How to create a blog is not exclusive to people who understand coding, you know. With the help of a website CMS platform, anyone can do it, including you.
Well in this article, we will discuss how to create a blog easily, in just eight steps! Complete with a guide to managing and optimizing the blog that you have created.
This time we will use the WordPress platform which is famous for being friendly to beginners. Ready? Let’s get started.
What is the difference between a blog and a website?
Before going into the discussion about how to create a blog, let’s first know the difference between a blog and a website.
Blogs and websites are often thought of as the same thing, but they have a few notable differences:
– Blogs are dynamic because they are updated regularly. Meanwhile, the website is static because the information in it tends to remain, such as contact addresses, company vision and mission.
– Blog content usually contains the opinion and experience of the author in a relaxed language style. Meanwhile, the website contains more formal and professional information, for example the products or services of a company.
– Blogs are more interactive because they have a comment field. Meanwhile, communication on the website is one-way.
In addition, there are several other differences that we have discussed in → 7 Differences in Blogs and Websites and Examples.
3+ Best Platforms to Easily Create Blogs
The blog platform is the medium that you will use to manage your blog, from publishing to optimization. Now this platform is instrumental so that creating a blog is no longer difficult.
But now there are many blogging platforms popping up. Here are some blogging platforms that you can consider, namely:
1. WordPress.org
WordPress.org is open source software that can be used free of charge. Well, so that this software can be live and accessed via the internet, you need a hosting service.
WordPress is arguably the most popular CMS. This platform is already used by 35% of blogs and websites across the internet.
There are several reasons why creating a personal blog with WordPress is in high demand:
– User-friendly;
– Has a large community;
– Lots of tutorials available;
– Abundant plugins;
– Various themes.
That’s why we highly recommend WordPress for you. Although easy to use, WordPress blogs are not fake and can be optimized to the maximum.
Evidenced by the use of WordPress in the world’s big companies. Such as Sony Music, The Walt Disney, and Mercedes Benz.
2. WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a CMS that uses WordPress’ hosting servers.
Actually, WordPress.com is free to use, but with a built-in subdomain WordPress.com. Have you ever seen a domain like yourblog.wordpress.com? That’s the default domain extension if you use this free platform.
However, what is called free still has its limitations, such as:
– Security needs to be optimized;
– Can only work on a simple website or blog;
– Unable to install plugins;
– Unable to change the theme by yourself;
– If you want WordPress.org-style customization, the costs incurred are very expensive for WordPress hosting and domain changes.
So, WordPress.com alone is considered less effective because you are not free to customize your blog.
3. Bloggers
Blogger or Blogspot is Google’s blogging platform. Because of this, Blogger can also be integrated with other Google products. For example, AdSense, AdWords, Google Analytics, etc.
Usually, blogs that use this platform have a .blogspot.com domain. For example, yourblog.blogspot.com.
Even though it’s user-friendly, it’s still less complete than WordPress, such as:
– Does not have a lot of plugins;
– Your blog and all its contents remain the property of Blogger, you do not have full rights to your Blog site;
– Limited choice of templates;
– Does not have tags to mark posts;
– No permalink customization option;
– Update the dashboard user interface that is often problematic;
– Using the blogspot.com subdomain has a less trusted stamp.
4. Weebly
One more way to create a blog for beginners, namely the Weebly platform. That’s because Weebly has an easy user interface with a drag and drop system.
However, Weebly takes a bit of effort for SEO, as there aren’t many options to optimize for. Unlike WordPress which can be maximized with the help of plugins.
Actually, each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, if you are a beginner and want to build a blog quickly and easily, WordPress is the right choice.
In addition to the easy installation process, you can also equip your blog with various interesting plugins and themes.
How to Create a Personal Blog Easily?
Considering the advantages of WordPress.org, this time we will use the platform for a tutorial on how to create a personal blog.
Here are 8 steps you can take to create an interesting blog:
1. Determine the Blog Niche
A blog niche is a specific theme or topic for a blog. So, you just need to focus on creating content with the same theme.
It is recommended that your blog can be recognized as an expert in a certain topic and used as a reference by many people. As a result, blog traffic increases and it is easier to monetize with ads or endorsements.
Make sure you use the following tips in determining a blog niche:
a. Choose a topic that you are good at
Choosing a topic that you are good at can help you find ideas more easily. In addition, because they cover the same topic, you can become an expert in that field one day.
b. Choose a popular topic
Try the topics you enjoy are also in line with internet trends, so that the content on your blog is not in vain. You can use Google Trends to see potential topics that are popular and highly sought after.
c. Check blog niche profit opportunities
If a niche blog has the opportunity to earn money from the internet, cool isn’t it? Well, you can try in several ways.
For example, installing Google AdSense, possible product reviews or endorsements, ebook sales opportunities, consulting service enthusiasts, etc.
2. Choose the Right Hosting Service and Type
Hosting is a place where all our blog files will be stored and can be accessed via the internet.
Since we will be using WordPress.org (remember, not WordPress.com) for how to create a blog, we need a self-hosted service.
In choosing a hosting service should not be arbitrary, because it will affect the performance of the blog. So, as much as possible choose a trusted hosting service.
There are several types of hosting that you can use as a way to create an interesting blog, namely:
a. Shared hosting, the most affordable and easy to use type of hosting;
b. Cloud hosting, a type of hosting with VPS facilities and the convenience of shared hosting;
c. VPS hosting, has a large server capacity and requires technical skills.
However, how to create a blog for beginners is more suitable for using shared hosting.
Because blogs in the early stages do not require high server resources. Management is also very easy and assisted by service providers.
3. Define Domain Name
Apart from hosting, you also need a domain. Domain is the address used to access your blog.
That’s also why we recommend WordPress.org, because you are free to choose a domain name.
Unlike WordPress.com and Blogspot, which have a default domain extension, such as yourblog.wordpress.com or yourblog.blogspot.com. Even to upgrade a domain, the cost is quite draining.
By using WordPress.org, you are free to choose your domain extension, for example:
.com; .org; .co.id; .id; .net And many others.
However, whatever domain you choose, be sure to comply with the following tips:
a. Easy to spell
Want to know how to make your personal blog easier for visitors to remember? It’s easy, just use your name as the domain. If you don’t want to, you can be creative using a name with elements of your blog’s niche.
However, make sure it’s easy for visitors to spell and type. For example, your blog has a niche in the computer field. Then, you can use names like computergeeks.com, computermania.net, etc.
b. Short
Make sure your domain is no longer than 63 characters. Use the shortest and simplest possible name. This is one way to make your personal blog easy for visitors to remember.
c. No numbers and hyphens
4. Install WordPress
Now that you have hosting and a domain, it’s time to get into how to create your own blog by installing WordPress.
The trick is, please login to your cPanel and then enter Softacoulus Software then please click WordPress and then Install your WordPress Website.
Don’t forget to fill in the appropriate data for your website when installing wordpress earlier.
5. Setup Basic WordPress Configuration
After WordPress is successfully installed, you need to do some configuration or settings before getting into how to create a blog.
a. Delete WordPress Default Posts
After arriving at the WordPress dashboard for the first time, there are default posts, pages, and comments from WordPress.
Our first task is to delete the post and page by going to the Posts menu and clicking Trash on the Hello World! post.
b. Change Category
Every newly installed WordPress, will have a default category named Uncategorized.
Well, this category cannot be deleted before you create a new category. So our next task is to change the name.
To do this, click the Posts menu > select Categories > click Edit on the Uncategorized option.
c. Set Date Format
Your WordPress date and time still follow the default time which follows the European time zone. Our third task is to convert it to the timezone of our location.
To do this, go to the Settings menu > General > change the Timezone option to UTC +7 (for WIB) > select Date Format > and Time Format > click Save Changes.
d. Set Post
On one page, you can set how many posts you want to display. To do this, go to the Settings menu > Reading > change in the Blog pages show at most column.
In addition, you can set the feed of each post to be full text or summary.
Our recommendation, make each post a summary, so that the blog looks neater. To do this, click the Summary option in the For each post in a feed column, include.
e. Comment Settings
In order to avoid spammer comments, you must set the comments column. So, any comments that come in will wait for your approval before being published.
To do this, go to the Settings menu > Discussion > select the Comment must be manually approve option in the Before a comment appears, then Save Changes.
f. Change Permalink Format
URLs in WordPress initially have a default setting like, http://yourdomain.com/?p=3. However, these URLs are very ineffective, because you can’t see what they contain and are not good for SEO.
You can change it by going to the Settings menu > Permalinks > and selecting the Post Name option. This option is the best of the lot.
g. Change Gravatar
When you want to comment or reply to other people’s comments, you can customize your avatar. To do this, please go to the Gravatar page and log in using your WordPress email, username, and password.
h. Complete WordPress Profile
Sometimes, your WordPress theme will allow you to display multiple profiles of yours. For example, Instagram account, LinkedIn, short biography, etc.
You can complete it in the Users menu > Profile > when it is complete please click Update Profile.
6. Install a WordPress Theme
When you follow how to create your own blog with WordPress, you will get thousands of theme options.
Even so, choosing a theme should not be arbitrary. Because the theme will affect the overall appearance of your blog.
So, make sure you choose a theme that fits your blog niche, is customizable, mobile-friendly, and has good navigation.
7. Create a New Post
At this stage, we will start with the most awaited stage, namely how to create a blog post. Here, you can put all the ideas in your article content.
But how to post it on the blog? Here’s how.
Difference between Post and Page
Are you ready to blog? Wait a minute, when creating a blog you will be familiar with the terms post and page. Both are often interpreted in reverse in how to create a blog, so let’s understand carefully.
Post is a page that contains blog content in the form of articles. Generally, posts are grouped by categories and tags.
Posts are dynamic in accordance with the publication of the content carried out. That’s why posts can’t be used as homepages.
Meanwhile, a page is a page that contains content with a special purpose. For example, the about us page is used to explain general information about the website, contact is used specifically for address information, email and others.
Page has a static nature because the information is fixed or rarely changes. Not surprisingly, the most appropriate page is used as a homepage.
8. Install Required Plugins
Plugins are one of the main advantages of WordPress. You can add features and functions on your blog easily.
To do this, go to the Plugins menu > Add New.
Here are some examples of the best WordPress plugins that you can try:
– Wordfence – Improves blog security.
– Yoast SEO – Increase your blog’s ranking in search results.
– WP Super Cache – Optimize blog speed.
– Contact Form 7 – Create forms easily.
– WP Social Sharing – Makes it easier to share content to social media.
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