Here it is! Number three of the blog series… Now you have decided to start a blog, the next thing to do is to just do it! That is honestly my best advice. Putting things off doesn’t help you learn, and blogging is a whole learning process.
This post is going to talk about what platform to use and how to find a theme since those are two very exciting, and important factors. Oh, and I will also be touching on domain names since you will need one of those too.
If you have just made it here, you might want to check out these two posts first! First I briefly talk about the ‘series’ and next, the things you might want to consider before starting your blog.
Blogging Platforms
First, you will need to decide what platform you want to be blogging on. Now, it doesn’t really matter and it all depends on what you like and what you want. You can start on a free blog platform, or upgrade to being self hosted.
I would recommend blogging on WordPress because I am totally biased to it and I personally think its the easiest but also the best!
You can create a free blog using these platforms, and you can also use these platforms to self-host your website.
I do not have a post on how to set this up, however, you can find tons of tutorials all over the internet! (If you have written one, comment it below and I can add it in!)
Here are a few platforms you can blog with;
Self Hosting sites;
These two sites will help you create a self-hosted blog. This means you will be able to do more, have more control, and your domain name won’t include the platform. For example, if I was not self-hosted, this blog would have .wordpress.com after the name.
Domain Names For Blogging & Social Media
Of course, before you decide to be self-hosted you will need a domain name for your blog. This is the little name everyone will know your blog by, for example, mine is writtenbycharlotte.com
You might want to start having a brainstorm of all the names you might like, but you will need to check to see if it’s available.
It is quite annoying to think you have a great name and it’s already used! I like to use this website to check for domain names –Name Checkr not only does this check for website domain names, it also checks to see if the name is available on social media accounts too.
Ideally, you will have the same name across all platforms!
So, if you want to self-host, you need to buy a domain name – That’s it.
IF you want to use a free blogging platform, you wont need to do this. However, you will still need to think of a name no one else has used…
These two websites below will help you purchase a domain name for your blog. Click on them and search your name, and follow the steps.
Where To Find Themes
This is the best part, in fact, I love choosing the theme.
It takes a while to decide on what you want, especially if you have chosen to buy a theme.
Some are cheap, some are expensive. There are different characteristics to both.
If you buy a cheaper theme you may not be able to do as much with it, a more expensive theme will be more responsive.
There are lots of types of themes you can have for your blog, depending on what you are blogging about and what style you want to give.
You can have a generic blog theme like mine; a sidebar, header and posts on the homepage, or you can have anything you can imagine. If you really wanted to, you could even design it from scratch with page builders…
Page Builders;
If you want to have full access to customise everything about your blog, then using one of these is a good idea. There are lots of tutorials on how to use them!
Free Themes;
These are a few websites I have found with free themes on them. You could do some more research and shop around too, I know lots of people also create themes for free on Etsy and places like that!
- https://justfreethemes.com
- https://www.wpbeginner.com/showcase/best-free-wordpress-blog-themes/
- https://www.lyricalhost.com/blog/40-elegantly-feminine-free-wordpress-themes/
If you want to buy a theme, I highly recommend you use Theme Forest! My theme is was purchased through theme forest and you can find hundreds. I guarantee you will find one on here!
Conclusion
To conclude this blog post, here is a breakdown of the steps we have covered.
1- Do some research on different blogging platforms and choose the one you like.
2- Decide if you want to go self hosted or give blogging a go first on a free platform.
3- Brainstorm ideas to find a domain name, and check to see if it is available for a site and social media.
4- Find a theme! Either download a free one to start with, or go straight in and buy one.
5- HAVE FUN!
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Thank you for reading this post. I hope after reading this you feel better about starting a blog. It really isn’t too difficult! Simply find a platform, choose a name, find or create a theme you like, and start!
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask me on social media or in the comments below!
First make sure you subscribe to the blog to stay up to date!
For premade themes, I really love Empress Themes and 17th Avenue Designs! And I have used Bluehost for nearly 10 years now, and I think there service is really good.