Whether you want to work from home, author a book or get more exposure for your existing business, having a website is essential. Fortunately you can be up and running in about 15 minutes.
Good things to know
- No need to be techy. Literally hundreds of people–many without any technical background at all–have used my steps to start their own blogs and websites. One of the most common things I hear from people is that they appreciate how easy-to-follow it is.
- A self-hosted WordPress site is the way to go. Whether you want a blog, a website or a combination of the two, the following steps will get you there. A self-hosted WordPress site (as opposed to free service) is the most popular and most versatile way to create, build and maintain any website.
- Easy to get started, harder to keep going. I'll be honest, getting your site set up is the easy part. Making it grow is another story, but I do my best to give you tips for that too.
- I'm a paying customer, not just selling something. The steps below are exactly how I build my own sites. I have been a paying customer of the company listed here for almost 10 years. If you follow these steps, I will be paid a commission, at no additional cost to you, which helps keep this site running. Thank you!
Ready? Let's get started! Here's how to start a blog and/or website (in 15 minutes)…
Step 1:
Go to Bluehost (this link will open in a new window so you can reference these instructions as you work). Click the green "Sign Up Now" button.
Step 2:
Enter a domain name on the left side under "I Need a Domain Name." Make sure ".com" is selected from the drop down menu beside it. Click the blue "Next" button. (If you don't know what domain to use, I recommend you use your name. Here are more tips for choosing a domain.)
Step 3:
On the next page, enter your account info at the top. Make sure you use a working email address because this is where your login information will be sent.
Step 4:
Under "Package Information" choose your "Account Plan" from the dropdown menu based on how far in advance you want to pay. (As you can see, it works out to just a couple of fancy coffees per month. Not bad for your own blog or website, right?) I always skip the other add-ons except "Domain Whois Privacy" which will keep your personal information private so I highly recommend it.
On a budget? There's another hosting company called HostGator that I use and recommend as well. Their monthly fee is a little more expensive, but they do allow you to pay month by month. Check out my tutorial for HostGator here.
Step 5:
Fill in your billing information, confirm that you've read the fine print and then click Next.
Step 6:
After completing your purchase, check your email. You'll find a welcome email from Bluehost with your cpanel login info.
Step 7: Go back to Bluehost and click the "Control Panel Login" button in the top right corner of your screen (or use the link in the welcome email).
Step 8:
Enter your login info from the welcome email.
Step 9:
Once logged in, click the "WordPress" icon under "SimpleScripts Installations."
Step 10:
Click "WordPress" in the Scripts list under "Blogs." (Don't worry if you don't want a blog, it's the same thing if you want a regular website too.)
Step 11:
Click the green "Install" button under "Install WordPress."
Step 12:
Under "Step 1: Installation Preferences," leave things as they are (unless you are advanced and know a good reason to change them). Under "Step 2: Advanced Options" enter the title of your blog. Under "Step 3: Plugins and Themes" uncheck all the boxes. Under "Step 4" agree to the Terms of Service and then click "Complete."
Congratulations! You should now be able to type in your domain and your basic WordPress site will appear! But you must be wondering…
OK, so what's next?
- Sign up to receive my emails. You'll get all kinds of ongoing tips for getting traffic, making money and keeping things running smoothly.
- Help me spread the word and share this post with others!
I can't wait to read these posts. I actually started a blog a while back, but only did 2 posts and then didn't know what to write about.
Glad you'll be joining me, Rose!
Hi Amy I love your site, after years of wishful thinking and procrastination I took your advice and just started my blog, this I must say after reading and applying your advice. I will be following your guidance and advice closely as I build my blog.
Thanks, keep up the good work.
Thanks, Eugene.
Looking forward to reading this too. I have a very similar series on my blog and always enjoy reading about how other bloggers approach starting and growing their blogs. I've found over the past 5 years or so that one of the keys to being successful is to constantly learn and always be willing to change your approach.
btw Amy – Love the new look and theme – very clean and easy to read. Great choice.
@Rose – Rose, I might suggest that one of the reasons you didn't know what to write about was because you chose a topic that wasn't right for you. I'm sure Amy will cover this, but when choosing a topic it's critical that you pick something you're passionate and knowledgable about. Passion will give you article ideas, and knowledge will make those articles easier to write.
Thanks for hanging out, Larry!
I just shared your link on my FaceBook.com/ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing page. . .lots of RV'ers would love to blog. . .but are too afraid to try. . .I think your step by step lessons may be just the start they need.
Thanks for sharing and for a great website. . .
Janice
ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing.blogspot.com
Hi Amy,
I am new to blogging and look forward to the posts and trying out the techniques. My blog will be technology based. Hopefully helping my readers learn the various features of software.
Can't wait to read it, Amy! Two years ago, your first series inspired my to start my own blog with the hopes of making just a little side income. So much has changed in the blogging world. It would be great to see an update.
Hey Amy. I'm so excited about this! I've been reading your previous series and have gotten a few things accomplished but find myself, shall we say, stuck. Can't wait to go through this with you and others from the beginning! Love, love, love your website!
I'll be following your posts with interest Amy. I do have a blog, but chose the free wordpress.com platform – now I wish I'd chosen wordpress.org and hosted it myself. Ah well, we live and learn.
I love your blog, and the new look is great – fresh and clean!
Hi! I started a blog a couple of years but somehow it got messed up when I was trying to set it up and I cannot seem to redress the situation! I am really, really looking forward to your posts as I would dearly love to start blogging! My passions are food and the world situation…are these good subjects to blog about? Thanks for any input you might care to give me!
This concept should kill it Amy!
Not only should Google love this but I can see from the comments that your fans will appreciate this as well. And I believe that if all of this is constructed from the place of . . .
"How would I put this together in a way to where if I did sell it, people would be delighted to pay for it because it was progressively developed to allow them to get their outcomes and not be overwhelmed in the process?"
. . . that you'll be sitting on a gold mine of adoration and requests for personal consultations with the people who lust after your personal attention.
I wish you the best and I trust you'll make a huge impact with this series.
Hi! i wanted to write an informative step by step guide and in my mind i wanted it to look like your older step by step guide to making a blog…but when i got down to it, i realized i didnt know how to make it! eg, is this a static page about how to start a blog, containing all the posts? or is it a post containing links to all the other posts? or is it a category? i want to have a tab on my menu saying 'step by step guide to my topic', and i always want it to open to a page like this one, containing all the topics i am going to cover and provide links to all the posts but i dont know how to do it. i would really appreciate your help! thanks!
Oh there are so many ways to do it. You could create a page or a post and link to it wherever it makes sense (like in your sidebar, footer, or other posts).
Your blog is a piece real and helpful information, well organised guide for a new blogger! Recently I started to writing in the 'How to blog' niche and stumbled upon your blog. Believe me almost finished reading most of the post within last two days. Layout of your blog is beautiful like you:-)
One thing you need to wright is the way you find out 'Keywords' for your niche website!!
Starting a blog is certainly tough and easy at the same time. Your article not only inspires others to start, it gives great advice. Just keep up the good work.
Dear Amy,
Numbers 2. and 3., "Getting Started" and "Getting Set Up" do not respond by clicking on them on this page named "How to Start a Blog or Website". These two titles are not in green color like the other titles are. Is that because you are at the moment working on them and they will be available later??? Newbie wondering.
Yes, we'll get to 'em.
If you want to work ahead, feel free to check out the old version of this series. There will be some changes, but it'll at least let you peek ahead.
I'm not new to blogging, but I'm just transferring over to WordPress from Blogger. Thankfully, someone is doing the transfer for me, but I have a few questions about choosing a domain name.
My current blog name is not available. My current URL is, but is pretty bad (hyphen, number for word) since I didn't know what I was doing when I started out. Should I purchase my blog name as a .org, .net, or .co? Or should I choose an alternative including either a hyphen or a number as a .com? The third option would be to change my blog name completely in the hopes of that being the best for the long run. My husband and I have decided on a name and it is available, I'm just not sure how much damage that will do to my blog. A name change would also affect my Twitter and Pinterest usernames (and of course all of the watermarks on my photos). Our blog is not huge, but not tiny either. Our number have actually had a fairly large jump in August with over 25,000 unique visitors. Do you think it's worth it to change for the long term?
Also, if we purchase a .com, should we buy the .org and .net of the same name?
Thanks for all your help!
Hey Amy… just sub. to your site… I have blogger.com and it's ok but I want to do more with my blog site… I just need help… there are SO many things I feel I need… can you help
I just started a blog about three months ago, and I know it has a long way to go, so I'm very excited to see that you're posting about this again! Maybe you can address this in the Networking and Social Media post, but I'm really confused about subscribers…I have it so that readers can subscribe either by email or through a reader, but is there a way for me to see who, or at least how many, have subscribed? A number of people have told me they've subscribed, but when I log in to look at it, the number never changes. I'm probably not describing this very well, and I guess it's not really that big of a deal…I'm just curious if my readership is changing over time. Thanks!
Hmmm…are you using FeedBurner? It can fluctuate quite a bit. I would definitely give it a day or two to catch up. You might also check to make sure your settings are all squared away. This post has not yet been updated, but it should still be helpful.
Thanks! cannot wait to go through your blog so that I can find some wisdom!
Glad you stopped by Cherie! I hope it's helpful.
I just wanted to say thank you!!! I basically set up my entire blog by following your steps! Thanks again for easy to follow, simple steps to get a blog up and running
You are very welcome Sarah. I'm so glad I could play a part.
Hi Amy! You've held my hand all through the conception and babyhood of my blog, but now – I've hit some growing pains. If I may do so, I'd love to suggest you write a post or series of posts on dealing with the "awkward teenage years" that comes once you start accumulating fans and you're bigger, but not BIG. Where being featured on a large site (after lots of work to make it happen!) means your web host shuts you down for too much usage and suggests you get a $95 per month plan even though the traffic spike is temporary. Times are tight and I just can't shell out that much for a blog that's running in the negatives still. Does that mean I have to give up my whole grand idea? Oh, and maybe covering that drowning feeling of ACK! What have I gotten myself into!! How did it suddenly become about page rank and numbers and a giant social balancing act of scratching other blogger's backs and all that kind of stuff…. I just want to share my ideas with others who are kinda nerdy and farmy like me and maybe have a few buy my ebook when it's done and make it where my husband doesn't have to work so hard. Surely I'm not the only one feeling all gangly and awkward all of a sudden in their blogging skin and I think others could benefit from your perspective on this. Just an idea…:)
I know exactly what you mean. I know you have a lot of questions in here and perhaps I will write about them in the future, but the one quick thing I thought I would mention is that if your traffic surge is only temporary, I would not upgrade hosting significantly unless you could do it temporarily (not sure if your host would allow that but you might see). Also, make sure you have a caching plugin like W3 Total Cache which should ease the load a bit as well.
Thank you Amy. I signed up with Hostgator via your link when I set up my blog and they are really nice with excellent customer service – they had me drop some plugins and add the caching one last time it happened a month or so ago. This time, the guy went in and made more changes to try to help. I'm still getting sudden CPU usage spikes into the extremely high zone, but it's not matching up with my GA traffic data, though their stats appear to say otherwise. I'm taking Harvard's free online computer science course this fall with my son. Maybe by the end of it, I will understand the whys and can reclaim my nerd status once more.
I wanted to follow this up since I often read comments and wonder… did they ever fix that? and if so how?
I changed two things: checked the handy hotlinking protection box that hostgator has (since I found several sites using my pictures so therefore bandwidth) and disabled my feedburner plug-in (since HG said at the time of the spikes I had a huge number of RSS hits.) Hotlinking protection makes joining blog hops slightly more difficult (you have to upload your picture from your computer each time) plus, no one could pin my images – which I didn't find out about for several days. I disabled the hotlinking protection and my little usage chart is still nice and low with no spikes, even with nice amounts of traffic. In light of feedburner's recent issues, I have to conclude my difficulties were tied in with the plugin acting in some faulty manner. Hopefully, no one else has this problem, but if they do, perhaps this information will help. Thanks!
Hey! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site?
I'm getting sick and tired of WordPress because I've had problems with hackers and I'm looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
I'm using WordPress and have never had trouble with it. I do think some domains may be more prone to hackers although I'm guessing on that. So, I'm not sure if another platform would make a significant difference. But as I said, this is not a problem I've encountered so I'm speculating. I'm sorry I'm not much help here.
Hi, I just discovered your blog. I had tons of spam, not hackers, and I solved it by using the Akismet widget. Hope that helps.
We are a gaggle of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme
in our community. Your site offered us with helpful information to
work on. You've done an impressive task and our whole neighborhood shall be thankful to you.
Hello! I enjoy getting your updates through my email and am taking it all in…. in baby steps! Really presented in such an encouraging positive way – makes me feel like maybe I WILL be able to take on a blog. But, I was wondering if the links are broken to a couple of topics above, "Getting Started" and "Getting Set up"? The rest are "clickable" and lit up in green, while these are just text. Maybe you're updating them and they are temporarily unavailable?
Thank you!
I am now totally convinced that blogging is not for me. lol I just don't think I have enough of anything to say, and reading some of your posts was enough to help me realize that. So, thank you. Now I can just stop trying to force the square peg into the round hole and just enjoy reading other people's blogs and making my pinterest boards bountiful and awesome.
Good for you, Maggie! It's great to know one way or the other for sure. Rock Pinterest!
I just stumbled across your website, and I look forward to applying your advice in my new blog. My blog is more online journaling but I hope to encourage others through it.
Thank you for setting up this free advice for us! I'm following you everywhere now.
Thank you Veronica! I hope I can help along the way. Congrats on your new blog.
Hi Amy, just discovered your site through Jenny at Southern Savers. She recommends you.I am totally new to two things: starting a blog and writing my first book. I had thought about working on both together but now I'm wondering if I should just tackle one at a time. My health will not permit me to spend multiple hours each day on this. In fact I could not work on either some days. Having done both, what is your suggestion? By the way, my degree is in social work so I feel we have something in common right away. And thanks to your ice cream example I finally understand things like domain name, URL, etc. Thank you.
Hi Amy, I’m one of those billions of people that read every aspect of blogging, but never actually take that first jump, and start writing and even publishing what they have written. I found your site a couple of weeks ago and have once again become smitten with the blogging bug. Your presentation style is encouraging, straightforward, and chocked full all the important facts that motivates a person like me to quit sitting on my hands and start writing. Thanks!
Amy, Thank you so much for all of your time and research! I don't think I would have taken the leap if I didn't stumble upon your page. I am in the preliminary stages of site/blog building and you have made it so much easier to learn the lingo! Never thought I would feel like a smarty pants in the online world. lol. Thanks!!
Way to go, Kayla! Glad you took the plunge.
There is a learning curve, but if I can do it without any prior computer/technical knowledge, you can too!
Amy, I am so glad that I found this site. I just started my blog last month and to be honest I have no idea what I'm doing. So like I said I am so so happy to have found you.
Thanks
Thanks for stopping by, Connie!
I like you website, it has told me what I have wanted to know,I just want to share my thoughts/feelings on different subjects now and then. I am an owner operator trucker and I have all day to see and hear a lot all around this great country, and think about it as I roll along. I'll be following you and applying your techniques/advice.Thanks
Thanks for stopping by, Rick!
Hi Amy I love your site, you are a great blogger.I always love to read your posts, you have so much useful info to share.Thank you so much for sharing this.
Hi Amy! I am so excited to find someone who can help me navigate the unknown world of blogging (it's new to me). I have read blogs for years and this is my first attempt to do it on my own. I look forward to learning as much as possible from you as well as the others on this site. Thanks once again for sharing your knowledge!
Glad you stopped by, Sally!
I am just going to jump in both feet and hope and pray for the best! lol My FB page is limited to just my crafts but FB wont let me close it out. Ive tried several times! I am a quick learner for the mmost part and I manage to keep my comp up and running with out the help of an outside source so I figure this cant be that hard to figure out right? I love reading your tips though Amy! You make it all so much easier to understand then many other sites! Plain english! FOr this I thank you! Im not much on 20 dollar words, they dont impress me much when only 2% of the population knows what they mean! lol
You can do it, Shari!
Hi Amy,
I found your page and love how you have laid it all out step by step. I have two questions, and hope you can answer them.
1. Would it be okay to buy my domain via my Blogger site then someday move it all to a different host when I'm really ready to try and monetize the blog?
or
2. Would you recommend off the bat, moving to wordpress.com to restart the blog and buy the domain name?
I'm only about 15 posts in, but seeing an increase in stats as I network.
Thank you for your help!
Hi Dina,
You could do either. If I was in your shoes, I'd stay on Blogger while I see if blogging is for me. Blogger will allow you to monetize. You can move later if you need to. This is a great option if you'd rather not spend the money right away.
Thank you! I appreciate your feedback. I think that's probably what I will do. I don't want to get overwhelmed
HI Amy,
I honestly don't know how you keep up with your emails, but here comes another….
After reading your many instructions, I decided to start a blog via WP, Genesis/Prose. But I'm completely confused on so many fronts. Questions for today:
1) Why—- when I type in the domain.com—- do I see my background/title/nav bar…yet below it reads "Not found, Error 404 (The page you are looking for no longer exists…..).
If you could explain to me (as a beginner) how to fix this I would be so grateful. Otherwise….
2) Should I have not started on WP? I did this because I do ultimately want to monetize/didn't want to "move" things down the road, and everything I've read said WP Genesis/Prose is the combo for "beginners". I am a literal "beginner" and not tecchy at all. Should I have gone another route?
Feeling defeated {sigh}
Thanks for your time!
Such amazing information I wish I started reading it sooner. Hope you can answer a very simple question for me. If I follow your instructions and create a domain name, use a host, and use WordPress to customize it, will I be able to use the WordPress app to post blogs on the go? I started a blog years ago the free way on wordpress and only posted a few times, but want to start over fresh using your instructions.
Thanks so much in advance for any help!
I've never used an app for posting so I can't speak from experience, I'm afraid. I'd google it a bit and see how convenient it is.
Great set of resources, thanks Amy!
Best regards
You're very welcome.
Amy, I did a lot of research before I started my new blog to be sure I knew what I was getting myself into. I was intimidated by all that I didn't know about the more technical side of blogging. Your tutorials keep me coming back because they are easy to read and you don't assume that your readers already know something about each blog post topic. Thank you for sharing what you know with the rest of us!!
You're welcome, Karen, and I'm so glad you find them helpful.
Great tips. Opening a blog is pretty easy however maintaining it and motivating plenty of people to read that, is the genuine concern. There are billions of bloggers on the market although not these produce high rates of online traffic. Only those whose sites are appealing and relevant to a small grouping of people have gained gratitude from readers.
what photoshop do u use. you looking awesome in cover pic
Hi Amy,
I had started a blog just few month ago.Reading by way of your nice content, will help me to do so sometimes. I am looking for "How to increase Blog traffic" . If you have any advice for it, please give us.
Here are all my posts about traffic, Vivek.
Wonderful info. Everyone should check out her blog. It is full of helps for new bloggers!!
Thanks Amy!!
Melanie Self
https://www.simplelifeheartenings.wordpress.com
Okay, so how do I change my WordPress.com to WordPress.org now that I've already set it up, posted articles and paid for a domain name?
Hi Susan, just follow the steps in this post. That will get you a self-hosted WordPress blog. The next thing you want to do is to import your posts and comments from your WordPress.com blog. Tools –> Import. Once your new site is set up, you'll want to point your domain to your new site. You can follow the steps in this post or call your host to have them walk you through. Those are the basic steps!
Amy, thanks so much for all the great content. I love your site. This was a great article. I'm looking into starting a new home based business and need a nice website, did not know where to begin. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome, Treva.
Amy, I am looking forward to learning how to create a blog from you. I am a stay at home mom and part time time college student. I have a lot of hobbies and knowledge I feel like I could share with people. I also would love the networking and building relationships with people that blogging might be able to offer me.
All the best as you begin the journey, Karie. Thanks for hanging out with me.
Hey Amy, have been using your site to help me get my own up and running, so I just wanted to say a thank you for all your sound advice!
Thank you for all the information you share, Amy. I can only imagine the number of hours bloggingwithamy.com has saved me when setting up my blog. You've created a truly invaluable resource.
Thanks for that post. Your post will truly help a new blogger who's having a difficult time on steps to start blogging, Hope to observe more tips from you Amy.
Simple and clear steps on how to start a blog or a website, does the Bluehost have the blogger application?
Hi Peter, do you mean Blogger (owned by Google)? If so, no, you wouldn't set up Blogger via Bluehost.