Nowadays, every company or organization owns at least one website.
They use them to inform and sell to people.
Websites are becoming more and more popular and many people want to create their own. These are called personal blogs.
start a blog is not a difficult job for technical people.
However, for most people who want to get started, it will take them days to learn and implement.
So through this article, I will guide everyone to easily create a great blog.
let’s go!
Table of Contents
Step 1: Understand how blogs generate conversions
People often love to start a blog but don’t have a clear vision when starting a blog.
Some people will say that blogs make it easy for them to share knowledge, recommend services or make money from advertising.
But I wonder, how long will they do that if they publish content that no one cares about and can’t make any money?
In other words, you can’t stick with a job that doesn’t make sense to you.
How does it make sense? Continually creating value is really good advice!
– Is your content engaging?
– How often do you publish content?
– Do you share content externally and interact quickly with your audience?
– Does your website look perfect and user-friendly?
Blogging is how we build our brand from a series of the regularly published content.
It is a cycle where you will see where the rewards appear.
You will experience a great sense of achievement and satisfaction when you commit to the effort.
Step 2: Choose a blog topic
In fact, we see too many blogs that completely lack focus on one topic.
Most people want to share and they write about all the insights in life.
Unfortunately, that causes visitors to think of them as a personal news site. They won’t remember who you are, it’s quick in and out quickly.
Therefore, to develop your own audience, you need to start with a specific topic and communicate all the information around it.
Example: After visiting this site, you will remember it as a marketing blog, right?
Now, using pen and paper, mark out a few topics in which you think you are strong. Then, choose a topic you’re most confident with to start your journey.
In case you don’t know what to choose, I have a list of the 20 most popular topics for you to think about.
Maybe they’re not your thing, but if you don’t mind learning with a clear vision, consider it!
Step 3: Choose a domain name for your blog
Buying a domain name is a fun thing to do.
I spent a lot of time thinking about a domain name that would fit the topic I was going to write about.
But then, it was easy for me to make a decision by taking my own real name.
Others may do so quickly because they have clearly defined the domain name they are looking to buy.
Entering the competition is the back end or domain name extension.
There are more than 1543 different domain extensions updated. However, everyone wants to choose the most popular extensions like .com, .net, .vn, .com to buy.
Don’t worry, the important thing is to act now.
A few helpful tips when choosing a domain name for your blog:
Make your domain your name if you’re creating a website for your personal branding.
Although a domain name can be up to 253 characters in length, it’s a good idea to keep it short. This avoids trouble for users who want direct access.
If you have a stutter or accent, how do you tell the name of your website to the world? Make it simple, easy to pronounce, and prevent typos.
Avoid numbers and hyphens, it will be difficult to explain the domain name to others.
You can buy domain names at some reputable websites like Mat Bao or GoDaddy. If there isn’t a domain name that matches the idea, you’ll get some relevant suggestions.
Buy domain name at Mat Bao
Step 4: Host your blog
For example, your website is a house built on a piece of land at a fixed address.
You can simply understand that:
- A permanent address is a domain name, which is identified for users to start accessing your website.
- The home is where all the content, the things that users will see on your website are displayed.
- The land where your data is stored is called hosting.
- Domain name and hosting are two prerequisites for your blog to work. If either is missing, the user will not be able to access the site online.
If you are just starting out, I highly recommend using AZDIGI’s hosting service. They are the best Vietnamese hosting company I have ever used.
You can ‘annoy them’ at any time, even in the middle of the night. This is a commendable example of their service.
When you start blogging, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to buy a premium hosting package. That is wasteful.
AZDIGI offers a standard hosting service package from only VND 50,000/month. You can use it until your data grows and needs an upgrade.
Step 5: Choose a blogging platform
A blogging platform or content management system is the software for bloggers to build their websites.
If you can’t program yourself to write software, you’ll have to start with a blogging platform.
I use WordPress because it’s user-friendly, easy to set up, and powerful.
You should avoid free versions of blogging platforms. You won’t have to spend money on domain names and hosting, but it won’t give you the autonomy to build and extend features.
At the same time, your website address will end with a long extension. For example [domain name].wordpress.com, [domain].blogger.com, [domain].weebly.com… Seems hard to remember and unprofessional, right?
They also won’t let you place ads on your blog. This makes blogging much more difficult.
My advice is, you should buy a domain name and host to self-host your blog on a content management system like WordPress.
Here are the major platforms today. You can consider using one of them.
WordPress.org (WordPress version buys hosting for yourself)
Is it the most popular open-source platform and 100% free for anyone to use? All you need is to buy a domain name and web hosting. That’s why it’s called self-hosted WordPress.
Advantages
- It’s free and easy to use.
- You own your website and have full control over all its data.
- You can add free, paid, and custom WordPress plugins or apps to your site. WordPress has over 55,992 free plugins to help you extend your experience. If you want to use premium plugins, Envato provides you with a library of more than 6,653 paid plugins.
- You can add any free or paid WordPress theme you want. You can also customize your website design if needed.
- You can attach any code or tool to your website to track data.
- You can create an online store right on your WordPress site with the WooCommerce plugin.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a website-building platform. It provides the tools you need to design a blog or online store.
It can be said that Squarespace is one of the best all-in-one website building solutions.
Squarespace.com platform
Squarespace is extremely easy to use. It has an intuitive interface and is highly rated for user experience.
Similar to WordPress.com, Squarespace also offers to host plans with many powerful features.
Blogger
Blogger is one of the oldest blogging platforms, powered by Google. You can sign up easily through your existing Google account or create a new one.
Blogger.com
Blogger.com is a free platform that works similarly to WordPress.com. Your blog name will have Blogspot.com at the end, [domain].blogspot.com. Of course, you can also use your custom domain name by purchasing it.
Setup time on Blogger is the fastest of all blogging platforms. In just a few minutes, you can start creating your content.
Joomla!
Joomla is an open-source content management system, just like WordPress.org. It is also one of the most popular software in the world.
You will need to purchase a domain name and web hosting to use it.
Joomla.org
Joomla is extremely powerful and flexible for you to build any kind of website.
It also provides you with a large library of themes, plugins, and extensions.
Along with strength, you need to be technically competent when using Joomla.
Weebly
Weebly is a hosting service provider. It allows you to create a comprehensive website using a drag and drop tool.
You can easily make your blog beautiful by customizing the look and feel of your themes right on Weebly.
Medium
Medium is an online content publishing platform, launched in August 2012.
Medium attracts bloggers who want to share their views and stories on various topics.
You can edit and customize the content right on their website.
The highlight of Medium is the community. Users can upvote good articles by clicking the “Clap” icon. This helps make an article go viral.
By default, your profile URL will be medium.com/@[username]. You can also link your personal site to your own domain name by purchasing it.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a blogging and social networking platform specially optimized for bloggers who want to publish short snippets of content.
The site allows users to post multimedia content to a blog, while also following other users’ blogs.
Tumblr.com
You can also customize the look and feel of your Tumblr blog site, but most of these themes need to be purchased.
Similar to WordPress.com, your blog name will have Tumblr.com at the end, [domain].tumblr.com. You can customize your own domain name by purchasing it and linking to the Tumblr blog site.
Wix
Wix is a blogging platform with its own hosting packages. It allows users to create professional-looking, beautiful websites.
Wix’s website builder has everything you need to create a personalized website.
Ghost
Ghost is an open-source content management system similar to WordPress.org.
You need to buy a domain name and web hosting to get started.
Ghost offers a variety of themes for you to choose from including free and paid.
In addition to the self-hosted version, you can also build an online blog with Ghost’s Pro hosting plans.
Drupal
Drupal is an open-source content management system, similar to WordPress.org.
Drupal does not provide hosting, so you will also need to purchase web hosting and a domain name for your blog.
Drupal is not an easy platform to learn. For a beginner to blogging, Drupal is not the best choice.
Similar to Joomla, Drupal is suitable for people with technical abilities.
Typepad
Typepad is a content management system with built-in storage services.
Initially, you can try it for free for 14 days. After that, you need to pay the lowest plan fee of US$8.95/month, the highest plan of US$49.95/month.
TypePad provides an easy-to-use interface for beginners. You can choose from Typepad’s library of themes or create a new folder.
The biggest drawback to using Typepad is that your blog is hosted on its servers. This leads to difficulties when you want to customize the HTML or extend it.
Magento
Magento is an open-source used to create e-commerce websites.
Similar to WordPress.org, you need a domain name and web hosting to use it.
While it’s not difficult to learn the platform, you do need some programming skills and an interest in long-term use.
Magento is not for the casual blogger, but it will help you build an online store from open source.
According to a 2017 survey report by Convertkit, 76% of people use WordPress as their blogging and website platform.
Among them, 82% use WordPress.org, 16% use WordPress.com. The rest replied that they weren’t sure which version they used.
Of course, I encourage you to use WordPress.org. It’s easy to set up, and you can follow how to install it right here.
Step 6: Install WordPress – popular blogging software
I work with a domain name purchased at Mat Bao, hosting purchased at AZDIGI, and use the WordPress open-source platform.
Even if you are not a technical person, it will be easy for you to install it.
Here’s how.
6.1 Connect your domain name to your hosting
For domain and hosting to work together, you need to connect them.
First, you log in to the Mat Bao account through the ID provided in the domain name purchase confirmation email.
A new page appears, click Domains in the menu bar on the left side of the screen to go to the page containing the list of purchased domains.
Then, you click on the domain name you want to connect to the hosting.
And enter your DNS or connect now.
6.2 Installing WordPress on Softaculous in Cpanel
You log into cPanel with the address and access information provided in the email when purchasing hosting.
Then, you scroll down to the Softaculous Apps Installer section.
From the Softaculous section above, click on the WordPress section.
Soon, you will be redirected to the WordPress installation page on Softaculous.
Next, click Install Now and fill in the necessary information to install the WordPress software.
After clicking Install, the software installation process takes place quickly.
At the end of the process, your screen will show the following:
Finally, you can access the domain name to experience the fun. Your website will have the default appearance of Twenty Seventeen.
Step 7: Design your blog with a WordPress theme
For WordPress, blog design is how you choose a theme, activate it, and customize it.
There are thousands of free themes in the WordPress library to choose from. Themes are also commonly known as Themes.
You can change the topic of your blog at any time, so don’t worry.
First, you need to log in to your admin account on WordPress. You can start by going to: [your domain name]/wp-admin.
Here, you enter your login information including your username or email address and password.
If you are new to WordPress, the control panel can be a bit difficult to get used to. This will pass quickly if you try to learn each part of it and practice.
Check out the video below.
Step 8: Customize and Optimize Your WordPress Blog
8.1 Customize your blog to be visible
After installing the theme, you need to customize it so that the information about your blog is clear.
That helps the site appear visually, like a brand new publicity.
First, you click the Customize button to start customizing the theme you are using.
A new page will appear allowing you to customize the basic information.
Depending on the theme you choose, the categories in the menu bar on the left side of the screen will be different.
However, the Site Identity section is the same for every WordPress theme, and it’s also the main item that needs editing.
8.2 Extend your blog’s functionality through plugins
Any website will not contain all the ancillary features. Blogs can work well, but you’ll need some other features that aren’t included by default.
A plugin is a piece of software that contains a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website.
Plugins can extend functionality or add new features to your blog.
The WordPress directory includes over 55,992 free plugins. Every plugin is made to do something. You need to consider the necessary ancillary features. From there, you will choose the right plugin for you.
To install a new plugin, hover over the Plugins item in the menu section on the left side of the screen. Then, click Install New.
A new page appears that allows you to search for plugins in the library or upload plugins.
After finding the right plugin, click the Install button to add a new one.
Finally, you click the Activate button to finish and the plugin starts working on your blog.
8.3 Optimize to get more traffic from search engines
Search engine optimization (SEO) is how you make your blog search engine friendly.
Through it, your website is found by people with specific keywords and phrases.
Install and configure the Yoast SEO plugin
When using WordPress, it is extremely easy for you to perform SEO based on the recommended aspects.
Well, I want to mention a great plugin called Yoast SEO.
Any professional WordPress blogger will use it. You can too, because Yoast SEO offers a free plan for everyone.
First, you will search for the Yoast SEO plugin in the library, install and activate it.
Set up a static path
By default, WordPress sets your static path to [domain]/?p=123.
It does not help people understand what you want to convey before viewing the article.
That’s why it’s important to set up a blog-friendly static path. It’s simple for you to do quickly.
In the menu bar on the left, you hover over Setup and select Static Path.
There are a few options, I use the simplest structure, the domain name combines the article title.
Then you scroll down, click Save changes to finish.
However, you know what, in fact, I don’t use the full title of the post title.
I use the path that includes the domain name in conjunction with the keywords that represent the content of the article.
Example: phamdinhquan.net/cach-bat-dau-mot-blog/
Search Engine Journal has a guide to optimizing article path structure that you should refer to.
Search engine optimization is a long race similar to blog customization. Everyone is just trying to do better.
Basically, I have guided you through a detailed process so that you can set up your own blog.
But that’s just the beginning, every blog needs content. What will you write in your blog?
Let’s find out together.
Step 9: Analyze blog topics
In step 2, you chose yourself a blog theme.
However, in order for the content of the blog to be unified, you need to analyze the ideas around it.
People read blogs to hear interesting stories and learn from their experiences.
Therefore, you need to make your content attractive to help readers easily access it.
Some big questions I ask myself to get more article ideas:
- What makes the audience love, passionate about this topic?
- Example: Digital marketing is emerging as an inevitable trend. Many people want to learn it to keep up with the development of technology.
- What challenges will the audience face when approaching this topic?
- For example, Digital marketing is associated with the development of technology. It is difficult for those who have been doing traditional marketing for a long time who want to learn more.
- What basic knowledge does the audience need to know about this topic?
- For example: Like many other industries, digital marketing also has general knowledge. It could be a concept or a list of skills and tools.
…
You should get a pen and paper and ask yourself the same questions. Then write it all down and go find the answers.
Interestingly, your answer might be the idea for a blog post.
Example: Learn how to learn to get started with marketing; Digital marketing overview for beginners; Self-taught digital marketing for beginners;…
You should try to come up with a catchy headline to attract the audience. Because it generates a click on your post.
Step 10: Create a content publishing schedule
Blogging is the process of developing a brand. It’s not just random writing with a hobby.
Therefore, you need to create an editorial board of ideas and create a schedule to publish them.
Without a calendar, a busy life will delay the time to post a new article.
Moreover, the content consistency will suffer and it makes your blog may not be appreciated.
If you follow my blog, you will see that I publish new content once a month. But now, I think I should do it more often.
To start editing ideas, you need to prepare an online board.
People often use Excel or Google Sheets because it’s popular.
You access Google Drive and then create a spreadsheet with 5 columns including Published Date, Article Title, Main Keywords, Categories, and Notes.
The table above was designed with my needs in mind, you can customize it to suit you.
In order for your article ideas not to end up in Google Drive, you need to create a content publishing schedule.
I would recommend Trello – a tool to help people manage their work with clear notifications.
It is easy to use with simple operations such as Create a table, Add a list, Enter card title, Change expiration date, Change membership, …
Trello sends job update notifications via email. You can also install the Trello app on your phone, which helps you get notified when a deadline is approaching.
I usually set deadlines on Trello to end one day before I have time to moderate posts more thoroughly.
After you have a schedule to publish content, there is nothing more interesting than starting to practice right away on the first article.
Step 11: Optimize your blog for conversions
As you grow your blog, you will always want more audiences to visit your posts.
In addition to creating engaging content, you also need to optimize your website to attract people and make them love it.
So blog conversion optimization is anything that gets users to take action that makes more sense to you.
Conclusion
Many people around me want a blog. I don’t know if you want it or not?
Some people have to go to the services because of a little technical difficulty or can not find the right instructions.
I publish this article with the desire to guide everyone to create a personal blog and develop it step by step.
As a beginner, you need to understand how blogs generate conversions. All the rewards lie behind if you commit to creating value for your audience.
The detailed step process might be too long, but I hope it’s helpful to you.