How to Start a WordPress Blog: A Step by Step Tutorial

If you are wondering how to start a WordPress blog in 2022 and want step-by-step video instruction on how to do this, then this is the post for you!

I’m going to be walking you through every single step of setting up your hosting and new blog on WordPress right here, right now.

If you’re saying “Wait! I don’t have my domain name picked out yet, or my exact niche figured out,” don’t worry. You don’t need either of these things to get set up and started.

You will be assigned a temporary domain name to start with. This is 100% fine, because no one is going to be seeing your site yet.

You are not going to switch your blog to a live site until you have created some content. So, you can get your blog set up today and have plenty of time to get your niche and domain squared away before you hit publish.

Sound good?

Then let’s get started!

Prefer a video tutorial to a written blog post? I’ve got you covered! The video below walks you through every step of setting up hosting and a blog on WordPress.

This post may contain affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure page for more info 

How to Start a WordPress Blog Step 1: Choose a Host

You need hosting to have a website. So what is hosting? Hosting is where your website lives. You are essentially buying space on the Internet for people to visit your site. Hosting is basically the equivalent to renting a brick-and-mortar storefront only it’s a lot cheaper to use the space.

Bluehost and Siteground are the two hosting providers, I highly recommend. They both have their advantages, but for beginners I personally recommend Bluehost.

Why Bluehost for beginners?

• Bluehost has great support for those just starting out
• They offer a low, affordable price for a beginner’s budget
• Bluehost gives you a free domain for your first year when you sign up

How to Start a WordPress Blog Step 2: Select a Pricing Plan

Since I recommend Bluehost for beginners. I will walk you through the entire blog setup with them.

1. Go to Bluehost and click the button that says “Host Your Site”
2. Choose your hosting plan.

BONUS! If you sign up through my Bluehost affiliate link (There’s no extra cost to you) I will give you a FREE, exclusive WordPress training (a $97 value) for FREE as an extra thank you.

I will be showing you how to set up templates so you don’t have to start from scratch and providing you with several other tutorial videos to help you set up some essential things on the backend of your site to make it run more efficiently.

Click here to use my affiliate link.

Once you finish this tutorial and set up your hosting, send me an email maureen@thecreativeimpact.com so I can give you access to this!

You have 4 plan options to choose from:

• Basic
• Plus
• Choice Plus
• Pro

The only real difference between the Basic and the Plus plan is that with the Basic plan, you get one website hosted, and with the Plus plan you’re getting unlimited websites hosted. So, if you think you’re going to be creating more than one website in your future, then the Plus plan would probably be better.

The difference between the Plus and the Choice Plus plan is that with the Choice Plus plan you’re also getting free domain privacy, which is something we’re going to go into as we register. You will also get free automatic backups of your site for one year.

I backup my website myself for free and I teach my students how to do this in my WordPress Without Stress course, but if you decide that you want Bluehost to automatically back it up for you, you would need to choose the Choice Plus plan. It’s definitely a nice perk to have.

Unless you plan to have more than one website, the basic plan, will work when you are just starting out. You can always upgrade at any time down the road if need be, but keep in mind the price will likely be higher.

For this tutorial, I’m going to be choosing the basic plan. No matter what plan you choose though, you can still follow along with this tutorial. The registration and the setup process are exactly the same.

Once you have selected a plan, you will be directed to a page for setting up your domain.

How to Start a WordPress Blog Step 3: Choose a Domain (or get a temporary one)

At this point in the setup, you can either create a new domain, use one you already have, or make one later.

What is a domain name?

A domain is your URL or simply put this is the name of your website. My domain is thecreativeimpact.com. Facebook’s is facebook.com. Youtube’s is YouTube.com.

If you already have a domain name idea, type in your URL in the ‘Create a New Domain’ box to see if it is available.

What if I don’t have a domain name idea yet?

If you don’t have a domain name yet, do not worry! The great thing with Bluehost is that they give you the option to create your domain name later. I love this option for beginners!

When I was starting out I took advantage of this because I have trouble making decisions! This option allowed me to move forward with setting up my site and creating content while I was still thinking about my domain name.

Quick word of advice … Don’t overthink your domain name and get stuck in analysis paralysis.  This happens to a lot of people and prevents them from moving forward.  Be sure not to let this happen to you. Take messy action to move you forward!

How to Start a WordPress Blog Step 4: Create your Account

First, fill out your account information.

So, after you choose a domain option, you will be led to an account information page where you will fill out your account info.

The first step involves entering your contact information

Second, choose your package plan.

You will see that there are different prices depending on the number of months you commit to hosting. You can choose the basic 12-month plan for $35.40 total.

That is an amazing price for a year of hosting, but you can also choose 36 months to lock in a 3 year discounted plan!

You get to choose what works best for you!

If you are doubting whether this investment under $50 is worth it, let me assure you that there is there’s no other business that you own that you can start for this cheap, or at least I can’t think of a better investment that you can make! This wouldn’t even cover a fraction of the cost for one month of rent if you owned a brick-and-mortar store. Heck, it wouldn’t even pay the electricity bill!

Your new site gives you the ability to reach people in every corner of the world! The possibilities are truly endless. So think of it that way if you are feeling nervous about the investment. You can do this! Let your investment motivate you to start taking action and working towards your dream.

For the price of one nice meal out, you are going to start your own business. That’s so exciting! Think of the possibilities!!

Third, choose your package extras if interested.

Once you choose your package, you will see that there are some package extra options. You can read more about these things by clicking the ‘More information’ link below each extra option.

*Check out the video on this page (Specifically at 12 minutes and 46 seconds) for an overview of the package extras.

*The only thing that I do really recommend getting is Domain Privacy Protection. If you have chosen your domain name, you will see this option in your ‘Package Extra’s Section.’

When you register for a domain, your public information associated with the domain gets stored in a WHOIS public database. If you want this information to be hidden for privacy and so spammers and hackers can’t get a hold of your info, check this off or be sure to do this after you choose a domain. It is well worth the approximate $12 per year!

Fourth, purchase your plan.

Lastly, you’re going to enter in your credit card information and do a quick review of the Terms of Service and cancellation policy. Then check the box that you agree to the terms and click submit.

Congratulations! You officially now have hosting for your blog!!

How to Start a WordPress Blog Step 5: Create your hosting login info

All right, you now have your hosting and your temporary domain or your new domain name setup. So we’re going to click on the blue ‘Create Account’ button below your success message (See video above at 16 minutes & 33 seconds [16:33]).

This takes you to a page where you’re going to create your password. If you have a temporary domain, you’re going to see it pop up in the domain name box. Make sure that you write down your temporary domain name for login purposes. If you have already chosen your free domain name for the year as shown in step 3, then that will show up here instead of a temporary one.

Bluehost requires a very strong password. So you are going to need some capital letters, numbers, and characters. As you type it, Bluehost is going to tell you how good or poor it is. Then you have to retype it to confirm.

Once your password is strong enough and both passwords match, be sure to write down your password and domain name (especially if you have a hard to remember temporary domain name) somewhere or save it to something like LastPass, so you don’t forget it! Then check the box that states that you read and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and click the ‘Create Account’ button.

Your account is now ready to go and you can log in!

Click the ‘Go to Login’ button and from there login to your account

How to Start a WordPress Blog Step 6: Choose your theme and install your WordPress blog

Then, after you log in, you can click on the button that says “Create your Website” where you will be asked a series of questions.

*If you have questions about filling any of this out, check out the video tutorial above (specifically at 18 minutes and 22 seconds into the video) for more explanation on this section.

These questions are completely optional. You can skip each set of questions by clicking the Skip this step link down at the bottom if you want.

Choosing your Theme

Then once you’ve aswered the questions, you’ll be asked to choose a theme.

In WordPress, a theme is a collection of templates and style sheets that determine how your website looks and is displayed on your WordPress-powered website. There are many themes that you can choose from. I used to recommend Astra for beginners, but I have since found that Kadence is an even better fast, free theme for beginners that allows you to create a really professional looking website without having to use any code. Find this theme and click “Use this theme.” (Video above timestamp: 20:53)

The great thing about Bluehost is that it integrates seamlessly with WordPress, so it’s going to install your blog and theme as soon as you choose it. Once it does this, it will take you to a page where you can log in to WordPress.

Click the WordPress button in the top right-hand corner. This will take you to the backend of your WordPress site. This is where you’re going to create your content, add your pages, write your blog posts, and customize your site. (Check out the video above at timestamp (21:34).

For a brief tour of your WordPress dashboard, Check out the video above on this page (Specifically at 21 minutes and 57 seconds)

Congratulations! You now know how to set up a WordPress Blog!

Woohoo! You now know the exact steps to take to set up your hosting and WordPress blog. Make sure that you take messy action and get your blog set up today! It won’t be live until you hit “Publish,” so you can work on adding content and customizing it now and launch it when you are ready.

Remember, you don’t even need a domain name picked out to set up your blog. You can get assigned a temporary one and then get your free domain before you launch. There are no excuses. You can do this!!

Finally, if you used my Bluehost link to set up your blog, please send me an email at maureen@thecreativeimpact.com to get your exclusive WordPress training (a $97 value) for FREE as an extra thank you.

Want to learn how to start with a free Kadence website template, without having to start building your site from scratch?

Sign up below for my free Blogging Business Bootcamp below where I include a video tutorial on how to do this.

I cannot wait to see the impact that you are going to make on the world with your knowledge, talents, and skills! Make sure to share your website link with me, when your site is live, so I can support you!