How to Start Your Own Blog

Note: This blog post is a sponsored conversation written by Lynn Smythe, the Founder and Chief Blogger for The Creative Cottage lifestyle blog. The opinions, thoughts, ideas and text are all mine.

Have you been thinking about starting your own blog, but aren’t sure where to start? Here is our tutorial on how to start a successful blog in 2020 and beyond. Follow this quick step guide and you’ll be blogging and posting like a pro before you know it!

Top 8 Steps to Start a New Blog

Choose a niche to blog about
Decide on your blog name
Design your logo
Select your web hosting plan
Purchase your domain name
Choose your content management system (CMS)
Choose your blog CMS theme
Start blogging!

Choose Niche to Blog About

I have 2 different hobby blogs both of which use the WordPress.org content management system (CMS). Sloth Athletica is my newer health and wellness niche blog that focuses on outdoor activities including running, trail running, cycling, swimming, standup paddle boarding, duathlons and triathlons.

The Creative Cottage is a general lifestyle blog that covers a variety of topics in these categories:

Arts & Crafts
Beauty & Fashion
Food & Drink
Health & Fitness
Home & Garden
Finance & Investments
Marketing & Communications
Freelance Writing & Blogging

Decide on Your Blog Name

Once you’ve decided on the focus of your blog it’s time to pick a name. I would do a search on Google to see if there are blogs or websites with a similar name. When I started this blog the dot com versions of Creative Cottage and The Creative Cottage were already taken so I went with a dot net URL. But many people say you will get more traffic is you choose a dot com so that’s why I recommend spending a bit of time making sure you get your blog name just right.

Style and Design Your Logo

You can go to sites like Fiverr or Upwork and find a graphic designer who can help you design your logo. The great thing about these freelance sites is that you can find somebody to help create your design no matter what your budget.

If you have the time to play around and get creative, you can use a basic graphic design site like Canva and design your own logos. Canva has many great templates to choose from, so if you need a banner image for your Twitter page, choose a Twitter template and so on. I’ve created my own blog logo and social media banners with Canva.

Select Your Web Hosting Plan

The next step to start your own blog is to choose your web hosting platform. Over the years I’ve used GoDaddy, HostGator and Bluehost. I’ve been really pleased with Bluehost and that is the web hosting platform I recommend for anyone starting their own blog.

Please note: The Creative Cottage is a Bluehost affiliate partner, which means we receive a referral credit whenever we refer a new customer to their website. We recommend Bluehost because they are the best, most reliable web hosting option for your small business or blog. Plus, because we’re a partner, Bluehost offers a special price for fans and followers of The Creative Cottage of only $3.95 per month for their basic plan.

Purchase Your Domain Name

It’s okay if you don’t already have your own domain name as Bluehost will gift you with a free domain when you sign up for their blog hosting service.

Select Password for Your Account

Now that you’ve purchased your web hosting plan, congratulations! Now it’s time to create a password for your site. Try not to use anything too simple, like password or your birthday or your favorite pet’s name. You want to choose a password that’s not easy to figure out.

Enter Payment Information

Choose a Content Management System

A content management system (CMS) such as Blogger, Typepad or WordPress is the software that runs your blog. I started blogging years ago, first on Blogger, then I switched to Typepad when I was given a free journalist account.

Those early attempts at blogging were more an exercise in personal journaling and less about making money. Now, fast forward a couple of years, and I have recently started to monetize my 2 niche blogs. I use WordPress.org for both The Creative Cottage lifestyle blog and my Sloth Athletica health and fitness blog. WordPress is easy to set up as Bluehost sets it up automatically!

Choose Your Blog Theme

There are a variety of themes to choose from that are free or can be purchased for a modest fee. I’m using the free version of a Magazine Theme for The Creative Cottage but have the option to upgrade to the paid version for a few more bells and whistles. The cost to upgrade my current fee is only $50 to buy the enhanced version. This is a one time fee, not a yearly recurring fee so it seems like a pretty good bargain.

Start Blogging

Now comes the fun part – you’re almost ready to start blogging! But first, you’ll need to create a few essential pages before launching your blog or website.

I’ve linked to my own blog pages covering these pages. At a minimum you’ll need:

For more blogging tips, you’re in luck. Writing & Blogging and Marketing & Communications are two of the main topics I cover on The Creative Cottage lifestyle blog.

Ready to make money blogging? Try Bluehost for $3.95/month with my link.