions other than .com as well. The above mentioned sites are just examples.

Now coming to from where can you get a domain name for your WordPress blog and how much will it cost.

A domain name can cost you anywhere between $9 to $40 and even more if you go for premium names.

However, you can get it for FREE if you host your WordPress blog with HostPapa.

This takes us to the next services that you will need for your blog.

Web Hosting

Web Hosting is a service that will allow you to publish your WordPress blog on the world wide web.

In this service you will be renting a space on a server where files related to your blog will be stored.

When a user will visit your WordPress blog, it is this service that will complete the request by showing the Page or Post on the browser.

Web hosting is an essential service and without it you cannot start a blog on WordPress.

Now coming to which web hosting company we recommend and reasons.

We recommend choosing HostPapa and below are the reasons

• We have been using HostPapa for a while and have nothing but good things to say.
• Servers are optimized for speed and performance.
• HostPapa has won several awards for the service its provides and has 4.6 out 5 star rating.
• Their pricing is pocket friendly and using our link your will get up to 77% OFF
• Includes free Lets Encrypt SSL for security
• They offer free domain name with every plan which is a bonus
• You can create custom email address at no cost
• Staging environment is available in all plans expect the entry level which is a huge plus.

And more.

All in all, HostPapa is value for money and without breaking the bank you can start your WordPress blog using it.

WordPress Theme

After domain name and web hosting, the next thing that you will need for your WordPress blog is a theme.

A WordPress theme is a collection of files that lay the foundation of the layout and design of your blog.

In simple words, it determines the appearance of your WordPress blog and as design is the first thing that users see when they land on your blog, using a good theme from the very beginning is important.

Remember, you can always add new features, customize your blog’s design / layout and improve it with time. However, changing the theme every now and then is not possible as it is tedious process.

Keeping this in mind, you need a theme that is

• Flexible
• Easy to use
• Fast loading
• Compatible with other plugins

And more.

For this we recommend using Kadence Theme, it is available in both free and premium version.

You can go with either of the versions when starting out and won’t be disappointed. Personally speaking, I use Kadence Theme on all of our sites.

Initially, we started using the free version and later opted for the Kadence Lifetime bundle.

Security

When it comes to blogging with WordPress, security your blog from day 1 has to be your priority.

WordPress powers over 43% of the web and hence websites or blogs using it are always on the target of hackers.

If your WordPress blog is not secure then chances are you might get hacked which can result in you paying quite a lot of money to get it fixed.

In worst case scenarios we have seen people completely quit.

We don’t want you to go through this and therefore recommend using Solid Security for boosting security of your website.

Solid Security is one of the security plugins in WordPress ecosystem and over 900,000 active installations.

Apart from this, Solid Security is packed with features such as

• Malware scanning
• Passwordless login
• Two factor authentication
• Brute Force protection
• Automated Vulnerability Patching
• Trusted Devices

And more

Personally speaking, we have tried quite a few security plugins, out of which we prefer using Solid Security. The plugin is easy to set up and use.

And with just a few clicks you can improve the security of your WordPress blog.

Backup

While we are on the topic of security, it is important to know that backups are an essential part of it.

Think about a scenario where you are making changes to your blog and it isn’t going as per plan.

In this situation, if you have a copy of your WordPress blog then you can easily restore it to a previously working version.

And everything will be back to normal.

Keep in mind, backups are often overlooked by many in WordPress and it is a mistake that can land you in trouble.

And we don’t want this to happen to you.

Now coming to our recommendation- UpdraftPlus is a free plugin using which you can take backup of your site with just one click.

This plugin allows you to schedule regular backups as well. On top of this using UpdraftPlus you can restore a backup with one click as well.

Personally speaking, we have been using UpdraftPlus on all our sites and it is probably one of the first plugins we install.

Steps to Start a WordPress Blog

Now that you are familiar with the tools you need to start your WordPress blog, below are all the steps to get started.

We assure you by the end of this tutorial you will have a blog that will be correctly set up for success.

• Buy Domain and Hosting
• Install WordPress CMS
• Login to your WordPress Blog
• Remove Defaults
• Choose and Install WordPress Theme
• Set Permalink
• Add Contact Form
• Other Important Pages
• Boost Security
• Other Essential Plugins
• Write Your First Blog Post

Get a Domain name and Hosting for your WordPress blog

The first step in the process is to buy web hosting and claim free domain name for your blog.

For this, you need to visit HostPapa.com and on the homepage you will come across the starting price for Shared and WordPress hosting.

Here you can select any of the services by clicking Get Started and it will show you the related plans.

Personally speaking, we are using the Shared Hosting plan by HostPapa.

Please Note– The pricing of both Shared and WordPress hosting is exactly the same and the only difference is- WordPress hosting comes with a free Jetpack plugin pre-installed.

As you can see, HostPapa has 4 shared hosting plans.

• Start- $2.95
• Plus- $5.95
• Pro- $5.95
• Ultra- $12.95

The maximum discount is available on Start and Pro plans and we recommend that you pick either one of those as per your requirements by clicking Select.

Also, this discount is only applicable if you decide to go for a 3 year term.

We suggest picking this duration as you will not have to worry about renewals and increased pricing just after a year.

This will let you focus on improving and growing your blog with a free mind.

Keeping this in mind,

Once you are done selecting a plan for your WordPress blog, the next step is to pick a server location.

For this you need to scroll down and it will show you the Server Location option with the edit icon.

By default USA is selected, and other than that Canada and Europe locations are available to select.

In case you want to change the server location then you need to click the edit / pencil icon and a dropdown will appear that will show you the options

You can select a location by simply clicking it.

In the next step you will come across Website essential services, these are included at no cost for a year in HostPapa Pro plan and above.

If you decide to go for Start or Plus then we suggest removing these services for right now.

Once done, you need to click the Next Step button at the bottom of the page and it will ask you to add or select a domain name for your WordPress blog.

As mentioned above, the domain name is the name of your WordPress blog on the internet.

It is your brand name.

For example- the domain name for this blog is bloggingunplugged.com and the brand name is Blogging Unplugged.

It is important to know that there are chances, some of the domain names you come up with are already taken.

And yes this can be a bit of a task but you need to get your creative juices flowing and use the below-mentioned tips to find the perfect domain name for you WordPress blog.

• The name has to be easy to type. Avoid using misspelled names. This makes the name confusing and there are chances you’ll be losing on traffic.
• Try to get a .com extension first. The reason behind this is simple. Most people associate brand names with corresponding .com’s. If the .com extension is not available then go for other extensions such as .co or .org.
• Avoid using numbers and hyphens in the names. It is very difficult to remember the names that have hyphens or numbers in them.
• Select a name that can be converted into a brand rather than a personal name. If the blog is a personal journal then you can use a personal name.
• Stay away from copyrights or trademarks because using it can get you into a lot of trouble.

These tips will surely help you find a domain name for your blog.

Once you have found a domain name its time to check whether its available or not .

You can do this by simply typing it in the search box and then click Get My Domain. See the below screenshot for reference.

If the domain is not available then it will show you alternatives to choose from. You can select any one of the available options by clicking Add and Continue.

In case you do not find any domain name of your choice then you can perform this process again until you find the one that you like.

After you are done selecting your domain, it will take you to the next step where you will have to provide some basic details to create your account on HostPapa.

Once you have filled this information, it will take you to the Payment section where you need to select a payment method and complete the purchase.

This process can take a few minutes and on a successful payment, you will receive a few emails from HostPapa and these will contain the invoice of your purchase and login details.

Install WordPress for Blogging

After you are done selecting the password for your web hosting account, the next step is to install the WordPress CMS.

This process might seem technical at first. However, with just a few clicks you will be able to do this easily.

HostPapa lets you install WordPress using the Softaculous app installer and for this you need to first login to your web hosting account.

You can do this by visiting HostPapa and then click Account under Sign In on the homepage.

Doing this will take you to the login page where you are required to enter your Client ID and Password.

On a successfully login it will take you to your HostPapa dashboard where you will have to click My cPanel tab on the navigation.

When you this tab, it will take you the cPanel where you will see all the site and web hosting management options.

Here you are required to scroll down till you find the Software section under which you will see the Softaculous App Installer.

In the next step you need to click the Softaculous Apps Installer option and it will show you the option to install various scripts including WordPress.

Here you are required to click Install and it will show you all the settings. See the below screenshot for reference

These settings are important and from here on till the completion, follow everything carefully.

Software Setup

The first option that you will come across lets you choose the URL for the installation.

As you can see in the screenshot above, this option has 4 parts

Choose Protocol

As the name suggests, this option lets you select a protocol from the 4 available options in the dropdown which are

• http://
• http://www.
• https://
• https://www.

All HostPapa plans include free SSL certificates and here you are required to select either https:// or https://www option. (s stands for secure in https)

Selecting https:// will lead to your having a URL like https://bloggingunplugged.com where are on choosing https://www. option will create a URL like https://www.bloggingunplugged.com.

Personally speaking we suggest selecting https:// as it makes the URL look clean and concise.

Choose Domain

The next option that you will come across lets you select the domain on which you want to install the WordPress blogging software and here you are just required to select the domain name from the dropdown.

See the below screenshot for reference

Following this you will comes across the next 2 options which are

• In Directory– Keep this empty as we will installing WordPress on this domain.
• WordPress Version select– Leave this option as it is to install the latest version of the WordPress software.

Once you are done till here, it will show you the installation URL.

Site Settings

After Software Set up the next set of settings allow you set the Site Name and Description of your WordPress blog.

• Site Name– In the Site Name you need to add the name of your blog
• Site Description– Here you need to add a small description about your blog.

It is important to know that, in case you are unable to come up with a description right now then you can leave it as it is or empty as you can change Site Title and Description later or anytime you want.

Also, leave the Enable Multisite (WPMU) and Disable WordPress Cron options unchecked.

Admin Account

Next to the Site Settings, you will come across Admin Account and using these options you will be able to select Username, Admin Email and Password.

Keep in mind, these are your WordPress admin / dashboard credentials, meaning using these you will be able to login to the dashboard of your WordPress blog.

• Admin Username– You need to select a username of your choice here and make sure it is not admin (default) or the name of your blog. Select something unique.
• Admin Password– Here you are required to select a password for the dashboard / admin of your WordPress blog. Do not use anything related to you and use numbers, special characters and capitalization to make it as secure as possible.
• Admin Email– This is the email address where notification related to your WordPress blog such as comments, security alerts, reset passwords and more will be sent. Add an email address that you have access to and can check frequently. Keep in mind, you can change the admin email in WordPress later as well.

Please Note– Copy and save these credentials in a notepad file or somewhere easily accessible as you will need these in the upcoming steps.

Language

After Admin Account, the next option lets you select a language of your WordPress installation.

By default English is selected and you can choose your preferred language by clicking the dropdown.

It is important to know that you can install language packs and change the WordPress dashboard language later as well.

Select Plugins

The next option lets you select that plugins that you want to install in your WordPress blog.

We recommend not selecting anything here as we will be using other free plugins for all of these purposes.

Moving on from Plugins,

The set of settings that you will come across is Advanced Options and Select Theme.

Here we will not be selecting or changing anything and this takes us to the last step which is clicking the Install button to Install WordPress on HostPapa

On clicking Install, it will start the WordPress installation process and this can take a few to complete.

Once complete, it will let you know on which URL WordPress was installed and the Admin URL that you will be using to login to your WordPress blog dashboard.

See the below screenshot for reference

Login to Your WordPress Blog

After you are done installing WordPress, the next step is to login to your WordPress blog.

When starting out, there are a few frequently asked questions by beginners and these are

• What is my WordPress login URL
• How can I login in to my WordPress blog

We have answered both these questions below

First things first, as mentioned above, the URL that you will be using to login in to your WordPress blog is https://your-domain.com/ wp-admin.

Keep in mind, in this URL your will have to replace your-domain.com with your domain name.

On visiting this URL, it will take you to your WordPress blog’s login page where it will ask you to enter your username or email address and password.

You need to add the required credentials and then click Login.

Please Note– The username or email address and password that you will be adding here are the ones that you have selected during WordPress installation.

On clicking Login, it will take you to the dashboard / admin of your WordPress blog.

Remove Defaults

Now that you know how to login to your WordPress blog, the next step is to remove the defaults that are included in every WordPress fresh install.

These include

• Sample Page
• Sample comment
• Hello World
• Hello Dolly

And more.

Also, WordPress comes pre-installed with anti-spam plugin known as Akismet.

It is helpful plugin that will help you filter spam from comments. We personally recommend using CleanTalk.

Remove Sample Page

To delete sample page in WordPress, the first step is to head over to All Pages under Pages in the WordPress admin sidebar.

Clicking All Pages will show you the Sample Page

Here you are required to hover your cursor over the listing and it will show you the option to Delete

On clicking Trash, the sample page will be removed from your WordPress blog and it will be moved it to Trash.

To remove this page complete, you need to click the Trash option and it will show you the option to Delete Permanently or Empty Trash in WordPress.

Clicking this option will completely delete this page from WordPress.

Remove Hello World and Sample Comment

Removing Hello World post and Sample Comment is very similar what we have done above.

We will delete both of these together.

To delete Hello World post and Sample Comment from your WordPress blog, the first step is to visit All Posts under Posts in your WordPress dashboard.

In the next step you need to hover your cursor over Hello World post and it will show you the option to Trash.

On clicking Trash, it will delete the post along with the comment and you will find it under the Trash option.

To remove both of these completely, you need to either click Empty Trash or Delete Permanently under the listing.

And that’s it you have successfully removed Hello World post and sample comment from your WordPress blog.

Remove Hello Dolly

Hello Dolly is a plugin that comes pre-installed but deactivated in every WordPress fresh install.

This plugin basically represents Hope and Enthusiasm and on activation it displays a random lyric from the famous Hello Dolly song sung by Louis Armstrong on the top right of every page in your WordPress dashboard.

See the below screenshot for reference

As this plugin comes deactivated, you won’t be seeing these lyrics.

You can Activate Hello Dolly plugin to see the lyrics for yourself as these will show instantly.

Keeping this in mind, to delete Hello Dolly plugin from WordPress, you need to click Installed Plugins under Plugins in your WordPress admin.

Doing this will show you the Hello Dolly plugin and the option to remove just below it.

You need to click Delete here and it will remove the Hello Dolly plugin from your WordPress blog.

Choose a WordPress theme for your blog

When it comes to your online presence, your blog’s design is the first thing that people see when they land on your any of the pages of posts.

And it is important to leave a good and lasting impression.

After a fresh WordPress install, the appearance of your blog is very minimalistic and not something someone will remember.

This means your blog needs a new design or a WordPress theme.

It is important to know that WordPress has a huge library of free and premium themes that you can use and make your blog attractive.

This library of free themes comes built-in to your dashboard and to access it the first step is to click Themes under Appearance in your WordPress dashboard sidebar.

On clicking Themes, it will show you theme that you are currently using along with other WordPress themes that comes pre-installed.

Here you will find the option to Add New Theme on the top.

And on clicking this option it will take you to the free WordPress theme repository from where you can choose and install a free theme with just a few clicks.

As you can see, WordPress has an extensive library of free themes that can leave anyone confused on which theme to choose and install.

To make things easier for you, we recommend installing Kadence theme.

In case you are wondering why Kadence then below we have listed a few reasons

• Tried and tested as we use this theme on most of our sites
• Comes with a drag and drop header and footer builder
• Custom layout options available for Pages and Posts
• Global Color, Typography and button options to align everything with your brand
• Social Links to connect your blog with community
• Compatible with popular plugins especially Woocommerce.
• Pre-built templates to get you started with just a few clicks
• Optimized for speed and search.
• 300,000+ active installations and 4.9 out of 5 stars on WordPress.org.

And more.

All in all, Kadence Theme is packed with features and trust me you will love it as customization options with it are endless.

Now, to install Kadence theme, the first step is to search for Kadence in the WordPress theme repository inside your dashboard.

On finding the theme, you need to hover your cursor over the Kadence Theme listing and it will show you the option to Install.

Here you need to click Install and the installation process will begin.

Once the theme is successfully installed, it will show you the option to Activate. See the below screenshot for reference.

You will have to click Activate, to complete the installation process.

Installing Child Theme

After you are done installing, the next step is to install the Kadence Child Theme.

First things first, what exactly is a child theme.

A child theme is a WordPress theme that inherits the features, functionality and styling of the main theme.

It is important to know that just like any software, WordPress themes receive updates on a regular basis.

Now, on updating, any changes or modifications that you have made to the main or parent WordPress theme will be removed.

Using a child theme keeps you safe from any such situations as these updates have no impact on it.

In other words, WordPress child theme retains any customizations or changes you have made even after updating.

Keep in mind, as child theme is a sub-theme to the parent, it is required that you first install the Parent Theme and that is what we have done in the previous step.

Now, to download the Kadence Child Theme, the first step is to visit this link and it will take you to the Child Theme page on Kadence WP.

In the next step you will have to scroll down till you find the Our Child Theme section.

Here you are required to click the Example Kadence Child Theme button and it will download the Kadence Child Theme zip file.

Once you have successfully downloaded the child theme, the next step is to install it.

For this you need to head over to your WordPress dashboard and click Themes under Appearance.

Doing this will show you all the themes you have installed with an option to Add New Theme on top.

Clicking Add New Theme will take you to the built-in WordPress theme repository where you will see an Upload Theme option on top.

You need to click Upload Theme and it will show you the option to upload the Kadence Theme zip file that you have just downloaded.

Click the Choose File button to upload.

Once done, the next step is to click Install Now and it will start installing the Kadence Child Theme.

This process will take a few seconds and on completion, it will show you the option to Activate the Kadence Child Theme.

That’s it you have successfully installed Kadence Child Theme in your WordPress blog and now you can safely make changes.

Before we move forward, it is important to know that Kadence WP has a growing library of Starter Templates that you can use and customize as per your expectations you get started quickly.

For this you will have to first install the Kadence Starter Templates plugin and then select a template that you want to use.

Please Note– You can customize every aspect of these starter templates to make them fit your branding and vision.

Add Logo and Favicon

After you are done till here, the next important task that is on the list is creating a logo and favicon for your blog.

First things first, what is a logo and favicon.

A logo is a graphical representation of your brand and it is something that users will associate your brand with.

Similarly, a favicon is an icon that is differentiates your blog or website from others when multiple tabs are opened in a browser.

In simple words it is an identifier for your blog which is located on the browser tab. These days favicon is used by search engines as well and it is displayed in front of the listing on results page.

Both these graphics play an important role in branding and generally logo is scaled to the size of a favicon and uploaded separately.

Keeping this in mind, the tool that you can use to create these is Glorify App. It is an online graphic design tool for business owners.

We use this tool on a regular basis and it offers a free account as well.

As far as the dimensions are concerned, we suggest using the below sizes

• Logo– 400px by 160px
• Favicon– 512px by 512px

Once you are done creating the logo and favicon, the next step is to add them to your WordPress blog.

For this, the first step is to click Customize under Appearance in WordPress admin sidebar.

Doing this will show you the theme customization menu where you need to search for Site Identity.

In the next step you need to click Site Identity and it will show you the Site Title and Logo Control option along with the option to add the Site Icon.

Favicon is also known as the Site Icon and to add the Favicon in WordPress, you will have to click Select Site Icon option

Clicking Select Site Icon will take you to the Media Library where you will be able to upload the favicon you have created.

In the next step you need to click Select and it will ask if you want to crop the graphic.

You need to skip the step and it will add favicon in WordPress.

Now to add a logo in WordPress, you will have to click Site Title and Logo Control and it will show you the option to upload Logo.

Here you need to click Select Logo and it will take you to the Media Library where you will be able to Upload the logo that you have created.

It is important to know that, just to make things easier for you, Kadence theme comes with a Use Logo Icon option enabling which allows you to use a icon as logo.

These icons are included in the Kadence Theme and to use all you have to do is click the icon of your choice and set its width .

Once you are done till here, make sure to click Publish to Save changes.

Set Permalinks

Another important setting that you will have to configure before creating pages and posts in WordPress is the Permalink Structure.

Permalink in simple words is the structure of the URL of pages and posts on your blog.

And it plays a vital role in SEO.

Please Note– It is important that you configure Permalinks correctly from the beginning because once you have a few pages on your blog then make this change will require you to set redirects which will lead to more unnecessary work.

To change Permalink in WordPress, the first step is to visit Permalink under Settings in your WordPress admin sidebar.

Doing this will show you all the Permalink structure options and out of these we recommend selecting Post Name

Once done, you need to click Save Changes button.

Add Contact Form

Moving on from the Permalinks, the next task on hand is to create a contact form for your WordPress blog.

To do this we will be using a popular blocks plugin known as Kadence Blocks.

As the name suggests, Kadence Blocks is a block plugin by Kadence WP and using it you can create beautiful pages and posts on your blog using the default WordPress editor.

This plugin included 2 form blocks

• Basic
• Advanced (released in Kadence Blocks 3.1)

Using both of these you can easily build a contact form and for right now we will be using the Basic Form block by Kadence.

Please Note– Kadence Blocks is a plugin that we are using for a very long time on all our sites and it includes blocks that will further simplify the creation process.

Now coming to the process,

The first step is to install the Kadence Blocks plugin and for this you need to click Add New Plugin under Plugins in the WordPress admin sidebar.

Doing this will take you to the built-in-free plugin repository and here you are required to search for Kadence Blocks

Once found you will have to click Install and then Activate the plugin.

In the next step, you will have to create a page in your WordPress blog and you can do this by clicking Add New Page under Pages in your WordPress dashboard sidebar.

Doing this will take you to the WordPress editor also known as Gutenberg block editor and here you need to add a title for the page where it says add title.

See the screenshot below for reference

Before we move forward, it is important to know that Kadence Blocks comes with a library of pre-built templates and patterns known as Design Library that you can access by clicking the Design Library button on the toolbar.

On clicking the Design Library button, it will show you 2 main sections

• Patterns
• Pages

It is up to you, if you want to use these templates to create complete pages or just sections and to use them all you have to do is click and add the Pattern or the Page template in the WordPress editor.

See the below screenshot for reference. We have used it to create a simple contact form.

It is important to know that after the recent Kadence Design Library update, some of the templates and wireframes were removed from the Design Library.

You can still use them by adding the section and wireframes tabs. Follow the below tutorials to know more.

• Add missing sections tab in Kadence Design Library
• Add missing Wireframes tab in Kadence Design Library

Once you are done till here, the next step is to configure the form to send emails to your inbox.

For this, the first step is to select the Form block that you have added and then in the block settings you will have to search for Actions after Submit tab.

You will find this option in the sidebar under the General settings.

You need to open this tab and then select Email.

On selecting Email, it will show you a new Email Settings tab where in the Email to Address field you need to add the email address where you want to receive the emails sent using this form.

If you want to add multiple email addresses then you will have to separate then using a comma.

It is important to know that after launching your WordPress blog, often you will receive spam submissions through your form.

And to prevent it you will have to enable Google reCaptcha in Kadence Form Block and configure it.

Once you are done till here, the next step is to set the URL slug and you can do this by visit Page Settings and clicking the link in front of URL option.

Doing this will open a dialogue box using which you will be able to change the slug of this page.

As you can see in the screenshot above, we have set it to contact-us.

The slug we have selected clearly defines the purpose of this page and both users and search engines will exactly know the purpose of this page.

We recommend using descriptive slugs from your pages and post.

Also, refrain from using numbers and dates because it puts a restriction / timeline on the URL.

Please Note– Unlike content on your blog, URLs are not something that can be updated because it can lead to loss of ranking, traffic and other complications.

After you have set the slug, make sure to publish the page.

In the next step you need to send a test email through this form and check if WordPress is sending emails.

If not then you will have to use WP Mail SMTP and fix WordPress not sending emails issue.

Other Important Pages

Now that you know how to create pages in WordPress and change the slug, the next task on the list is to add other important pages on your blog.

These pages are necessary for branding, connecting with the audience and legalities. Below we have listed all the pages.

About

The first page on the list is about. This page can be found on every website or blog and it defines the purpose of the site. Using this page you can tell the people about your blog and yourself.

This will help you build a connection between you and your readers and if you are finding it difficult to craft this page, I suggest you try answering the questions below.

• What is the purpose of the blog?
• Who is the person behind the blog?
• What made you start a blog and share your experience?
• What are you going to share?
• What are the future plans and your achievements?
• How can your readers connect with you?

All of the above questions lead to one question which is What is your story? Just express yourself!

Legal Pages

When we talk about legal pages on a blog, it includes

• Privacy Policy
• Disclaimer
• Terms and conditions

The purpose of these pages is to make sure you are in

• Accordance with the law
• Have a defined set of terms and conditions that explain your business practices clearly
• Explains how you collect, handle and process data
• Disclosing any monetary relationships

If you are thinking you need a lawyer for this then that’s true. And for this we will recommend you contact Amira, she is a lawyer that we recommend and trust.

She has legal bundles that you get at an affordable price and let me tell you it won’t cost you a fortune. The plans are available at pocket-friendly prices.

Boost Security

After you are done publishing the important pages, the next step is to improve the security of your WordPress blog.

As mentioned before, WordPress is the most popular CMS and sites using it are always on the target of the hackers.

Why?

There are quite a few reasons behind it such as

• Users selecting generic usernames and passwords
• Not updating themes, plugin and core on a regular basis
• Using nulled themes and plugins to save money
• Not investing in a security plugin / solution
• Ignoring security all together

And more.

Keeping this in mind, it is important to know that hacked / infected sites are difficult and costly to recover and can lead to loss of revenue, traffic and reputation.

In worst case scenarios, some of these cannot be recovered at all which means the users have to start all over again.

You can prevent this from happening to your site by simply installing a security plugin and for this we recommend that you go for Solid Security.

To install Solid Security plugin, the first step is to click Add New Plugin under Plugins in your WordPress dashboard and search for Solid Security.

In the next step you will have to click Install Now and then activate the plugin.

On activation, it will create a new Security option in the WordPress dashboard and you will have to click it.

On clicking Security, it will start the onboarding / set up.

The first option lets you select the type of website you have. So we are creating a WordPress blog and we will be selecting Blog here

On selecting Blog, it will take you to the next step where you will have to select if you want to Enable Security Check Pro.

We suggest enabling this option by clicking the toggle and to go to the next step click Next

On clicking Next, it will ask you if you are creating this blog for yourself or your client.

We will be selecting My Own Website here.

In the next step, you will have to select if you want to enforce Password Policy for users.

We recommend activating this option as it will only allow users to select Strong Passwords that aren’t compromised.

On clicking Next, it will let you add IP’s that you don’t want to be locked out by Solid Security.

Here you are required to add your IP in the space provided by either clicking Authorize My IP button or copying it from the Detect My IP section.

See the below screenshot for reference.

Once you are done till here, it will ask you it you want to enable Two-Factor authentication.

We recommend enabling this option as it adds an extra layer of protection to your WordPress blog.

Before we move forward, it is important to know that after completing this sequence you will have to set up Two factor authentication in Solid Security as this will only activate the feature.

In the next step it will ask you to choose User Groups.

Here you can select Default User Groups for right now.

On selecting Default, it will show you all the security features enabled or disabled for every User Group in your WordPress blog.

We suggest not making a change here and only clicking Next.

On clicking Next, it will ask you for an email address to send security email from. By default it uses the administration email and we recommend you click Complete Setup Here.

And that’s it you now have successfully set up Solid Security plugin to improve security of your WordPress blog.

It is important to know that, Solid Security has a premium version as well that comes with features such as

• Passwordless Login
• Trusted Devices
• Automatic Vulnerability Patching
• reCaptcha
• File Change Detection
• Magic Links
• Site Scanner
• User Logging
• Version Management
• Geolocation

And more.

These features can boost your blog’s security to the next level.

Other Essential Plugins for a New WordPress Blog

After improving the security on your new blog, the next step is to install other essential WordPress plugins.

Depending on the features and functionalities, below we have shared a list of the necessary ones and I use them on my blog as well.

Squirrly SEO

The first plugin on the list is Squirrly SEO and as the name suggests, it is an SEO plugin we recommend using.

This plugin is not just any SEO plugin, it is packed with features such as

• Keyword Researches
• New Keyword Ideas
• Deep Keyword Research
• SERP Checker & Google Rank
• Check Ranking On-Demand
• SEO Live Assistant
• SEO Strategy
• AI for Next SEO Goals
• Redirect Manager
• Inner Link Building
• Instant Indexing
• Schema Builder
• Copyright-Free Images
• Blogging Assistant

And more.

Using this tool you will be able to achieve better search engine rankings, increase traffic, and revenue.

WP Rocket

The next plugin on the list is WP Rocket, it is a cache plugin that will help you improve page speed.

No one wants to visit a slow loading website and on top of that it leaves a negative impression. And you don’t want that.

Below are some of its features

• Quick setup
• Caching
• LazyLoad
• Preload
• Delay JS
• Remove Unused CSS
• eCommerce compatibility
• Multilingual compatibility
• Fine-tune cache rules
• Database optimization
• CDN integration
• Rocket add-ons

And more

With the help of WP Rocket you can boost your page speed with a minimum effort and configuration.

CleanTalk

Spam is one of the biggest problems on the internet and it follows you everywhere.

After you are done creating your blog on WordPress, you will notice random spam comments appear on the published posts on a regular basis.

As your blog will gain more readership, this problem is only going to increase and if no steps are taken in the right direction then it can lead to you missing out on valuable comments from your audience.

To help you with this we recommend using CleanTalk.

CleanTalk is a popular anti-spam plugin that will separate the real comments from spam instantly. We suggest that you use this plugin to prevent comment form spam from Day 1.

UpdraftPlus

After speeding up your website, you need a plugin that will help you take regular automatic backups of your WordPress blog.

And for this you need UpdraftPlus.

Often you will find yourself making changes to your blog, be it improvements to the content or design.

It is important to know that when making such changes things may not go as per plan every time and in these situations you need a backup plugin so that you can easily restore to a previously working version.

This is where you need UpdraftPlus

Keeping in mind, backups play a vital role in your blog’s security because at times with a simple restore you can fix problems.

Kadence Simple Social Share

In blogging engagement plays an important role.

Be it getting shares or followers, everything adds up to increasing reach and for this, you need Simple Social Share by Kadence.

Kadence Simple Social Share is a light weight social share plugin that is included in all Kadence bundles.

Please Note– We recommend buying Kadence Lifetime bundle as it is value for money and included all Kadence WP theme and plugins at a one-time cost which means no renewals and savings in the long run.

Optimole

A blog post is not complete until you include images and if you don’t optimize them, it can negatively impact the page speed.

This is where Optimole helps.

Optimole will automatically optimize images without impacting the quality of the image. Below are some of its features

• Smaller images. Same quality
• Fully automated set and forget
• Supports all image types
• Supports both Retina and WebP images
• Machine Learning(ML) powered automatic compression
• AVIF format support for lower image size
• Streamline your media with Optimole’s custom DAM (Digital asset Management) solution
• Cloud image library support
• Edit images in the cloud library before inserting them into your website
• Serves images from a global CDN for free
• Optimizes based on the visitor’s actual device (no more guesswork and width estimations)
• Full support for page builders like Elementor
• Lazy load without jQuery (better)
• Add a splash of color to your lazy-loading placeholder
• Hero image optimization for speedier loads

And more

This is a must have plugin if you want to upload high resolution images without impacting load speed.

Write Your First Blog Post

Now that you have access to the right set of tools for your WordPress blog, the next step is to create posts.

Before we begin, it is important to understand that pages and posts are created in a very similar way. However, both of these serve different purposes.

Pages are static and are used to post content that will not be updated for a long time. For example, about us, contact or resources page.

Also, it is important to keep in mind, pages are hierarchical. This means you can have sub pages.

On the other hand,

Posts are dynamic and are used to showcase content that may require updating on a regular basis.

Unlike pages, posts are displayed in reverse chronological order and to organize these you have taxonomies categories and tags.

Now that you know the difference between pages and posts, its we learn how to create posts and publish them

As mentioned above, creating a post in WordPress is very similar to creating a page.

To add a new post, the first step is to click Add New Post under Posts in the WordPress admin sidebar.

Clicking Add New Post will take you WordPress editor where you will be writing the content.

It is important to know that this editor is also known as WordPress block editor or Gutenberg editor as well.

As you can see in the screenshot above, WordPress has a very user-friendly interface that clearly lets you know where to enter the title and body of your blog post.

It is important to know if you want to add images, gallery or any other element in your blog post then there is a block available for that.

And to use these blocks you will have to click the + icon on the toolbar or the canvas and it will show you the option to search for the block.

Here you can search for the required block and click on it to add to the editor or canvas.

Another thing that you will have to know here is that as you have installed Kadence blocks plugin in the beginning, it will give you access to other advanced blocks using which you can build beautiful posts and pages.

And as far as editing the text is concerned, you can find each and every formatting tool on the right when you select a particular block.

Once you have written the content, click Preview to see how the post will appear to your readers.

If you are satisfied then add categories, tags, change slug and hit publish button which is right next to preview.

You will find the option to preview and publish on the right of your screen.

And that’s it you have written your first piece of content on your new self-hosted WordPress blog.

After you are done creating pages and posts.

The next step is to know about the overall performance of you blog, which channels bring you the most traffic, what is the demographic you are catering to, what are their interests and more. These insights will help you grow your blog.

Some of you may be thinking, you have just built a WordPress blog, there is practically no traffic then what is the point in measuring this.

Let me tell you, it is vital that you perform this step before you execute your traffic generation strategy as by doing this now you will have access to insights from day 1.

If you do this on the day when you start getting clicks then you will miss out on some important data and you don’t want that.

To get access to these insights, you need to add Google Analytics to your WordPress blog. It is a free tool by Google that will provide you with all the data that you need to grow your blog.

And you can do that by following our guide on How to add Google Analytics to a WordPress blog

Once you are done adding Google Analytics in WordPress, the next step is

Generating traffic to your new WordPress blog

There are several ways to drive traffic to your blog, but there are 2 prominent sources of traffic that you will find on every list

• SEO
• Pinterest

Let’s start off with SEO first.

SEO is also known as search engine optimization and it is the technique that helps you generate traffic from search engines.

To generate traffic from search engines, the first step is to index your site. Until and unless, your blog is not in the search engine database you cannot get traffic from searches.

The process may sound technical with all the fancy terms, but it is a 5-minute job. All you have to do is follow our detailed guide on How to add a website in Google

Once you are done adding your blog in Google and Bing, it is important to know the work isn’t over as adding a website in search engines does not mean ranking.

SEO is a long term and slow process, the tasks that you will perform today will give you results after sometime.

With that said,

When we talk about SEO, it covers wide range of topics such as

• Keyword Research
• On Page optimization
• Off Page optimization
• Improving user experience
• Social Signals

And more. In order to get started with SEO you can start with our guide on Quick SEO Tips.

After SEO comes Pinterest. This platform has been growing at a rate faster than any other social media platform. And has become a valuable source of traffic.

You may like to read- What is Pinterest

Often Pinterest is referred to as the search engine of images.

In order to get started with Pinterest, the first thing you need is a business account. Now before we start, it is important to know, you can create 2 types of profiles on Pinterest.

1. Personal
2. Business

Pinterest business account has quite a lot of advantages over Personal. Here are a few

• The layout of a business account is much more appealing.
• To perform any commercial activity on Pinterest you need a business profile and it is clearly mentioned in the TOS.
• You get access to all the features including analytics if you have a business account. However, this is not the case in Personal.
• You can create a business account on Pinterest for free. Also, if you already have a personal profile and want to convert it to business, you can do that as well.

To create a business account on Pinterest, follow our tutorial on How to create a Pinterest Business account

Once you have created a business profile, the next step is to optimize it and start pinning. When we talk about optimizing a Pinterest profile, the first thing you need to do is

• Get a profile picture– Now, this is not just any profile picture. Using this image people will recognize you and connect with you on the platform. If you are an individual, I will suggest using your image as the profile picture. In case you don’t want to use a personal image, logo of your blog will work just fine.
• A descriptive description– Description plays an important role on Pinterest algorithm. Make sure to use keywords in your description but avoid stuffing. It should include what your blog is about and what type of information can people get from you.
• Vertical pins only– Before you start pinning, it is important to know vertical pins perform better on Pinterest and the aspect ratio is 2:3. This means a pin with size 600 × 900 will be perfect.

If you are someone who is not into designing creating pins can be a problem and for that you can use Glorify. I personally use both of them and recommend these tools.

• Creating a schedule– One of the most important things you need to be successful on Pinterest is having a regular posting schedule. If you do it manually it consumes a lot of time.

This means you need the right mix of manual + scheduled pinning and for scheduling pins you can use Tailwind.

It is one of the best Pinterest schedulers and has features that will skyrocket your growth on Pinterest.

• Implementing Rich Pins– Once you are familiar with the platform, have a business account, and have pinned a few times, the next thing you have to do is set up rich pins on Pinterest. These pins are very different from normal pins as these pins fetch Title and description from your article and stand out in the Pinterest feed.

This process takes hardly 5 minutes to implement and after this, you need to add Pinterest Save Button on images to encourage visitors to pin your content on Pinterest.

Now that you are all setup on Pinterest, it is important to understand promoting content online and driving traffic to your blog involves a multi-channel approach.

You will have to create profiles and be active on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

This may seem like a lot of work just after creating a blog on WordPress. But once all of the profiles are set up, then you can slowly incorporate each one of these platforms in your schedule and gradually cover every major platform.

There is one more reason why I’m suggesting this. When you start a blog and want to build it into a business, branding from beginning pays incentive in the long run.

When I started out, the first thing I did after buying a domain name was blocking all the branded usernames so that I don’t have to compromise later.

With a lot of people joining social media platform these days, there is a chance that the usernames you are looking for today will not be available tomorrow.

It is better you start creating profiles today and then slowly start sharing content.

I think you now have an idea on How to drive traffic to your blog.

And with that said,

It is time to learn

Start making money from your blog

Frequently, the question how to start a WordPress blog is followed by how to make money from a blog.

So we thought why separate these 2 questions and lets briefly discuss money making opportunities from blogging.

Before you start monetizing your blog, you will find yourself answering a question and that is when is the right time to monetize your blog?

This question has been asked several times on social media platforms and forums. And there are 2 answers to this

1. Initially don’t monetize your blog as it is a huge turn off for visitors
2. Monetize it as soon as possible because you may be losing out on opportunity.

Both of these answers are correct in some way. According to me you can start monetizing whenever you want it’s up to you.

However, if you are monetizing in the beginning make sure you don’t over do it as it will hamper the experience of readers.

With that said,

There are plenty of ways to monetize your blog and I will be discussing a few below.

• Placing banner ads– Often you may have seen, websites displaying advertisements in sidebar, after post, header or even in the middle of the pages. Now, the purpose of these ads is to drive traffic to the advertiser and in return you are paid for it.

These ads are at times from advertising networks you will use such as Google Adsense, Mediavine, Monumetric Media.net and more.

• Affiliate Marketing– Affiliate marketing is another popular way of monetizing your blog. In this you recommend products to online shoppers and if they purchase is made using your link you will earn a commission.

It is important to keep in mind, affiliate marketing is not limited to certain niches of blogging. You can be a blogger in any genre to make money using this technique. All you have to do is find the products that will help your audience, enroll in affiliate program and promote.

Some of the popular programs you can join are Share-a-sale, Clickbank, CJ, Impact, and more.

• Creating courses and E-books– Over the past decade a lot of things have changed with the internet boom. And this change is not limited to shopping industry and has had a major impact on other industries as well such as education.

And one such welcome change has been introduction of online course and e-books. Now, if you are in the education industry or want to teach online you can start by launching an e-book and later on converting it into a course. You can put a pocket friendly price tag on it and make money as well.

• Sponsored Content– This is one way quiet a lot of bloggers make money. In this companies pay you to write about a product or include links in existing articles and in return you are monetarily compensated.

When you will start getting traffic you will surely receive a lot of sponsored content opportunities and also, after working on your blog for sometimes you can reach out to brands yourself and try land some opportunities.

• Selling ad slots– If your blog starts getting decent traffic, then you can go for selling ad space on your website. For this you can create a separate advertising page, get all your numbers together and start getting in touch with brands.
• Selling products and services– We all are familiar with this and often buy products and services online. You can create an online store or even convert your blog into a business website and start selling products and services to make money

These are some ways using which you can monetize your blog.

Before we move forward, I would like to add, often blogging is taken as a quick rich scheme and that is absolutely not true. It takes a lot of patience and continuous effort to be successful in blogging.

It is always important to know the real side of things and yes with hard work, patience and a correct strategy you can create a successful blog.

FAQ on Starting a WordPress blog in 2024

Is WordPress the best platform to start a blog from scratch?

Yes, WordPress is undoubtedly the best platform your you to start a blog. It is an open source software that powers over 43% of the web and gives you the opportunity to extend the functionality of your blog as you grow.

With WordPress you have full control over your website or blog. And on top of that you get access to library of free plugins and themes that you can use to customize your blog and add any feature you want.

What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

WordPress.com is a blogging platform that allows you to create a blog for free. However, free is not that free in this case as you get very little control and to use the most basic features you need to pay. And pricing is on the higher side.

On the other hand, WordPress.org is an open source software that is available for free and it powers most sites and blogs on the internet. You only need web hosting and domain name to start a blog or a website and you get full control.

You may like to read- WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

What is the difference between a blog and a website?

You may have heard the quote “All oranges are fruits but all fruits are not oranges”. This fits perfectly in this case.

There are several types of websites such as e-commerce, business, forums, directory, and more. Even a blog is a type of website. Each of the above types can have a blog. However, a blog cannot contain a website.

Recommended read- Difference between a blog and website

I’m not technical, can I start a blog on WordPress?

The simple answer is yes you can.

The only suggestion I have for a non-technical person is to follow this guide thoroughly and get comfortable with the platform.

Concentrate on mastering the basics first and then jump to the next level.

Do not fall for the quick rich money making schemes as there are none. Also don’t be afraid of trying new things it will improve the learning process.

Can I start a blog in language other than English?

Yes, you can. I have see quiet a lot of successful blogs in other languages or are multilingual.

Also, if you are looking to change the language of WordPress to your own, then that can be done as well.

If you are in the installation phase, it will ask you to select your preferred language and you can select from the list.

If you are done installing then it can be changed from settings in WordPress dashboard.

How much does it cost to start a blog from scratch using WordPress in 2024?

The price point of starting a blog from scratch using WordPress will vary from person to person depending on what features you want and which hosting plan are you going to use.

If you want to a general overview on how much does it cost to run a blog. Here is a list of expenses

• HostPapa- $156.10
• WP Rocket– $59
• Kadence Theme– FREE
• Kadence Blocks– FREE
• UpdraftPlus- FREE
• Solid Security- FREE
• CloudFlare CDN- FREE

How long will it take to set up my blog?

If you are looking to just buy hosting, domain name and install WordPress then it will take a maximum of 15-20 minutes.

And you want to completely set up your WordPress blog as discussed in this tutorial then it will take some time.

I am using a free platform for blogging can I move to WordPress?

If you are currently using Blogspot, WordPress.com or any other platform and want to move to WordPress self hosted, you can easily do that.

There are quiet a lot of tutorials that can guide you with the process and soon we will be releasing the tutorials on these topics as well.

Can I get a free domain name for my WordPress blog?

Yes, if you sign up with HostPapa using our SPECIAL LINK then you will get a free domain name for your blog.

 What is the difference between Web Hosting and WordPress?

Web Hosting and WordPress are very different from each other.

WordPress is a content management system software (CMS) where as web hosting a service that will store your website files on their servers and show them when requested.

Gist of the story is you need web hosting for getting your blog online and WordPress is the software that you let you create and manage the blog.

To create a WordPress blog primary requirements are web hosting, domain name and CMS which in this case is WordPress.

How many posts do I need to launch my blog?

I have seen different answers to this question some say 5 or more others say 1. I launched my blog with just one post and essential pages.

You do not need 5 posts, what you need is consistency, regular efforts and a solid plan. Starting with a single post is just fine.

How frequently should I post of my blog?

When you are starting out and not have much experience with writing, I will suggest going for 2 posts a month minimum, if you are able to post more without compromising the quality then maintain that frequency.

If you are starting at lower number then try to increase the posting frequency as you get a better understanding of promotions and writing.

Be consistent, that is what matters.

How do bloggers make money?

There are quiet a lot of ways you can make money blogging. In this tutorail, I have explained a few of those ways.

How soon can I expect to make money from my blog?

This depends on quiet a few factors such as content quality, promotional methods used, traffic you are getting, competition in your niche and more. There is no defined time frame.

I made my first income after 10 months of blogging and it was $25. After that, it has been steadily growing.

Having said that

I hope you will find this tutorial helpful and are now know how to start a WordPress blog easily.

In case you have any queries feel free to get in touch.

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