How to Start a Blog – the straight to the point version
There is no shortage of information out there teaching you how to start a blog. There are so many blogs out there that focus on teaching others how to blog. When I started blogging I struggled to find my calling or my niche. I loved learning about blogging so I just started blogging about what I have learned. Even though I knew it was a very saturated niched it is something I love to learn about.
I am no expert for sure but I do know more than the average Joe. When someone can confidently answer any blogging question that is thrown at them, I would consider that person to be an expert on blogging. I can not do that. But I do know someone who can!
She is the reason I have any blog at all, to be honest. See, I had come across this idea to blog from home back in 2008. It was all over my head so I pushed it away and actually got myself signed up for something else that was three times as expensive and three times as hard…I was young and naive.
Then I stumbled across blogging again in 2010. This time I decided to do it even though I was definitely broke (from the first flop). With no money I had no choice but to just read every blog post, I could find on blogging.
How to Start a Mom Blog
I tried and failed at blogging. Then fast forward to 2017 when I came across Suzi and all of her amazing blog posts and products! She was fairly new at the time so her only real product she had was her Blog by Number eBook and Course.
I purchased the course for $37 and it spoke straight to me! It was like she was right there guiding me through it all! Before finding Suzi I even purchased a membership to a different site that got me nowhere but watching very long and boring videos for months.
So needless to say I had tried my fair share of different avenues before finding Suzi.
Suzi now has a bunch of different courses and has really made a big name for herself! She has been featured on many big websites and has helped thousands of others start blogs as well!
She makes over $30,000 a month and was able to retire her husband and now they both blog from home with their three kids. Pretty cool! If you want to check out her course that has helped myself and so many others get started blogging, then click here to head on over to learn more!
But if you aren’t quite to that commitment level and you are looking for a straight to the point answer on getting started blogging then keep on reading!
Hosting
There are really only 3 things you need to start a blog. There is a bunch more to run a blog as a successful business but only three to get started. The first thing you need is hosting. There are free ways out there to start a blog but then you run into issues such as you don’t technically own your blog. If you don’t pay for your own hosting and you choose to go the free route then at any time that site can take your blog down.
I have heard horror stories about bloggers who have built their blogs up for years just for it to be taken down because they were using a free site instead of paying for hosting. Also with those free sites, they don’t usually allow you to monetize your blog which is why most people blog to begin with.
It is just much safer to pay the $3-$5 a month for your blog to be safely hosted and all yours. I use SiteGround to host my blog. It came highly recommended by not just Suzi but many other bloggers I follow and I have been using them since 2017 with no issues! They offer live chat and make life super easy when you need help setting up all the technical stuff for your blog.
Domain Name
Next, you will need a domain name for your blog. The domain name is the URL or web address of your blog. You will most likely what it to be the same as the name of your blog.
SiteGround offers domain name services too so you can bundle those all together or you can purchase it through NameCheap as I do. They seem to have better prices and less hassle at checkout then for example GoDaddy.
This is all completely up to you but either way, to have a blog you for sure have to get a domain name. They run on average about $8-$15. Nothing too crazy.
Install WordPress
Once you have your hosting and domain name all set up and connected (again use the live chat with SiteGround if you need any help) then the last step is to install WordPress. This is the platform bloggers use to actually build their blogs.
At first, WordPress can seem overwhelming but once you get the hang of it, it is really easy to navigate! If you need helping to install WordPress just use that fancy live chat with SiteGround and they can get you taken care of. Otherwise, just go to your cPanel and you can find from there where WordPress is and follow the steps.
That’s It
That’s it! You now officially have a blog! That is not all there is to blogging but that is, in a nutshell, all there is to start a blog. The rest of the process is much more detailed but you can learn as you go!
If you are like me and you like to know all the details there is to something right away then I can definitely help you out there. I have a ton of resources that I am more than willing to share with you! Some are mine and some are from other awesome bloggers!
I know that not everyone is going to learn everything they need to know about blogging from me. I follow many different bloggers and I resonate with each of them in different ways! We all learn differently and we all need more help in different areas. Trust me I get it!
Here are some more resources to help you rock your new blog!
Choosing the niche for your blog is a very important first step in blogging. This decision is hard to change later on without starting over. Maybe if your blog name is broad you might be able to. However, most likely you will want your blog name to be what your niche is so again it would be hard to change later on.
For example, my blog name is Mom Blog From Home and it’s about teaching moms how to blog from home. If I wanted to change my niche I could possibly spin it to where I am a mom blogging from home about a certain topic. But I wouldn’t be able to change my niche to teaching people how to care for puppies or something like that.
It just wouldn’t make sense with the name of my blog.
Personally, I have gone through deciding on a niche for my blog many times so I am speaking from experience. I have always wanted to blog but never knew what to blog about. I would change my mind too many times.
Then when I finally decided on a niche, I would buy the domain name and then panic and change my mind again but then it was too late.
I still have some of the domain names I have purchased in the past. It wasn’t until I finally went with my heart and chose to teach about blogging did it all come together.
Why Choosing Your Niche Is Important
Can’t change it later on
As I said it is not something you can easily change 6 months down the road if you change your mind. It is worth taking the time to really evaluate and find the perfect niche for your blog.
Needs to be something you are passionate about
One thing you will hear from other bloggers and you are going to hear it from me as well is that you need to be passionate about your niche. If you are knowledgeable about a subject but you aren’t passionate about it then that is probably not the one to go with.
Let me give you two personal examples.
First, I feel like I am pretty knowledgeable about children. My mother ran an in-home daycare for 20 years so I grew up in that daycare for 15+ years. Once out of college I had my daughter and I opened up my own daycare that I ran for two years. Since then I have worked on and off with the 1-3-year-olds at a private school in town for a total working time of a year.
I have taken many safety courses and training classes plus obviously years of hands-on work. However, though I love them all dearly, I don’t believe that is my calling and it is not my passion.
Maybe it is a skill I have to handle little children when many others can not but again it is not a passion. I had thought about all the different niches I could use that involved children that I would be able to blog about for a long time. But those times when you have had a long day and you just don’t feel like working on your blog, it will be way too easy to give into. If you are passionate about your niche then you will look forward to working on it. It won’t feel like work at all!. Also, then you will strive to learn more and grow in your niche market!
Second, I have some knowledge about health and weight loss. I have my own weight loss success story after finding these awesome products that I have been taking since 2012.
I started them after a friend had lost 30 pounds and looked amazing and was full of energy. I got on the products and the program and I ended up losing 20 pounds and I still am at that 125-pound mark I ended at years ago.
I learned so much along that journey that I would love to share with everyone. However, I quickly learned that people want to have their cake and eat it too….literally!
When it comes to weight loss no one wants to actually put in the work and most are quick to shut anything you say down (even if you have all kinds of proof). It is something I am passionate about for myself but I am not passionate about trying to convince people that it works. I know it does and so for me, that’s all that matters!
You will be blogging about that topic for years (hopefully right?)
If your blog goes well then you should be blogging for years, right? If you grow your blog and you are bringing in an income then that will be your source of income for….well ever! Make sure your niche in something you can stand to blog about forever. Of course, you can also start another blog later on once this one is successful. Although you wouldn’t want to close the first one either way so again back to being able to blog about that niche for a long time.
Investment
There is some investment in starting a blog so you once more want to make sure you know for sure what your niche for your blog is going to be before you make any purchases. The main one that you can’t take back is your domain name. Luckily, domain names are fairly inexpensive so you won’t be out much money if you do change your mind. Read more about how to choose your domain name here.
And as they say, time is money so if you get too deep into creating your blog around your niche and writing blog posts then you will have done that all for nothing.
Now take every topic you came up with and start narrowing it down. Here are some examples.
Health/Fitness
Exercises
Healthy Recipes
Supplements
Clothing
Pregnancy
Health
Clothes
Exercises
Baby room décor
Nursing
Narrow down your niche even more
So that you stand out even further you can narrow your niche down once more! The pool of people that will be searching for Health and Fitness is really large.
That is great but there is also a large number of people providing that information. If you narrow it down to just exercises then yes that narrows down the people looking but it also narrows down the number of people providing that information or your competition.
Then if you narrow it down once more and be very specific then odds are you will have even less competition. Yes, you will have fewer people searching but that is okay because you will have a very targeting audience. You are more likely to get a better turn out with a more targeted audience than to be lost in the crowd of every other website out there on the broader niche.
For example Mom Blog From Home: It is about teaching moms how to blog and how to use that money to pay off debt. I narrowed it down from not just about blogging but to teaching moms to blog, then to narrow it down once more to teach them how to use their blog to pay off debt.
Look for keywords
Keywords are another major part of picking out your niche. If there are keywords in your niche that you could use then that will help drive traffic to your blog. Keywords are words that are popular or searched for often. You can go to kwfinder.com to search for long-tailed keywords and see how popular they are.
If you can use a long-tailed keyword in your domain name then when people search that term you are more likely to pop up.
Competition
Of course, everyone wants to find a niche that has no competition but I once read that having competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That means that the niche is in high demand. It must be popular to have others in that same niche. That’s again where setting yourself apart from your competitors comes in by narrowing down your niche to be more specific for a more targeted audience.
Profitability
There needs to be a way to profit from your niche. Unless you are purely blogging for fun. If you are like me, you are looking to make an income and so you need to not only find something that you can make a profit from but something people are actually willing to purchase too.
For example, just because recipes are a popular niche doesn’t mean someone will buy your liver and onions recipes. Sorry for those that like liver and onions I was trying to think of something I wouldn’t (or most people wouldn’t) eat. So make sure that your niche isn’t all about something that no one wants.
To avoid that, a great suggestion is to do some market research yourself and see if there are others out there. Odds are if you can’t find any other sites that are like your targeted niche, then it probably isn’t a good one to go with. It is nearly impossible to be the first one in that niche. Search on Google, Pinterest, and even Etsy if it is a homemade product, to see if it is profitable.
Affiliate Marketing
If your niche is not a product you have made but rather someone else’s product(s) then you are probably looking to become an affiliate for that said product or service to receive a commission off of the sale.
You can be an affiliate for several products or services. Let’s go back to the recipe niche example, you could be an affiliate for a cookbook, cooking utensils, the ingredients, the paid cooking course someone offers, etc.
To become an affiliate either go to the website of the person or company you are interested in and scroll to the very bottom and most of the time there is a link to their affiliate program. Otherwise, you can Google search the product or service and add “+affiliate” to the end to get search results of companies that have affiliate programs within your niche.
Either way, it is a fairly simple and easy process! If you do not see a link on a certain website that you really want to become an affiliate for then find a way to contact them and just ask!
Many bloggers make all their money solely on affiliate marketing! Once you are an affiliate for someone you will receive a special link that you will add when appropriate into your blog posts and when someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase you will receive a commission! Easy peasy!
Sum It All Up
Choose something you are passionate about, something you can write about for a long time, and something that is profitable!
Have you heard of the bullet journal? I thought surely everyone had but I met someone the other day that had no idea what a bullet journal was. Maybe it is just popular for us mom bloggers and the crafty Pinterest moms? Isn’t it funny how something you see all the time seems like everyone else does too?
Well, I pinned my post on Pinterest and it took off! Traffic started rolling in!
It was wonderful, however, it was not my target audience. I am used to my audience being mom bloggers. I knew it wasn’t mom bloggers though because no one was signing up for my freebie that always gets sign-ups. That freebie is geared toward moms looking to start a blog.
However, I was also receiving some comments on my pin (again from loyal bullet journal folk) that nothing is better than the original bullet journal.
My Audience
Again, I am used to talking to bloggers. And I, a blogger, love my new alternative to the bullet journal! But I can see why maybe the loyal fans would not.
So I decided to write a different blog post (this one) that is tailored to my peeps specifically – Bloggers!
The Alternative
I will cut right to the chase. The new alternative bullet journal that is perfect for bloggers that I am talking about is a digital version. Now before you get all worked up, let me explain my reasoning.
Digital Bullet Journal Benefits:
1. Easy to erase and edit
I am a perfectionist when it comes to writing things out. I end up erasing and rewriting 100 times because I hate my handwriting. Yes, I know I could use a pencil but it still shows. Yes, there are erasable pens but they show too. Digital is 100% erasable, clean, and it is much faster too.
One of my favorite options with a digital version is that I can move my text around easily. The apps I use let’s you circle your text you just wrote or typed and then drag and drop it somewhere else.
This is perfect for a to-do list! If something needs to be moved to the next day I just circle it and move it over!
2.) You only need one pencil (or finger)
The point of the bullet journal is to create your own pages and customize every detail. Therefore you have to have a bunch of different colored pens, markers, pencils, and tapes. So that means you have to store all those and lug them around when you go anywhere.
It’s summer right now and we go to the pool, the park, or the library and I like to take my work with me. Well, I have to carry that all around with me to still be able to use my bullet journal. With the digital version, you can do all of that and more with just your iPhone or iPad.
And let’s face it you aren’t going to forget your phone so it is always accessible!
Note: You do not need to have Apple products to utilize a digital bullet journal. I am an Apple user so that is just what I refer to.
3.) No need to replace supplies
With the physical bullet journal, you are going to run out of pages and you will have to buy another bullet journal. Your pens and tape are going to run out and you will have to buy more of those as well. Our puppy chewed up half of my supplies that I never even got to use! With the digital version, you will never have to buy more supplies. You can purchase designs already made for you but you can also create your own for free.
Again, with the app that I use, there is an option to add more pages and to bookmark pages. This means I can add more pages to my bullet journal and bookmark where I have important pages to not get overwhelmed.
(The app I use is Goodnotes)
4.) Efficiency
We are bloggers. We like digital things. Turning anything digital is much more efficient so making your bullet journal digital makes it more efficient too!
You could track all of your blog posts, images, social media posts, pins and more! That is why I feel like it is the perfect bullet journal for bloggers.
5.) Endless customization
There are many different options. A physical bullet journal has endless options as well but with a digital bullet journal you can get free fonts, borders, premade layouts, stickers, designs, and images!
Adding images is perfect for tracking your blog posts, ebook progress, pins, and so much more!
You could even turn one section (or the whole journal) into a baby book or scrapbook and upload pictures and memories!
Grab a free digital bullet journal and give it a try for yourself!
If digital bullet journals are not your thing and you would rather have a physical version I completely understand! I myself have a physical version but it wasn’t working for me.
After I did some research and came across digital planning that’s when I realized the possibilities of a digital version of the bullet journal!
I would much rather have all of my work and notes be digital. It just makes more sense to me. Now again, I had some backlash from loyal bullet journal fans who did not like this option.
That is fine too! No big deal!
However, if you are like me then you may find this to be a wonderful idea! I hope you try out the free digital bullet journal and see how it works for you!
Here is a glimpse of how you can use this digital bullet journal for blogging!
Sorry about my horrible handwriting!
Yours will be much prettier I am sure! But as you can see you can still customize each page with the added benefits I talked about above.
This would be a great way to look back through your daily/weekly schedule and quickly at a glance see what posts you published, what images you created, which freebies you created, and what you posted to social media.
It would also be a great way to track your pins visually!
This is why I feel like the digital bullet journal is the perfect bullet journal for bloggers!
How will you use your digital bullet journal?
I would love to see how you could use this digital bullet journal for your blogging business! Send me a screenshot of your layouts on how you use it to track the process of your blogging business!
Step by Step Guide to Writing Your First Blog Post
Writing your first blog post can be very intimidating. There are too many scary questions. What if no one reads it? What is no one likes it? How do I even write a blog post? We have all been there and I think all blogger would give the same advice. Just do it!
Even if it isn’t perfect. Even if no one does read it. Just do it! The only way to get better is to just give it a shot and learn from each blog post!
I do have some good news for you though, I am going to help you so you aren’t jumping in blind.
First, you aren’t always going to be able to write a perfect blog post in my opinion. Of course, there are going to be great ones and not so great ones but I don’t think any are perfect.
I say that because everyone is different. What one reader may find it as amazing advice and another won’t. But still, there is a guide to go by to get pretty darn close to perfect!
Step by Step Guide
There are certain checkpoints you want to cross off with each blog post to ensure that you are doing everything you can to make that the best blog post for your readers and for your blog.
For Your Readers
You want to create a blog post that is interesting and educational. Something that grabs your readers attention and takes them on a journey to the answer.
Some blog posts it will be easy to grab their attention and keep it throughout the post. Others that don’t have a personal attention-grabbing story behind it (like this one) may be harder to do that.
But my goal is just to help you solve the blog you are looking to solve! And for this post, it is writing your first blog post!
For You
Each post should also have the goal to do well with SEO and be easy to read. If your blog post checks off all the tips to do well with SEO then it will do better in the blogging world.
Google will share your post, Pinterest will share your post, and readers will share your post.
How to Use WordPress
(Already know how to use WordPress? Just skip on down to the good stuff!)
I like to share even the basics in my blog posts because it was hard for me to find these details when I first started blogging.
That is why I decided I wanted to teach others how to blog. So I could help them skip the trouble I had!
Once you log into your WordPress site on the left side you will see Posts and the Add New Post. Click on that and it will take you to the next screen.
Title and URL
Now on this screen is where you are going to write your first blog post. At the top, you will add your blog post title. It will automatically generate a URL for your blog post.
You have the option to edit it. If you want to edit it do that right away. After you share your blog post you won’t be able to edit it or then everywhere else you shared it won’t link back to this post anymore.
Publish Draft
On the right side, you can see there are options to edit when your blog post goes public. Right now as you write it, it will only be a draft. Make sure to save your blog post periodically as you write it.
WordPress will automatically save it for you but I have unfortunately lost a lot of work when I lost connection once and it didn’t save. Now regardless I will save the draft as I write my blog post.
Once you are completely done with the blog post you can publish it immediately or schedule it out.
The next set of drop-down menus is the format of your blog post, the categories you want this post in, tags you want to be added to this post and a feature image for this post.
Format
The format should stay the same. It is only changed if you want to create a video post or other options besides just a blog post so just leave that.
Categories
The categories tab is where you will check the categories you want this blog post to go in. If you have categories about healthy eating and parenting tips and your blog post pertains to both of those then you would check off both of those.
It is a way to organize your blog posts to make them easy to find for you and your readers.
Tags
The tags section is where you can add keywords you want to be associated with this blog post.
Again, if your blog post relates to healthy eating and parenting then you can use those keywords plus healthy recipes, parenting hacks, healthy food, etc.
Anything that you think people will search for regarding your post.
Feature Image
The feature image is the smaller thumbnail image that will pop up on the other pages of your blog.
When your readers click on the blog section of your blog (depending on exactly how you have it set up) then they will be taken to a page where it will display all of your recent blog posts with the feature images.
I use the Divi Theme and it has an option to remove this image from the blog post itself. If a reader clicks on the feature image and is taken to that blog post, I don’t want the feature image at the top of the blog post.
I already have a pin image at the top of my blog post so I don’t want the feature image there as well. So keep in mind you probably have that option with your theme as well.
A great resource to have to ensure that your blog post checks off all the SEO points is to install the Yoast SEO Plugin.
It will tell you if your blog post needs improvement with SEO and Readability. When both turn green then you are good to go!
Just click on the different sections and it will tell you where you need to improve to get the green lights.
The Blog Post Checklist
Now let’s move on to the good stuff, the blog post itself!
You now know how to write the blog post in WordPress but let’s talk about actually writing the blog post itself. What all makes a great blog post?
Great blog posts contain:
Keywords
Have great content
Follow a structure
Have inbound and outbound links
The best course (and at the best price) for mastering writing the perfect blog post is Suzi’s course Post by Number. It is currently only $9 and if you know anything about Suzi she only provides the absolute best.
The best part about this course (besides all of this for only $9) is that at the end of the course you get to submit a blog post to her blog!
It is worth $9 to get the exposure and traffic you will get from posting on her blog! It is geared towards moms so keep that in mind regarding the guest posting part.
But the course is packed full of useful information on writing the perfect blog post for any niche!
Keywords
Every post should have keywords to make it easy for readers to find your post when searching for relevant information.
If someone types into Google “how to bake a cake” and your blog post is about “how to bake a cake” then you should have those keywords in your blog post.
However, if you are just using any keywords that no one is searching for then you will have a hard time getting SEO love.
In Post by Number Suzi walks through how to find keywords and what makes them good keywords.
Here are some of the tools that I use to find keywords.
Each blog post should be knowledgeable and full of great content. You don’t want to have a short 500-word blog post that doesn’t give the reader much information and is just packed with keywords.
That won’t work.
You need to answer a problem or provide value to your reader on the subject. Give them useful and helpful information to help them solve their problem.
I have heard that highlighting or bolding your keywords throughout your content is also a great way to help your SEO. I just recently started trying it to see if it helps!
I actually like it so far because it has helped me make sure I am using keywords throughout my post as well as using the Yoast SEO Plugin.
Grammarly
Another great tool to use to make sure that your content is easy to read and make sense in the Grammarly extension. This tool is my best friend!
When I write I do it as if I’m talking to a friend. So when I do that it is too easy to have long sentences and misspelled words.
I talk a lot and so, therefore, I type a lot.
If I get to going too fast then I have many grammar errors. This extension underlines the errors in red for me. This saves me so much time.
I just start typing and Grammarly will tell me what to fix! Of course, I always go back and reread my posts too.
Yoast SEO also tells me when I have used the same word too much, when my sentences are too long, and when I have too much text and not enough headings.
Follow a Structure
Suzi goes more in-depth in this section but you should make sure that each blog post follows a structure.
No one wants to read a sea of text.
You need to make sure there are headings throughout your blog post. Only have a few sentences between breaking them up.
There should be images throughout your post to also help break up the text and even give examples on what you’re trying to teach your readers.
Like I said before, you should bold keywords or important information you want to grab your readers attention.
Each blog post should be at least 1,000 words and people love bullet points or a numbered list.
This really helps show them exactly what they are looking for. If they are in a hurry and scrolling through your post these bullet points will show them this information is important.
Inbound and Outbound Links
Lastly, you want to make sure that your blog posts contain inbound and outbound links. What that means is there are links in your blog post that link back to other blog posts on your blog and links that link out of your blog.
You may worry about outbound links sending your readers away. Well, if your content was good they will be back! Outbound links are great for SEO so make sure that you are linking helpful links for your readers.
When I come across a blog post that is full of great content I will bookmark it to come back later. I may click out and read the other post they suggested from another blogger but I don’t want to lose that post so I will save it to come back to.
Or that is exactly why you need to have beautiful pin images for each blog post. Then your reader can pin your blog post to come back to later!
Pinterest Perfect Images
If you are writing your first blog post then odds are you aren’t very familiar with creating Pinterest images either.
Each blog post should have a beautiful eye-catching image that makes your reader a) save it to Pinterest and b) entices others on Pinterest that see that pin to click through and read your blog post!
One of the programs I just recently started using it a huge time saver for creating images!
Don’t forget to sign up for Suzi’s course if you are interested in learning more about writing a perfect blog post and getting the opportunity to guest post on her blog!
Where You Should Purchase Your Domain Name for Your Blog
No matter what kind of site you want to create you are going to need a domain name. A domain name is the URL address of your site or blog. I am going to show you where to purchase your domain name for your blog or website.
For this, I am going to assume you are starting a blog. If you are a new blogger then don’t worry we have all been there. It may seem overwhelming learning all of this but really it’s pretty easy once you get the hang out it.
To start a blog it takes more than just a domain name. If you need help with all the ins and outs of starting a blog then I suggest my freebie the 30-Day Challenge to Start a Blog workbook.
For now, let’s walk through where to purchase your domain name for your blog.
Choose a Company
There is more than one place you can purchase your domain name through. And sometimes it is included in your hosting plan so make sure to check that before purchasing it.
I have used two different companies when purchasing a domain name. Like I said there are many more but I like to cover things I have personally used before.
1. NameCheap
NameCheap is just like its name. They offer cheaper domains than other companies. If you test it out by searching for available domains at both sites you may see that sometimes GoDaddy actually has a cheaper option. However, as you continue on with the checkout process they upsell you to death.
Some of it you may need so then your total goes up to what it would have been at NameCheap. A lot of it you don’t need and they just keep on trying to add more on.
I have purchased my last two domain names through NameCheap and it is a one and done deal. Just add it to the cart and purchase. No upsells or hassle at check out.
2. GoDaddy
That all said there are plenty of people who use GoDaddy. I’m sure the comfort of the name is part of it. When you see it advertised all over you feel more comfortable that you are purchasing something with a bigger well-known company.
Just be aware as I said they do try and tack on upsells at checkout.
Here is another option that came up while I was researching more places for you to purchase a domain name. There is a domain.com that you can purchase your domain name through too.
Again, each person is going to have their own opinions and things they like or dislike about a company so just review these options and maybe do a little more research of your own to choose one that fits you best!
Walk Through
Since I use NameCheap I am going to walk you through how to purchase your domain name through them! Again, you will want to double check that the hosting you have doesn’t already provide a free one for you.
I know when I signed up for SiteGround (the hosting company I use) they provided a free one for me. I don’t know for sure if that was a special they were running at the time or if they always do that.
First, go to NameCheap.com. It will look something similar to this screenshot below that I took today.
In the middle of the screen, you can see there is a search bar. Search for the domain name that you are wishing to purchase. In this example, I used “www.searchdomain.com”.
Not to my surprise that domain name was already taken. After a few different tries, I was able to find one that was available.
As you can see below “helpsearchdomain.com” is available.
If you need help coming up with a domain name for your blog then again I suggest that you download a free copy of my 30-Day Challenge to Start a Blog. There is a section in there that helps walk you through coming up with a domain name.
Once you have found an available domain name you like for your blog then you will see it shows you the total. Most domain names average between $2.99-$14.99 per year.
Usually, the more years that you purchase it the better the price. For instance, if you purchased it for two years versus only one year.
Those are all factors you will have to think about and decide what’s best for you.
Now hit add to cart and then view cart.
Also, you will see that below it is showing you a list of other domains that you might like to add to your cart. I like how it shows you the different options that are available and the prices.
Coupon Code
Once you are in your cart you will see there is an option to add a promo code. When I purchased my domain name I was able to find a 10% off coupon code at RetailMeNot.com.
To look for a coupon code, go to retailmenot.com and search for NameCheap.
I love using RetailMeNot.com for all sorts of things. I usually use it for a coupon when we decide to order pizza but I have even got $40 off of SeaWorld tickets before!
Over on the left side of the screen at RetailMeNot, you will see the option to search the coupons by type. I like to do the codes. If I have a coupon code then I can see if it works on top of a sale that is already running. Sometimes it works!
After you enter the coupon code (if you were able to find one) then you continue with your checkout process. If you don’t have an account already with NameCheap then it will ask you to create one here. If you do then go ahead and sign in.
Now you are ready to purchase your domain name. Select your payment method and continue on with the checkout process.
It will then take you to your NameCheap account where you will be able to see your new domain name for your blog! Congrats!
You have now taken the first (or second if you purchased hosting already) set to setting up your blog! It is a scary and exciting feeling!
Next would be to go ahead and purchase your hosting which averages about $3-$5 a month. You do have to purchase the full year but I can think of many other less important things that I waste $3-$5 a month on so to me it is worth it!
After you have your domain name and your hosting you will then need to connect them. I feel kind of silly saying that I didn’t know you had to do this but if you are like me then you didn’t know either. That is why I created this blog. To help people that are like me and need a literal walk through!
Sign Up Here!
