How to Start A Blog in 20 Minutes – The Ultimate Guide
Starting a blog is one of the best decisions you can make. Not only is a website an exceptional way to express yourself, but a well-thought-out website or blog can help grow your career, kick start your business, and even earn some money on the side.
From my first pitiful blog in college, to Money Nomad, I have launched dozens of websites over the years – and I have absolutely zero technical knowledge.
In 2018, I sold one of my websites for $75,000! The opportunity to earn significant income from a website is very possible. If you want to learn and watch how I build a website from scratch, then you can take my course for only $59…if not, use these four steps to start your own!
Thanks to some great tools online today, building a website is a bit like playing with Legos – simply add and remove a few pieces and voila! you have an awesome website.
And it’s cheap! Today, it’s not only possible to start a blog in under 20 minutes, but it can cost you less than a few lunches out!
If you’ve been thinking about starting your own website, it’s time to stop daydreaming and act – now!
Spend 20 minutes to complete the following four steps – and have your blog up in the amount of time it takes to watch a show on Netflix. Whether you want to create a blog or affiliate website, the steps are the same so let’s dive in.
Step 1: Sign up for a hosting account and choose a domain name (8 minutes)
The first step to launching a website of any kind is to find a host (a company to store your website’s data and keep it online) and choose a domain name (the site link where you’ll send people to find you, i.e. “MoneyNomad.com”).
Choosing a host for your website
This is the only item that needs to cost a little bit of money. Although there are some “free” hosting services – if you want your website to be taken seriously, avoid these. Not only are you limited in what you can do, but if you decide to make your website more professional later on, it will cost you far more money and time.
After trying several different hosting services, the one I am most happy with is Bluehost. Not only do they offer affordable hosting – but the service includes a FREE domain name ($10-15 value). Using that link will also get you free WordPress installation. Also, several of the Bluehost plans offer unlimited domains. This means, if you decide to start another website later, all you have to pay for is the domain name.
If you’re just starting out with one website, I recommend choosing the “Basic” plan. You can upgrade your plan in the future if you decided to have multiple websites. Use this Bluehost link to get a 50% discount on hosting.
Choosing a domain name
During the process of signing up for a hosting account, you will be asked what domain name you would like to register for free.
Finding an available domain name can be a lot of work – and if there is one area that could keep you from completing this entire process in 20 minutes, this is it. There are millions upon millions of websites already online – so finding a name that isn’t taken can be difficult.
But it’s not impossible!
If your desired name is taken, you have two options:
1. Make the domain longer
If you wanted to use the domain name MoneyNomad.com, you would be out of luck – because that’s my site! However, at the time of this writing, you could create a website called “MoneyNomadsInEurope.com” because that name is available.
It’s unfortunate when your dream name is taken, but sometimes just adding another short word, a few initials, etc., can solve the problem. For example, if you’re a CPA and YourName.com is taken, you may be able to use the domain YourNameCPA.com.
2. Use another domain ending besides for “.com”
The most popular domain ending is .com. And, if you can get the .com for your website – do it! However, if the .com isn’t available, and you really want to use that name, there are hundreds of other domain endings you can use. From the well known .org, .me, and .us, to newer domain endings like .guru, .tips, and .lawyer.
The jury is mixed on whether or not it’s better to seek out a .com or accept using another domain ending.
My opinion is that, although a .com is preferred, if you create great content that people enjoy reading and sharing, your website will succeed regardless of the domain ending. What are your thoughts?
After choosing your domain, you can select optional package extras that can be added to your account. The only option that I would suggest getting is “Domain Privacy Protection.” This hides your name and address that would otherwise be public information on domain lookup websites.
Step 2: Install WordPress on your hosting account – without being a programmer (5 minutes)
Remember when I said making websites is like playing with Legos? That’s all thanks to WordPress – a completely free software that allows you to do anything with your website.
Do you want to start a blog? You can use WordPress. Do you want to make a website like YouTube, Facebook, Groupon, or Amazon? You can use WordPress. This software is amazing, learn more how WordPress works.
And fortunately, you can install it for free with just a few clicks from Bluehost.
After entering your payment information and setting a password, it’s time to install and setup WordPress.
How to install WordPress:
- After creating your password through the Bluehost setup wizard, press “Log In”
2. You will be presented with 9 free themes to choose from
If none of the themes meet your needs, or you plan on using a premium theme, select “skip this step” at the bottom. I’m sure one of the 9 themes will work for you!
3. Once a theme, or no theme, has been selected press “Start Building” when the next page loads
4. You will now be in the backend of your WordPress website, this is where all the magic happens
5. Press the “Bluehost” button in the left sidebar
6. Press the blue “Launch Your Site” button, your site is now active and online
To log into the backend of your website at any time, you can use the url: yoursitename.com/wp-admin
When logging into your websites back end, enter your username which is “admin” by default and the password you set when setting up on Bluehost.
Getting around: the basics of how to use WordPress
When you log in to WordPress for the first time, it can look overwhelming, but don’t be worried – it’s easy to figure out and hard to break. So click around and make yourself comfortable.
The five WordPress terms you need to know about right away are:
- Posts: These are your regular blog posts that you write – with the most recent showing up at the top of your page, and the older ones moving down.
- Pages: Pages are “static” meaning they just sit there and don’t change. Use pages to create your “About”, “Contact”, “Services”, etc. Anything that isn’t a blog post or article should be a page.
- Themes: Themes are the design of your website. If your theme was a car, the theme would be the body. By installing and activating a new theme you quickly change the look of your entire website.
- Plugins: Plugins are the Lego pieces that you can add or remove to make your website do different things. Would you like to have a slider at the top of your website with rotating images? You can add a plugin for that. Do you want to run Google Ads on your website? You can add a plugin for that. Some plugins are visible, others are behind the scenes and help to keep your site running smoothly.
- Widgets: If you look to the right side of this article, you’ll notice that I have several different elements – an About section, an email capture tool, a list of articles currently being read, and a big Google advertisement (where I get paid when you or someone else clicks on it). All of these pieces have been placed on the side of my blog using Widgets.
Ultimately, you can start blogging by just using the first two of these pieces (the posts and pages). However, the other elements can really make your website look awesome.
Step 3 (Optional): Installing a premium theme for your website (5 minutes)
Now that you have WordPress up and running, you can choose to buy a premium theme if one of the free themes did not meet your needs.
I suggest buying premium themes from the Envato Marketplace. There are over 45,000 themes to choose from starting at $2, so I guarantee you’ll find a design that is perfect for you.
Once you’ve purchased the perfect theme, download the theme files to your computer.
Within the folder you downloaded, find the theme .zip file that is located in the folder. Navigate back to your website and select Appearance -> Themes.
When on the theme page, select “Add New” at the top. Once the page loads, select “Upload Theme” and find the .zip file on your computer.
The theme is what decides the background, header, color of the text, and other elements.
Fortunately, it’s easy to choose and change a theme without it negatively impacting your website. For example, if I decided I wanted to make my website look like Entrepreneur Magazine, I could simply install a new theme and my website would have its new design in a couple of minutes.
Step 4: Write your first blog post!
Congratulations – you have your own website up and ready to go. And now that you know the basics of how WordPress works, you can always make changes to your website – as most bloggers do. So don’t get caught up on perfecting your design, voice, etc. Just start writing!
Select “Posts” on the left-hand side of the screen and then press “Add New” to start your first piece of content!
The best blog post is the one that you’ve already published.
Add a title, a featured image, and get to writing. Although different than Microsoft Office, the basics of typing in WordPress are easy – and you should be able to quickly discover how to change the header, use italics, bold, underline, and quotes.
Once you complete your first post, let me know! I’d love to check out your new blog.
Still need a hand? Let me help setup and launch your blog
I’ve created dozens of websites over the years and I make a full time living by blogging for businesses – so I know a thing or two about blogs, PR, and online marketing.
If you’d like my assistance in getting started with your own blog, just get in touch! For $195 I can:
- Chat for 30 minutes via phone or Skype to help determine the direction of your blog.
- Setup your hosting account (and pay for your first year).
- Help you choose a domain name.
- Install WordPress and the theme of your choice (free or paid for by you).
- Spend another 30 minutes on the phone to help walk you through how to use WordPress and write your first post.
If this sounds appealing, email me zach@moneynomad.com. I’ll respond right away and we can arrange a time to talk!
What blogging tips can YOU share with us?
Whether you’ve been blogging for years or are just starting out, I’d love to hear your suggestions for creating a great blog.
What do the best bloggers seem to do differently? How do their websites look? Where do they connect with their audience? How frequently do they blog?
Share your tips and examples in the comments section below to help all of us become phenomenal bloggers!
I agree that starting a blog is an excellent decision. This is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to get started blogging.
For a while. I was looking for something like this. I bookmarked your page, and am sure to visit over and over again. Meanwhile, keep rocking.
Thanks for commenting and best of luck as you continue to help people launch websites as well!
Great article! I’ve been thinking about starting a blog for a while and this makes it seem so easy I might finally do it 🙂
Glad it helps! Thanks for commenting.
Just started blogging with WordPress last year and have been very happy with it thus far. My personal blog is http://www.WeWereWild.com, but I am also considering using WP to create an online portfolio as I venture into the world of freelancing. I own the domain name already via godaddy…just need to make sure it will play nicely with WP. Wanted to point out to your readers that with a little elbow grease you can customize your WP theme pretty easily. Mine doesn’t look much at all like the original theme template, and I’m very happy about the! Now I just st need to learn about those pesky widgets and plug ins…
Thanks for sharing Jennifer. Your input is very helpful – it doesn’t take much to learn how to make minor edits yourself. And it can save you a lot of money and hassle!
Also, your thoughts on creating a portfolio website is excellent. I initially had one myself – and it’s a lot easier to land jobs when you can link directly to your portfolio within an introductory email (rather than trying to send over a bunch of samples, etc.). Good luck as you start freelancing!
Thanks for sharing this and laying it in four steps that are easy and less terrifying than I thought. I have always wanted to start a blog, especially when my two kids start school. That day is fast approaching!! Going to bookmark this, thank you!
I’m glad the post was helpful Erin! Thanks for stopping by and reading. Definitely feel free to reach out if you come across any challenges or would like additional questions answered. Always happy to help!
Thanks again for this great article!
I have wordpress blog already but now need to connect it with the hosting account.
Still early days for me with this blogging and stuff so have to make up my mind what I should do and how.
I got lots of ideas and things I want to do. Hopefully with following your “How to become a digital nomad in 90 days” will help me to make up my mind. I only know one thing and that is that I don’t want a traditional office job 🙂
You’re off to a great start! And as long as you remember that it takes hard work, you won’t have a problem succeeding with a remote career. I look forward to seeing your continued progress!
I’m trying to establish a blog,for peer to peer rental sharing like for example camping equipment.Bicycles,sports equipment,tools,or just about anything.How do I make money on a blog?How to establish an app?How to et started?
Great questions Dave. And I think this is a deeper question then can be answered in a single comment. My recommendation would be to start with a single task at at time. For example, developing your website (an app will probably cost you $200,000 if you don’t know how to do it yourself). One option is to use a service like Udacity.com to learn how to code on your own. Another option is to find a partner. Paying for it out of pocket will get expensive very fast. Best of luck and keep me posted on your progress!
Hey Rob! Thank you so much for this advice! I always appreciate how your blog posts are simple to follow & have great, invaluable tips. I have a blog now and am kind of learning as I go, but you outlined these steps in a very organized way that’s easy to understand. While I’m not personally a fan of the way WordPress is laid out and am more familiar with Google Blogger, I know everyone is different regarding what they like & what works for them. I know a lot of people do like WordPress’s features and would really benefit by setting up a blog on there after reading your post’s guidelines. Cheers to you! ~Erin Compton
Glad to help Erin! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. If you enjoy Blogger, than by all means use it. 🙂 From my experience it has less functionality (if you want to grow your blog into more of a business). However, it is relatively easy to use. I’ll jump over and take a look at your site!