How To Set Up A Blog in 7 Steps

By T Godfrey

It seems everyone has a blog these days: Journalists who want to share the story beyond the story; teenagers who want to share the details of their lives with their friends and families; and businesses that want to establish a loyal customer base.

A blog is an essential marketing tool for all internet marketers and online business owners. Fortunately, learning how to set up a blog is actually quite simple.

Decide on a domain name. The first step in learning how to set up a blog is to decide on a domain name for your blog. You can set up a blog for free at such sites as Blogger.com. However, if you want to present yourself and your business professionally, it's better to purchase your own domain name. Additionally, make sure that when you register a domain name that you are the owner of the domain name rather than the domain registrant company holding ownership.

Purchase Web hosting. Once you have a domain name, you'll be able to purchase Web hosting. The good news is Web hosting is relatively affordable, and you can find hosting for as little as seven dollars a month. Purchasing Web hosting is essential in learning how to set up a blog.

Use Word Press. Word Press is the most popular blogging platform. Many Web hosts make setting up a Word Press blog simple. If your Web host offers Fantastico, you simply need to log in to your control panel, click on Fantastico, click on Word Press, and follow the simple steps.

If you really want to know how to set up a blog yourself, however, you can manually install Word Press by going to http://www.wordpress.com and downloading Word Press. Follow the instructions and within five minutes, you'll be ready to go.

Choose a theme for your blog. Word Press allows you to choose from one of hundreds of themes for your blog. The best news is Word Press themes are free. Choose a theme that meshes with your blog's topic. If you're computer-savvy, you can design your own blog theme.

Customize your blog's theme. Customizing your blog's theme isn't essential, especially if you don't know what you're doing. But, if you do have the skills to customize your blog, do it. Even a few subtle changes to the theme will help you set your blog apart from anyone else with a blog that has the same theme.

Write and publish your first blog entry.

Once your theme is finished, you're ready to write your first blog entry. The most successful blog entries are those that are timely and newsworthy.

If you follow the preceding steps, you'll now know how to set up a blog with ease. Remember, the key to your blogging success is to aggressively market your blog and post newsworthy, thought-provoking entries on a regular basis.

About the Author:
Tim Godfrey is the founder of the exclusive internet marketing tips resource, RocketTheProfit. To learn how to generate automated cash from your blog, check out our free 3-part blogging profits course.

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