How to Create a WordPress Blog in 15 Minutes (Step by Step)

Lots of people have blogs these days. Care to join them ?

First off, there are two ways to make a blog on WordPress. The path we’re covering today is about how you can create a WordPress blog using WordPress.org instead of WordPress.com.

Even though in order to create a blog on WordPress.org you have to do everything by yourself, you will also have complete freedom regarding how your site will look and work. You’ll always be the one with the final word!

How to create a WordPress blog?

Here are the main steps:

• (1) Choose a hosting company.
• (2) Set your hosting plan and install WordPress.
• (3) Pick your favorite theme.
• (4) Install plugins and tools according to your needs.

1. Choose a host

The very first step in creating a blog on WordPress is choosing a hosting company. There are lots of hosting services for WordPress on the market, so you should pick one depending on your needs.

I’ll take SiteGround as my example, and show you all the steps you need to take to have your WordPress blog launched there.

According to a study done for us by Tom Ewer, SiteGround is one of the most efficient shared hosting providers for WordPress. It comes with a cheap StartUp plan – only $3.95 per month – 10GB of space, and a bandwidth of 10,000 visits per month. It also provides you with one free domain name.

2. How to set your host and install WordPress

Here, I’ll show you how to set up your web server and then install WordPress on it. Even if you didn’t choose SiteGround for your blog, the process is almost the same for all.

Okay. Go to SiteGround.com » Web Hosting » Shared Hosting:

Choose the StartUp plan:

Follow the steps and fill out the required info:

• domain (you can either choose a new one or use an already registered address),
• personal data,
• payment and billing,
• and plan preferences.

Then, click “Pay” to complete the transaction.

Now that you have a hosting plan, use your email and password to log in to your SiteGround account:

Here’s the homepage of your user account. Click on “My Accounts.”

Then, on “Go to cPanel.”

Okay, here comes the part where you have to install WordPress. I mean, where SiteGround does it for you (it will all happen pretty much automatically). All you have to do is click on the WordPress icon:

Next, click on the blue button that says “Install” and fill out the required fields that will show up immediately.

It’s all up to you to set the protocol, your site’s description and name, and your WordPress admin username and password. You can also pick the language and complete a few other optional fields.

After this step, click “Install” at the bottom of the form and wait for WordPress to be installed by the hosting service.

At this point, the installation is done!

From now on, you can start using WordPress. It only needs a bit more tuning up to make the website truly yours.

To login to your dashboard, go to YOURDOMAIN.com/wp-admin and type in the username and password you set during installation.

What you’ll see is your WordPress dashboard. This is where you get to customize everything about your site.

3. Choose a beautiful theme

Now that you’ve got WordPress installed, it’s time to make it look beautiful and attractive to your visitors.

And you do need a nice design because this is what your website looks like by default:

There are lots of free and premium WordPress themes for blogs, and a lot of places where you can go to get one. We’ve compiled some lists of the best themes out there to make this easier for you. Check one of them out:

• 20+ Best Personal Blog WordPress Themes 2016
• 10+ Best Cheap Premium WordPress Themes
• 50+ Best Free WordPress Themes for 2016
• 10+ Best WordPress Themes for Writers 2016

To add a free theme to your site follow the steps described below. For premium themes, click here.

Go to the WordPress dashboard, click on Appearance » Themes. Once there, click on “Add New” and search for the theme of your choice by its name. It should appear right away. Hover the mouse over it and click “Install” and then “Activate.”

Every theme can be customized by clicking the “Customize” link in the sidebar of the dashboard:

This way, you can change a range of visual details about your website design – from colors to backgrounds, menus, widgets, and etc. The features and customization options vary from theme to theme because themes are different under the hood, and each one comes with its own settings.

Now, for an alternative path:

If you want to get a premium theme, first, you need to buy it from its own marketplace. Usually, you’ll have to go through a quick payment process, at the end of which you’ll get a downloadable .ZIP file with the theme.

Save it to your desktop, and then upload it to the WordPress dashboard like so:

Go to Appearance » Themes » Add New » Upload Theme:

By the way, make sure the theme you’re going to use is optimized for mobile. These days, this thing is kind of crucial.

4. Install plugins to make your blog more awesome

WordPress plugins are those little scripts that make your site work better, rank better, look better, help you interact with your visitors better, and a lot more.

There are plugins for SEO, contact forms, caching, backups, photo galleries, spam comments, social media, online shops, reviews, you name it. Trust me, you can find plugins for basically any new feature you’d want to add to your site.

Just like themes, plugins come free and premium. Let’s focus on free:

Go to WordPress.org » Plugins and type what kind of plugin you’re looking for.

How to install a plugin?

Plugins are very easy to install. Go to your WordPress Dashboard » Plugins » Add New. Type in the name of a given plugin, or look through the list of recommended plugins – you are likely to find something useful there.

When the plugin appears, click on “Install Now” and then on “Activate.” That’s it.

Some plugins have additional settings, others do not. Either way, you’re going to find guides on how to work with your given plugin on its official website or its page on WordPress.org.

So … at this point, you’ve made your blog look stunning and added some cool new features to it. Now is a good moment to take it to the next level: promotion, marketing, monetization, SEO … you choose what to do first.

For instance, consider any of these marketing tools.

I hope this tutorial made you realize how easy it is to create a blog on WordPress. Have any questions? Feel free to submit them here.