What Do You Need to Start a Blog

What do you need to start a blog? Well, blogging is hot. Many people are talking about making extra money, especially during the Pandemic, when we have more time on our hands. Therefore, everybody talks about blogging. And blogging doesn’t seem that we have to have lots of capital need to start.

Of course, the other issue is our business model is changing, and we see tremendous opportunities in social media and internet business. So it seems that blogging is one of the hot things to do. It seems that blogging along with social media – Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok’s not only mega-influencers but how micro-influencer can make money these days. These days how to monetize the blog is in the super-hot discussion. Everybody should start a blog; it appears to be.

Blogging is hot

First of all, I am not a professional, experienced blogger. But, I have to say I am a blogger at learning. Therefore, in this post, I am simply sharing how I started my blog A-to-Z so if you are thinking of starting a blog yet, afraid of starting, I am hoping this post will help you. To help you decide to start a blog or stay in one social media platform first until you feel comfortable venturing out blogging.

Why I started the blog

Before I dive into what we need to start a blog, I like to share what made me start blogging. In 2018, I had several personal issues that I had to overcome that pressured me more since I was trying to recuperate from my accident. It all started due to my accident, which causes me to realize the importance of health certainly. My career was not going well since I wasn’t able to work as much, and on top of that, I lost someone with that I spent most of my time during the weekend. Suddenly, I was there, struggling to rebuild my career, overcome my grief, and the time that occupied me became free, which reminded me of more pain.

So my first thought was that I should do something to take my mind away. Initially, I started my Instagram first. I took some pictures and started posting. Even though nobody knew I had an Instagram account, to my surprise, I was getting some followers. Mainly I was posting my outfits and the place I visited. I love art and music, so I visited museums or art galleries with friends, so I did it anyhow. It didn’t seem to be any extra work at that time.

Instagram to Blogging

As I started working on my Instagram https://instagram.com/fashionbykukanaana, I started hearing a lot about blogging and monetizing Instagram. So me being a professional businesswoman, it seemed made sense for me to establish my brand name whether I did blogging or not. Eventually, I like to have my own business.

So that’s how I got started blogging. This post, “what do you need to start a blog” is not technical. It is designed to show how simple it is to start a blog. As long as you use a computer and know-how to type and are not afraid to learn, starting is not difficult. A person like myself without much knowledge of blogging, I started only by learning through google and youtube. Once you start to do what you want to do, that’s another story.

What do you need to start a blog

1. Research what do you need to start a blog

When I was thinking about starting a blog, the first thing I did was spend some time researching it. Mainly, I used Google and Youtube. Nowadays, I am learning more about reading blog posts that I find using Pinterest. So after several days of reading and researching, I was ready to start. However, I wish I spent more time coming up with a better domain (site) name. When I started my Instagram, I just used the name, and I didn’t particularly give lots of thought. I thought it was better to start than procrastinate. And I didn’t want to get another name that was not associated with my Instagram, so I used the same. But I didn’t realize once you started, it was hard to change a domain name because you already invested in the site.

2. Getting a domain name

The first thing you need to do to start a blog is to get your domain name free to use. To do that, there are several sites you can use, like GoDaddy or Bluehost. Once you know your domain name is free to use, you need to get the hosting site.

3. Getting a hosting site

Getting a good hosting site is important because it keeps your files on the web that you can access 24/7. The hosting company is also responsible for maintaining the server, and keep the software and hardware up to date. Of course, when you have trouble, the hosting company is the one going to help you to troubleshoot.

The most popular ones are either Bluehost or WordPress. Bluehost is budget-friendly and comes with WordPress feathers. However, if you want just a simple free blog or web hosting and don’t worry about paying for additional features, WordPress is the one.

I decide to get the Bluehost based on the research I have done, and the price seems very reasonable. I also like the idea I can control my website better. If you are thinking about it, here is the link you can click to check your domain name at the same time.

4. Select Theme

Once you decide to get your hosting site (in my case Bluehost) next step is to choose a theme. The theme is basically the layout of your blog site. I can only mention Bluehost since I have been using it. There are several free themes you can choose from and decide on one. It’s easy to switch around if you don’t like it so I won’t worry. Just pick one and see how you like it. If you don’t like it, you can change it. I changed a few times before I settled on one.

I started with a free Ash theme and later upgraded to Ash Pro to get more support and add more functionality. Ash Pro version comes with more layouts. I am using the easiest Pro layout version. Some of the samples show lots more, so if you like to find out more about Ash themes, click here. https://r.freemius.com/1802/3080290/

5. write your first blog post

After you select your theme, the next thing is to write your first blog post. The blog post is different than writing using Microsoft Word. It actually comes like a block, and with each block you can select, either paragraph or an image, to create an entertaining article with an image.

If you have any questions and like to get any info on whatever I learn, I am happy to help. There are tons of free resources available for aspiring bloggers. If you like to know where to find it, please leave your email and your questions in my comment section.

How my blog evolving

So, in a nutshell, what you need to start a blog is very simple. Basically, you need three things. First, you need to get the domain name. Second, you need to sign up for the hosting site. Third, select your theme from the hosting site and write your first blog post.

However, once you start blogging and start joining some blogging groups to learn, you will likely research more to improve yours. Despite it seems so simple, and once you start writing, there are so many things to learn. The first question I encountered was what WordPress.com is and what is WordPress.org. I purchased Bluehost based on my research, and WordPress.com came with it. However, once I start blogging consistently, I realized that WordPress.com had a limitation I had to move mine to WordPress.org. I also upgrade my theme so that I can have more control.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

As I mentioned earlier, Bluehost is a hosting site that keeps your files on the web and maintains them, and WordPress is basically your content management system. When you sign up for Bluehost, you usually sign up for Bluehost and WordPress together. However, once you start blogging, you are more likely to run into the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org. I first encountered these questions or problems when I started blogging more than any others, so I want to mention them.

I will make it simple. WordPress.com and WordPress.org’s big difference is that with WordPress.com, your space is limited and monetizing opportunities are limited as well. So if you want to do blogging as a hobby and not think of making money, WordPress.com is fine. However, most bloggers start blogging to make money at some point and go for WordPress.org. I didn’t realize this until I want to make money with my blog.

Conclusion

To recap, what you need to start a blog is very simple. It would be best to have your domain name (presume you know what you want to write about). After coming up with a domain name, get the hosting site, select the theme, and write a blog post and publish.

Blogging is hot because many of us think that we can make lots of money by blogging. However, in my opinion, if you think blogging is an easy way to make money and think that you will be making tons of money once you set up your blog, I suggest you get a realistic view of blogging and think twice before you start. It requires lots of work and learning. On the other hand, if you have some time to build a blog and want to transition to being a blogger to make a living, I think that’s possible.

Thanks for reading my post. I publish every Monday, so come back again. As a lifestyle and fashion blogger, I have some of my outfits you like to shop for, you can find them here, please visit Fashionbykukanaana

With the coronavirus, these are uncertain times. Practice staying safe by wearing a mask, washing hands often, and keeping a social distance of 6 feet.

Kukana 🎈🎈🎈