How to Set up a Blog

I started blogging on Lellalee 7 years ago now. Since then I have set up another blog, Manchistorian. I remember even the second time around feeling rather daunted and lost at times during the process. It was useful to have a checklist to consult when I set up each blog.

So here is my checklist!

1. Choose a Blogging Platform

The first thing you should consider when you decide to set up your own blog is the blogging platform you are going to use.

A blogging platform is the place where your blog will be housed, and where you will make editorial changes to the blog. It is the place from where you manage your blog and allows you to create and publish the information that will be used on your website. In essence, it is where all the information is stored and organised.

I have always used WordPress for my blogs. It is free and very easy to use. WordPress is popular amongst bloggers because it is incredibly user-friendly and suitable for those with no tech experience and also for those who have a wealth of experience. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like.

2. Choose a domain name

Next, you will need to think of a domain name. This is what your website will be called. My domain name is a combination of my daughters’ names. I then searched Go Daddy to see if the name was available (which it was) and purchased the domain name.

I have another website – Manchistorian. This name perfectly describes me – I’m a Historian from Manchester. It also gives some indication of what the website will be about – history.

I was advised to choose a unique word or phrase. Either single words or 2 words make for good domain names. Don’t make your domain name too wordy or else people are likely to forget it. Make it short, snappy and memorable.

If the domain name you want isn’t available, Go Daddy, or whichever domain name provider will offer alternative suggestions which can be quite useful. Have a play around with the search and see what you can come up with!

Domain names are priced differently so this is something you might want to bear in mind if you are trying to keep costs to a minimum. Some web hosts even offer free domain names, so be sure to check out all special offers.

3. Choose a Web Hosting Provider

Web Hosting is a place where all your data from your website is stored. It hosts the website for its clients. You cannot run a website without a web hosting provider. As I learned, it is fundamental to choose a reliable web hosting server.

From the time I set up my blog in 2017 until the end of 2022, my web host was with a company called TSOHost. Unfortunately, when I was with TSOHost, I went to log onto my blog one day and everything had disappeared! Apparently, they were removing their hosting services. They had told me they had emailed, however, these were emails I did not receive. Many other bloggers and small businesses were in the same situation as myself – losing their websites without prior warning and receiving no emails. Their customer service was shocking and it took around one week to retrieve my site from their servers. If I did not have a brother who is incredibly knowledgeable about this sort of thing, I would probably have lost my site forever.

My blog is now hosted with Bluehost. After having such a terrible experience with TSOHost (even prior to the shutdown) I was amazed at how helpful and efficient Bluehost are. Your blog will experience some technical difficulties along the way, this is inevitable. You need a hosting service that will be responsive. I found TSOHost took days to answer my emails. Whereas Bluehost responds immediately to any queries via their 24/7 chat feature.

Hosting costs from as little as £3 per month, depending on your needs and how many websites you need hosting.

Some web hosting platforms will host your blog for free. This comes at the cost of them adding their name to your domain, e.g. WordPress offers free hosting, however, your website will be called [your domain name].wordpress.com.

Build Your Website Using a Theme

So you’ve claimed or bought your domain name. You have chosen and installed a blogging platform onto your computer. You have also purchased a plan from a web hosting provider. Here comes the fun part – building your website.

Next, you’re going to need a theme. A theme is used on all websites. It’s what gives the website structure. It dictates what information is placed where, what fonts are used, and the size of the fonts. Where the widgets are placed. What information will be featured in the headers and footers. In essence, it is where you can make editorial changes to the appearance of your blog.

The first thing to consider is budget. There are lots of free themes online that are excellent. Obviously, their functions are limited. I have known bloggers to use a free theme while they see if they enjoy blogging and whether they will continue with it before purchasing a theme. I think this is an excellent idea.

There are lots of free themes on WordPress (such as this one pictured above) as well as innumerable other websites.

Choosing a theme for my blog was probably the most difficult choice of the whole process. I wanted something that was feminine and unique.

After working with a theme for a few years, I decided to update my site and purchased a new theme a couple of years ago from Pipdig. I adore their themes. They are rather feminine. Their customer service and support following the purchase has been excellent. They are quick to respond to emails and answer all of my (often stupid) questions.

My Pipdig theme cost £59 and I absolutely love it. When choosing a theme, consider how you want your blog to look and ensure the required features are available with that theme. For example, you might want to include a carousel on your front page, so ensure the theme you choose has that particular feature.

Customise your blog

As noted above, each theme will allow you to customise your blog to make it unique to you. Have fun playing around with the features. Decide where you want your widgets to go.

Make sure you add all your social media links to your blog.

When considering fonts, ensure they are readable. Some fonts might be very decorative, but ultimately you want people to be able to read your content, so make sure the lettering is legible.

Create a logo for your site. I created mine using Canva.

Write great content!

Once your blog is up and running you can start to create great content!

Before starting my blog, I was under the impression I had to find a niche and stick to it. After 6 years of blogging, I have learned that this is misleading. Some bloggers do write within a particular niche. However, there are some of us who choose to include lots of different categories in our blog and write about lots of different things. I refer to myself as a parenting/lifestyle blogger because that seems to neatly summarise my content. But there are lots of other categories in there – history, pets, paranormal, hobbies. Don’t feel the need to confine yourself to one box!

I hope you found this post ‘How to set up a blog’ useful. If you have any tips for my readers, please include them in the comments below.

For a similar post, see Blogger Apps – The Apps I Use Everyday.