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I will go ahead and assume that if you’ve landed on this post, you are wondering how to start a blog. Maybe you want to make some extra money, maybe you have a really amazing small business and think a blog would help you grow it, or maybe you just want a creative outlet to vent out your frustrations this year.

2020 has been a whirlwind year for all of us. With the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping our nations, many of us have either lost our jobs entirely or had to cut back on hours. Now more than ever, people are looking for ways to make money online. I have been working from home for the last seven years, doing the thing I love most: blogging.

I wrote this guide a few years ago, it was actually one of the first posts I wrote for this blog. But I came back in December 2020 to give it an update.

If there is anything this year has taught me, it is that I have so much to be grateful for. Working from home as a blogger has been an extra special blessing this year, which is why I am updating this post to show you how to start a blog to make extra money from home.

Maybe you want to blog full time, or maybe you just want to make a little extra money on the side every month.

Starting a blog and earning an income from it probably seems overwhelming and complicated right now.  There is definitely a learning curve, but if you stick with it, it becomes easier with time.

Blogging isn’t for everyone, and it is definitely not a get rich quick gig.

Anyone can start a blog, of course. But there’s a difference between starting a personal blog and blogging as a full-time career.

Personal blogs are usually a creative outlet for the writer to talk about their passions and interests. Bloggers who want to make money blogging write content that is useful to or helps the reader in some way.

There are several different types of blogs you might start:

• Lifestyle 
  • Range of topics, usually style, beauty, parenting, wellness, health, etc.
• Niche
  • Focuses on a single topic and generates content surrounding that topic
• Personal
  • Focuses on personal interests, stories, and hobbies (think storytelling or diary)

Generally speaking, niche and lifestyle blogs are the best to make money blogging. Writing a personal blog is great, but it won’t be easy to monetize.

If you want to read more about how to make money blogging, head over to this post.

Whether you’re looking to start a personal blog, a lifestyle blog, or a niche website- this guide is the perfect starting place for you.

I want to show you how to start a blog (the simple + affordable way) in 2020 so that you can start making some extra money from home.

Starting a blog is actually the easiest part of blogging, in my opinion. Setting up your website (while it can take some time + is a bit of a learning curve) is fairly straightforward. It is what comes next that is most important.

Anyone can start a blog, but not everyone is cut out for the hard work it takes to build that blog into a real source of income.

I’m going to show you exactly how to start a blog in less than an hour, and offer some tips on how to make money blogging.

You’re going to leave this post knowing exactly what to do in a few easy steps, and for less than $20 to get your first blog up and running in the next couple of hours.

And no, I am not going to try to convince you to spend an arm & a leg on hosting through one of my affiliate links. I will also NOT be asking you to sign up for an email course, or anything like that. This blog post is all you need to get started TODAY. 

Grab your favorite drink, and something to take notes with, and let’s get started!

You can actually start a blog for free, but a free blog comes with several downsides:

• Limited customization options
• You don’t technically own any of your content

Starting a blog can seem overwhelming, I know. I’ve been there.

You will save yourself a lot of headaches later if you set up your blog the right way from the beginning. That means starting a blog on the right platform with the right hosting service.

I will disclose upfront that I am going to be recommending Namecheap + EasyWP to set up your blog. I only recommend services I use + believe in, and Namecheap/EasyWP are two that I stand behind fully.

How to Start a Blog in 3 Easy Steps

1. Purchase your Domain Name

If you already know what you want to call your blog, that’s fantastic! If not, head over to this post for some guidance.

Either way, once you decide on a domain name for your blog, head over to Namecheap.com and see if it’s available to purchase. This is as simple as searching for it on the homepage, as shown below:

My favorite thing about Namecheap is… well, it’s cheap. But just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean it doesn’t have serious value.

You can purchase your domain for as low as $3.95, but on average, a .COM site costs $8.88 on Namecheap.

Less than $9 for a .COM is pretty great if you ask me.

Whether you want a .com, .net, .org, or any of the other plethora of domain extensions available… Namecheap has you covered!

Once you’ve decided on a domain name and checked if it is available for purchase, add it to your cart.

Once you’ve clicked add to cart, you should see more product options, as shown below:

I would recommend adding an SSL to keep your website secure, and the WordPress hosting (we’ll talk more about this later).

Once you’ve added everything you want to your cart, simply checkout. You are now the owner of a custom domain name + managed WordPress hosting.

Here’s what comes next.

2. Set up EasyWP

EasyWP is the managed WordPress hosting you added to your cart when you were purchasing your domain name, in the step above.

Don’t worry if you didn’t do this, you can still follow these next steps to set up your new WordPress website.

Let’s talk a little bit about why you’d want managed WordPress hosting in the first place:

The way WordPress self-hosted works is this: you can either go directly to WordPress.org, download and install the files yourself and attempt to set everything up on your server. Or, you can use a service like EasyWP to do all that hard stuff for you.

Downloading and installing WordPress yourself can be tricky, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. Here’s a link to the guide for installation on WordPress.org.

For most people, installing the software and getting it set up properly is either too confusing or just too time-consuming.

Managed WordPress hosting does all the heavy lifting for you, essentially. It is faster and easier, and still gives you the self-hosted WP blog that you need.

Setting up EasyWP takes just a few minutes, and your new WordPress website will be up and running, in most cases, in less than 15 minutes.

Here is how to access and set up EasyWP from your Namecheap dashboard:

Next, should see an option to create a new website. Select your domain from the dropdown and follow the steps shown.

You shouldn’t run into any issues here, but if you do- use the Live Chat function to get help from a Namecheap expert.

Right now, you can start with EasyWP for as low as .01 cent. Normally, it’s only $1 for your first month, but if you sign up now you can get your first month for a penny.

After that, you can select from 3 different packages, $3.88/mo, $7.88 /mo, or  $11.88/mo.

EasyWP is absolutely worth the money in my opinion. The best part about Namecheap + EasyWP is that you aren’t required to pay for a year upfront.

Other hosting sites lure you in with a promise of “Start your blog for just $2.95!”, but what they aren’t telling you is that you have to pay for the entire year upfront. Which can equate to over $100 just to set up your blog.

Actually, years ago I fell victim to one of these websites. Based on the pricing packages and the way they were presented to me, I thought I was paying $2.95 per month. I was not happy when I checked my bank account the next day and discovered they had charged me $150.

I’m not going to name names. Their customer service was very helpful, and they refunded most of my money (but not all).

You don’t need to worry about that with Namecheap. Their prices are low + you pay monthly, not for the entire year upfront.

What you see is what you get. You can choose how many years you want to register your domain and decide how much you want to spend.

You can choose which package you want for EasyWP, and then decide if you want to pay monthly or yearly and their monthly payments are still extremely low.

A lot of other sites seem to penalize you for paying monthly, or show you a low monthly price but fail to mention that it’s not actually billed monthly but rather yearly and you have to pay for the entire year upfront.

Namecheap + EasyWP was an actual lifesaver for me when I couldn’t figure out how to install WordPress myself, and I didn’t have a ton of money to spend setting up my blog.

I have set up four blogs using Namecheap + EasyWP, and I can’t recommend them enough.

Another thing I love about Namecheap is their amazing customer service.

They have the most amazing customer service reps who answer all my questions, and never hesitate to walk me step by step through any issue I’m having until it’s solved.

Namecheap + EasyWP is truly the most affordable, valuable, and simple way to start a blog.

Even if you already own a domain name, you can transfer it over to Namecheap and set up your blog through EasyWP.

Like I said before, they have excellent customer service that can walk you through the process of transferring your domain if need be.

Once your website has been created via EasyWP, you now have access to your WordPress dashboard. Here is where you can begin customizing your blog, and getting familiar with the WordPress dashboard.

*Note that it is usually not instant, it takes a few minutes for EasyWP to get your website set up. After a few minutes, you should be able to refresh the page or log out and back in and see your new website on the EasyWP page.

Once your website is set up, you can now access your WordPress dashboard to begin making changes to your website and posting your content.

Here is how to access your WordPress dashboard through Namecheap:

1. Head to Namecheap.com and login (if you’re not already there)
2.  Follow the steps above to find the EasyWP app + select your website. It will look something like this, but with just one website to choose from:

3. Select your website and wait for the page to load

4. Find the Admin button in the top right corner and click to open your WordPress dashboard!

I don’t yet have a full tutorial on navigating the WordPress dashboard, but Tasha, the blogger and designer behind Lady Boss Studio has a great WordPress tutorial for beginners.

So you’ve set up your hosting and accessed the WordPress dashboard, what’s next?

3. Choose a Theme

Once you have your website setup, you can start to think about what you want your blog to look like.

WordPress offers tons of free themes, and there are some really great ones to choose from.

Using a free theme is great if you don’t want to spend money on a premium theme just yet. As your blog grows, though, you’ll want to consider purchasing a premium theme.

Premium themes are more customizable and have many features that free themes don’t, allowing you to fully take control of your blog’s design.

Another reason you should consider using a paid theme is that it will help you stand out. Find a theme that really speaks to you, is consistent with your branding and has customization options that fit your needs.

My favorite place to shop for WordPress themes is Creative Market.

They have so many amazing WordPress blog themes available, at all different price ranges- you’re sure to find the perfect theme for your blog.

Here are my favorite WordPress blog themes available on Creative Market:

Charlotte

Emily Grace

Allure

Isabelle

No matter what niche your new blog will be, Creative Market has a blog theme to fit your style and unique brand.

Check out all the WordPress blog themes Creative Market has to offer here.

Purchasing a domain name and getting your blog set up on WordPress self-hosted are the absolute very first steps to take when starting a blog.

In the interest of keeping this post relatively short and to the point, and so as not to overwhelm you with information, I decided to stop there for now.

Let’s recap so far:

• Purchase your domain name with Namecheap.com
• Use EasyWP to set up your blog with WordPress self-hosted
• Choose the perfect blog theme from Creative Market

The last thing I want to do is make it sound like blogging is so easy that anyone could do it. Blogging is hard work, and it takes a lot of time and patience to make money with your blog. But getting started doesn’t have to be overly complicated or expensive.

With my simple 3 step process, you can start a blog in less than an hour, and the cost is relatively low.

What do I do after I set up my blog + choose my theme?

Whether you’ve chosen to go with a free theme, or a premium one from Creative Market or elsewhere, the next step is to install that theme in your WordPress dashboard.

Follow these steps to install your new theme or choose one from the WordPress theme library:

• On the left hand side, you have a panel with multiple options
• Find and select ‘Appearance’

 

If you want to use a free theme, browse through the options that show up on this page and find one that you like. You can preview the theme before you install it, and you can change your theme at any time.

If you have purchased a theme, follow the next step to upload it to WordPress.

 

When you purchase a theme, you will download it to your computer in the form of a zip file. Theme developers typically include instructions on how to install their theme. Before you purchase any theme, carefully read the listing information for anything you might need to know about installing the theme.

For example, certain themes require what is known as the Genesis framework or a parent theme. Some theme developers include the framework for free when you purchase a theme, but some don’t. If it’s not included, you would need to purchase it separately. Be sure to read any fine print before purchasing a theme.

If you have a theme in the form of a zip file, this is where you will upload it to WordPress. Once it is uploaded, it will appear in your theme options where you can then Activate it.

Hopefully these instructions aren’t too complicated! I know all of this seems like a TON of information, but it’s less tricky than it seems.

If you’ve followed these steps, you are now a bona-fied blogger. Or at least, you own a blog! That’s the first step to becoming the badass blogger I know you can be.

So, what comes next?

I promised you at the beginning of this post that I would be giving you some actionable next steps for after you’ve created your website.

Create Content

The number one piece of advice I always give new bloggers is this: start creating content as soon as possible, even if your blog isn’t live yet. When you are ready for your blog to go live, the last thing you want is to publish a blog that has no content on it.

It will benefit you in the long run, when it comes to SEO and traffic, to have some substance to your blog before you launch it.

Start writing + creating sooner than later, and you will have a nice collection of blog posts ready when your blog goes live on the web. This will also help you look like a pro blogger from the start.

The Best Tools & Resources for Bloggers

This is a list of all the blogging tools and resources I use and recommend. These will help you write better content, start an email list, grow your blog traffic, create beautiful graphics for your blog + so much more!

I hope that you have found this post helpful, and you feel more prepared to start a blog this year.

Blogging is hard work, but it is very much worth the time + effort it takes. I know you have what it takes, and if you get stuck you can always send me an email at hello@morganktylka.com and I’ll do my best to help you out!

Happy blogging!

XO, M

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