Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings

Do you have something to say that you think the whole world should know about? Blogs are a great way to share your thoughts, ideas, and reflections with the internet community. You can improve your skills as a writer and become familiar with it. WordPress is one of the most popular blogging services out there, and setting up a new blog is done in minutes. See Step 1 below for how to do this.

To step

1. Visit the WordPress website. Click "Get Started" on the left side of the page to start signing up for a new blog. This will create a blog on the WordPress site. Making money from your site is not possible, but it is free.
   • Many professional bloggers prefer to host their WordPress blog under their own domain (example.com instead of example.wordpress.com). To do this you need your own web host.
2. Enter your information. Fill in all the required fields and click "Create Blog." You must now enter a valid email address and create a WordPress username. Click on “Create Blog” below the list of features to create your free blog. Make sure you read the general terms and conditions of use! You will now have the option to hide the wordpress name from your URL for an annual fee.
3. Create a web address for your blog. During the sign-up process, you will be asked to provide a web address (URL) for your blog. Once you've done this, you can't change it, but you can always create a new blog for the same account if you want a new URL.
4. Get your activation email. After registering, you will receive an email with an activation link that you must click on to activate your account. Go to your email and activate the blog by clicking on "Activate Blog". Once you have activated the blog, a new window will appear, the "Dashboard." The Dashboard is the central point from which you can update the blog.
5. Give your blog a title. On the left side of the dashboard, click the "Settings" tab and select "General". At Settings you can enter a title for your blog, a tagline (site description), change your e-mail address, adjust privacy settings and arrange other things. Take the time to research and familiarize yourself with all of the dashboard's capabilities.
6. Come up with a theme for your blog. One of the most important parts of your blog is the theme. A theme is a color scheme and specific layout that gives your blog a recognizable and unique look. Explore the various themes of WordPress by clicking the "Appearance" tab on the left side of the dashboard. Browse through the themes and select one that you find matches the topic of your blog.
   • You can change the theme at any time.
   • Some themes are "Premium" and must be purchased first.
7. Create your first blog post. Go to the left side of the dashboard and click on the "Posts" tab and then "Add New". Give your post a title and start writing! With your first article, introduce your topic and immediately grab the reader's attention when visiting your site for the first time.
8. Manage your widgets. Every WordPress blog has a collection of widgets. These are on the right side of your blog's homepage. Some popular widgets include a search function, a Facebook "Like" option and an Archive link.
   • To add or remove widgets, move the mouse over the title of your blog in the top left corner. A drop-down menu will appear.
   • Click on the "Widgets" link. From this position you can now drag and drop the available widgets you want in the widget boxes on the right side of the screen.
   • Remove the widgets you don't like by dragging them from the widget box back to "available widgets".
9. Add pages to your blog. A WordPress blog can consist of multiple pages, in addition to the main page where your most important posts are posted. Pages are a great way to bring order to the various content you have posted on your blog. For example, you can have a "Contact" page to give your visitors an opportunity to get in touch with you, or with your company. To create a new page, go to the drop-down menu from step 8, click "New" and then "Page". Give your page a new title and write the text for that page in the box below.
10. Make your blog different than usual. There are countless blogs in circulation. If you want yours to stand out from the crowd, you'll have to put time and energy into your blog to make it unique.
11. Promote your blog. Once your blog is up and running, you want to attract as many readers as possible. This means that you will have to follow as many promotional channels as possible, such as social media, e-mail and Twitter.

Tips

• WordPress is constantly adding new themes to choose from. Look around every now and then and who knows, you might find a theme that fits your blog even better than your current theme.
• This article will cover the simpler side of starting a blog. If you have other questions that require a more detailed answer, please visit www.wordpress.com and click Support. Wordpress also has several excellent articles and videos to help you improve your blog.

Warnings

• Always be careful what you blog about. You never know who is reading your blog. Avoid telling too much about yourself online.
• Always save your changes on time!