What is a blog?
While a blog can encompass an entire website or simply be its own section of a website, this is a place to share content about a topic you’re passionate about. A blog will typically include both written and visual elements published in an easy-to-read, article format so visitors can swiftly browse and find what they’re looking for. And with over 31.7 million blogs in the US alone, you can literally find blogs about every subject out there, from home renovation to baking to local business marketing strategies. Once you’ve established a community of readers, the possibilities are truly endless.
There’s no definitive “perfect” time to start a blog. If you feel that you have the time and resources to start, manage and promote a blog and are enthusiastic about sharing your ideas with the world, it might be the right time to take the plunge and start your blogging journey. The sooner you start, the sooner you can learn and grow as a blogger.
Ready to start your blog now? Sign up with Wix today.
01. Choose a blogging platform
The first step in starting a blog is to select a blogging platform or Content Management System (CMS) for publishing your content. A quick Google search will show you that there are several different sites available that suit bloggers from all industries. I recommend Wix because it’s a good all-around blogging platform that satisfies most needs.
Wix’s blogging platform is fairly straightforward to get the hang of, and it offers a variety of attractive design options and templates to work with. In addition, it comes with features to analyze your blog’s performance and monetize your content, which will come in handy as you setup your blog and build your readership.
How much does it cost to start a blog?
When researching how to create a blog, one of the biggest questions people have is how much does it cost to start a blog. On many platforms, starting a blog is completely free.
You can decide at any point whether you’d like to upgrade to a variety of different plans, depending on your budget and needs. Learn more about how much does it cost to build a website.
02. Pick a hosting platform
Once you select your preferred blogging platform, you’ll need to choose a hosting platform. A blog, like other types of websites, requires a host. This essentially stores websites on a server under a unique address so that visitors can easily reach them.
How much does it cost to start a blog?
faqOn some blogging platforms, hosting is already included, so you won’t need to find a separate web host when setting up your blog. In that case, you can skip this step and move to Step 3.
With other website builders, such as WordPress, you will need to find and pay for a separate web hosting platform. Some popular options include:
- BlueHost
- HostGator
- GoDaddy
- DreamHost
If you’re not sure which web hosting platform to choose, take into account these factors:
- Uptime: The amount of time that the server hosting your website is up and running. A strong uptime rate (99.95% or above) is a good indication that the host’s servers perform well.
- Bandwidth: The amount of data your website can transfer to visitors over a certain period of time. This factor is based on the size of your website pages as well as the amount of traffic you expect. This quick bandwidth calculator can help you determine your site’s bandwidth.
- Customer support: Customer service you can contact in the event something goes wrong. Ideally, your hosting provider should offer an online help center, offer callbacks and respond to questions and concerns on social media.
Once you’ve chosen your blogging platform and hosting provider, you can start coming up with your blog idea.
Don’t worry about picking and registering your domain name just yet. We’ll walk through that process together in Step 4.
