How to Create a WordPress Blog in 2020
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First of all let us discuss why you need to have a blog and then we’ll discuss about how to create a WordPress blog in 2020 and the parts of it.
You may agree that being online and working online has become a part of our lives considering the impact of COVID-19.
Work from home is becoming a part of our lives and online digital content consumption is skyrocketing as per statista.com
Are you still doubtful you need a blog? Or your own real estate on internet which can consistently build your brand online.
You have thought about it many times.
It was your new year’s resolution to start that perfect blog. But then you thought to yourself will I be able to create it myself.
You are not sure if everything will fall into place. The domain name, web hosting, WordPress blog, the WordPress theme, and more, will it all fall into place.
What if you get stuck at any stage of creating your blog, how will you proceed.
Well, it’s not all that difficult to get started with that perfect blog. As your journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step. Let’s start now.
What steps you need to create a WordPress blog in 2020?
Below are the three main things you need to create a WordPress blog
- Choose the right domain name
- Choose the right web host
- Choose the right design if you’re searching more on how to create a WordPress blog in 2020
- Choose the right WordPress plugins
- Choose the right images and photos
- Choose the right email marketing tools
- Choose the right social sharing tools
1. Choose the right domain name
First things first, you need to find that perfect domain name for your blog. Get a .com domain name.
Find a domain name that is related to your business. Use related keywords in your domain name.
Keep your domain name simple and easy to remember. Brainstorm the domain name with your close friends. Give it some thought. Check my detailed post for more tips on choosing a good domain name
I would recommend you buy the domain name from Namecheap.
2. Choose the right web host
If you choose the right host from the start it will save you a lot of headaches going further.
As you want to concentrate on building your blog and not waste time on technical issues.
It’s best how to create a WordPress blog in 2020, why because not only is the most widely used platform for online publishing but it’s also the easiest.
Siteground is one of the best WordPress hosting providers, hence, it’s best to go with them. They support all the necessary WordPress features that you will require. They offer you many low priced plans for new and small blogs. You can get shared hosting for as low as $3.95 per month and they have excellent support.
How to Install WordPress, create your blog site, start writing posts, create categories, change the theme and more. You can get the answer to all these questions at the detailed WordPress tutorial. This is a detailed easy to digest course for beginners with text and video content.
3. Choose the right design to create a WordPress blog
Your blog design is the first thing your visitors will notice even before they read a single blog post.
If you are looking for someone you develop your website, we provide custom web development which stand out from the crowd with great UI/UX and also possess development skills to include functionality to the website.
The design of the blog needs to be attractive so that you do not put them off. A good design leads to better conversions and builds trust among visitors.
A WordPress theme provides the template or design for the blog. A premium theme is ideal to start with as they are attractive have a regularly updated code. A premium theme will make your blog look more professional. You will get technical support with the premium theme and the theme provider will provide you upgrades, customization, setup, and maintenance that you require. On the other hand, the free theme will not be regularly updated and can be vulnerable to hacker attacks.
Studiopress is a market leader in premium WordPress themes. All the Studiopress themes are powered by Genesis WordPress platform and are used by top social media bloggers. They are more expensive than MythemeShop, but their themes are a cut above the rest.
Genesis framework has many advantages like that it is search engine optimized, responsive designs, supports schema.org and it makes your site secure. Hence it is an all in one solution. For detailed features you can visit their features page.
I have used Mythemeshop for many of my websites. They provide 24×7 support for all their WordPress themes. Currently in May 2020, they have 667045 happy customers. All their themes are responsive. You can check out more details about the theme provide in the MythemeShop review which I had written earlier.
4. Choose the right WordPress Plugins
You can start with installing few plugins, and only a few of them that are required. As having more WordPress plugins can make your site slow or cause compatibility issues. You need some plugins to enhance functionality for SEO, social sharing, email capture and security.
Below are some of the useful plugins
- WordPress SEO by Yoast – for SEO
- W3 Total Cache – this will help to increase speed of your site
- BackupBuddy – backup your entire site and be safe.
- Contact form 7 – to create contact forms
- Sucuri – secure your WordPress site
For more and to see the details about all the required plugins visit my earlier blog post “Top 10 must have WordPress plugins”
5. Choose the right images and photos
There are so many stock photo sites that you will be spoilt for choice. I recommend you go for sites where you can get inexpensive photos, small in size and resolution just right for your blog post images.
Below is the list of few of my recommended sites for getting stock images
The one I am listing first is a market leader with many innovative images and huge stock of images. It not only has images you can get video clips, audio, music clips and more. Hence it is used both my individuals and agencies due to the quality of images they provide.
6. Choose the right email marketing tools
You must have heard it earlier but let me tell you again, money is in your email list. So start collecting emails as soon as you start blogging or even before you start blogging.
I recommend you use GetResponse. It provides you nice email design templates and you can create nice sign-up forms.
It is one of the best email marketing platforms, it contains online campaign management tools, email marketing automation, Landing pages, webinars, campaign analytics. Its an all in one marketing solution so can scale it up as you like so take the first step and try it free for 30 days.
7. Choose the right social sharing and SEO tools
If you are looking for managed SEO services, you can check our affordable seo services for small business.
Now this SEO and social sharing tool which I am going to tell you is a game changer, it is Social Media Poster by SEMrush
SEMrush is one of the leading competitive analysis, SEO and Social media marketing software.
Click here to try SEMrush PRO for free for 14 days
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this post about how to create a WordPress blog in 2020. Please stop procrastinating and get started, if you aim to be successful.
It’s now or never, it’s never too late to get started. All those successful bloggers were newbies at one point of time.
Even the most successful bloggers were skeptical about their success. But one thing separated them from the ones who failed, they never stopped till their goal was achieved.
No matter what comes, there is always a solution to a problem.
Now it’s your turn, get that kickass blog online.
Free Download – The Ultimate List of Digital Marketing Tools
Editors Note: This article was first written in April 2016 and it is recently updated in May ’20
Disclosure: We are a professional blogging site and digital agency that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We review each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.
15 Comments
James Scott
James Scott Posted on: April 18, 2016 8:33 amHello Manish, I like and agree with tips you have mentioned for creating an awesome Wordpress blog. Choosing the right web host is essential. Yes I find Siteground and Cloudways managed WordPress hosting as the best.
Manish Raaval
Manish Raaval Posted on: April 19, 2016 5:06 amThank you for the comment. Glad that you found the post useful and yes choosing the right host at the start will help you to avoid the issues later on.
Mikki
Mikki Posted on: April 23, 2016 8:32 pmWhat a great post. Lots of great ideas and info.
Manish Raaval
Manish Raaval Posted on: April 25, 2016 8:34 pmThank you Mikki for the kind words. Glad you found the ideas useful.
Vince Comfort
Vince Comfort Posted on: April 30, 2016 9:16 amGreat post Manish, This sure is a one stop spot for any one to get started with blogging. Thanks
Manish Raaval
Manish Raaval Posted on: May 2, 2016 6:41 pmHi Vince, Thank you for the kind words. Glad you found the tips useful. Hope to hear more from you. Best Manish Raaval
Anna
Anna Posted on: April 30, 2016 12:52 pmGreat tips!!! This is very useful for new bloggers starting out. ~Anna www.pepepredinstyle.com
Manish Raaval
Manish Raaval Posted on: May 2, 2016 6:39 pmThank you for the kind words Anna. Glad you found the tips useful.
Marissa
Marissa Posted on: April 30, 2016 1:52 pmI am always amazed at how many people want help with wordpress, and yet it supposed to be so user-friendly - great tips for those just starting out though.
Manish Raaval
Manish Raaval Posted on: May 2, 2016 6:37 pmHi Marissa, Thank you for the comment. Yes, WordPress is user-friendly hence it is widely used. Glad you found the tips useful.
Tori
Tori Posted on: April 30, 2016 2:20 pmThese are all great tips for starting your own blog. Thanks for reminding me about buffer... been meaning to try it out! Tori www.TheMamaNurse.com
Manish Raaval
Manish Raaval Posted on: May 2, 2016 6:33 pmHi Tori, Thank you for the kind words. Glad you liked the tips. Yes Buffer does reduce your work of scheduling social posts. Manish
Sourav
Sourav Posted on: May 1, 2016 6:01 amHello Manish, I am using GoDaddy as my host. Even though people say some negative things about them, I haven't faced any issues yet. Site speed and uptime is great so far. I will check out some theme options, as I am still using a free theme.
Manish Raaval
Manish Raaval Posted on: May 2, 2016 6:31 pmHi Sourav, I believe Godaddy is good when you are starting out, going further when your blog grows you probably need a more professional hosting provider. Let me know if you need any help with themes. All the best.
Luana Spinetti
Luana Spinetti Posted on: May 4, 2016 4:50 pmGreat get-started post, Manish! I have yet to give Sucuri a try, but I'm in love with Yoast SEO and SumoMe. They really make life easier. I started as a hobbyist web developer, so I like to design my own WP themes (at least, when I have enough time to dedicate to coding and testing). Did you know about Pixabay.com for free public domain stock photos? ~ Luana