Quick and Easy Guide on Starting Your Own Blog

I finally decided to redesign my blog for the last time after 3 years of switching themes and logo designs back and forth. So this is it! I spent 3 hours putting everything together. So here are the steps you can follow to start your own blog under 3 hours.

1. Choose WordPress.com or WordPress.org

The differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org are well explained on this page.

In a nutshell, WordPress.com is easier to install but has less control while WordPress.org provides more control. In general, if your blog is for personal use and you don’t care much about your blog looking extremely professional, you should probably choose WordPress.com. Otherwise, if you want to use your own logo, customize the theme, and change the layout, you should choose WordPress.org.

If you choose WordPress.com

First, go to WordPress.com and click on the “Sign up now” button in the upper right corner. Follow the instructions, and start your blog. You can start posting in 5 minutes.

If you want to your own domain for your blog instead of yourblogname.wordpress.com, you need to register your own domain name, and use domain mapping to link your domain to your WordPress account. You can register your domain name through WordPress, domain registrars such as NameCheap and GoDaddy, or hosting companies such as BlueHost, DreamHost, or WPEngine.

If you choose WordPress.org

You first need to register a domain name and get a web hosting account. You can get your domain from . HostGator is a good company for web hosting. You then need to change the nameservers of your domain in your domain registrar account (for example, GoDaddy) to the nameservers of your web hosting account (for example, HostGator).

Then, check if your web hosting company offers fast installation in your control panel (which usually is located at www.yourdomain.com/cpanel). To do so, search for WordPress on the homepage of the control panel. For example, my hosting company, HostGator, provides one-click installation for WordPress.

If your web hosting company does not offer one-click installation for WordPress, you can download the installation package from http://www.WordPress.org, and follow the instructions to install it on your server.

2. Set up Your WordPress Blog

Once the installation is completed, visit your domain name, and set up your WordPress account. You will need a username and password to log into your account. Next, you need to select a theme for your blog. To do so, click “Themes” under “Appearance” on the left sidebar, select the one you like and install it.

If you want to customize the look of your blog, you can design and upload your own logo, header image, footer image, etc. and change the layout of the theme. These are usually done from changing the settings in the “Appearance” menu.

OK, I know this is a very simplified version of WordPress Blog Installation Tutorial. If you want more detailed instructions, you can go to YouTube.com, and search for WordPress Installation Tutorials. Meanwhile, check out 119 Best Resources for Blogging in 2016.

Happy blogging!

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