Launching a blog in 2021 can seem daunting. Identifying a niche you are truly passionate about and want to contribute to is difficult. Carrying that motivation with you through the weeks of planning and brainstorming is hard. Finding the perfect name and tag line that truly reflects not only what you hope to bring to your audience but also why is near impossible. If you’ve made it to this point, you are 95% of the way there. The technical side? It might seem overwhelming but compared to what you have already accomplished, it is easy, and I will walk you through it. Come with me as we explore how to launch a successful WordPress blog in 2021.
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Table of Contents
Setting up Web-Hosting and Registering Your Domain Name
Before you can start designing your blog, you will need to set up your web hosting and register a domain name. Your web host will provide the server resources to deliver your content. Your domain name will be the URL visitors will use to visit your site.
With web hosting, there are three* primary factors for you to consider- cost, price, and support. One major decision will impact all three: shared vs managed hosting.
*we do not specifically mentioned up time as 99.#% has become a fairly universal benchmark and expectation. Any provider who cannot claim at least 99.5% uptime is not worth your time.
Shared vs Managed Hosting
Speed
With a shared hosting account, your site will run off a server shared with (potentially) hundreds of other sites sharing its resources. This pool of resources can make the performance of your site less reliable as another site on your server may have heavy traffic and pull resources away from you. If you elect to go with shared hosting look for a provider with WordPress only servers which will ensure they are best optimized for your needs.
Cost
You can secure a shared hosting account for less than $10 a month. An average managed hosting account might run you around 3+ times that amount. Many hosting providers will offer a heavily discounted rate for the first year but the renewal price may be quite high. Make sure to consider the renewal price before making your choice.
Support
With a managed account, you are partially paying for reliable support. You will often have more direct access to quicker responses from teams better trained in the issues you will face.
The performance of a hosted plan, and the user experience it provides, cannot be overstated. However, if budget is a concern, and you don’t already have a built-in audience, a quality shared plan provides you a foundation upon which to grow. WordPress is fairly portable, so if you outgrow your shared plan (congratulations you are doing a lot of things right!) migrating to a hosted plan at that point will always be an option.
Registering Your Domain Name
We address registering your domain after selecting a web host, as often your web host may provide domain hosting for free or at a discounted rate. Check their pricing vs a service such as namecheap. Domains exist with a myriad of extensions. The common recommendation is to stick with the universally recognized .com. If your chosen name is not available, it may tempt you to go with a different extension, but .com continues to be the safest option.
When purchasing your registration, review the expiration policy. You will almost always have the option to renew your domain before it expires, but if you forget you don’t want someone else to grab it from you. Many providers will allow you a grace period before reselling your name.
It may also be worth checking social media to see if the name you are about to register is available. Having a consistent presence across all platforms is key to building and communicating with your community.
Bluehost Review – Our Experience With Our Current Web Host
There are thousands of web hosts to choose from, but only a small portion offer the pricing, infrastructure, and expertise to provide you the best chance to succeed. I elected to go with Bluehost and selected their basic three-year plan. Opinions on Bluehost are mixed. They are one of a few web hosts recognized directly by WordPress and are the backbone of over 2 million sites. Blurring the line is the fact that Bluehost also has a high affiliate program, meaning there is an incentive for bloggers to promote them to others. This conflict of interest calls any recommendation into question.
The reality is that Bluehost is a reasonable option for those on a budget, who expect to take some time to build up their blog and incoming traffic. Six months in, I have found their hosting to be reliable and the speed to hold up to the traffic I currently have. If I outgrow them, that will be a fantastic problem to have. I wanted enough of a runway to build a community and provide myself with every chance to be successful. To date, Bluehost has provided that.
To get started with BlueHost, and secure the lowest monthly rate, simply click this link
Page Speed
One of the most determinate factors to the success of your blog will be the user experience. The primary key to keeping users engaged? Speed! Study after study has shown that the longer your site takes to load the more potential audience you lose. Thankfully, there are a couple of tools designed to help you identify and resolve issues impacting the speed of your site. Google provides one called PageSpeed Insights. Since Google will be one of your best sources of traffic, we will focus on their tool to see how your new blog performs.
Blue Host Speed
On Bluehost, PageSpeed Insights reports our site speed peaked at 96/100 for desktop and 88 for mobile. These numbers resulted in us passing each of Google’s six speed benchmarks and resulted in no identified bottlenecks. We hit these numbers on post pages and a custom landing page we created ourselves with images, transitions, and a reasonable amount of JS. Other services such as gtmetrix.com have scored us a perfect 100% for performance.
If You Plan to Run Ads
Ads are the most universal method of monetizing a blog. They also have an adverse impact on your site’s speed. Google recently welcomed our site into the google AdSense network. This code has slowed the site and lowered our rankings within google search results. With some work, we have been able to hit a score of 92 on desktop and 73 on mobile. We expect there are still some improvements we can make, but if running ads is in your immediate plans, there may be better hosting options for you. While Gtmetrics continues to score us at a 98%, our fall down the google rankings leads us to believe that Google’s tool may provide better insight into their confidence in your page.
Bluehost Cost
The basic plan provides you three years of hosting, along with one year registration of the domain of your choice. After the first year, it appears you will have the option to auto renew the domain registration at a rate of ~$12 a year. This rate is in line with other providers. The rate for the domain registration works out to ~3.95 a month for three years which is fantastic as long as the service holds up.
Bluehost provides a free SSL certificate, but it is a shared cert through Let’s Encrypt. The merits of shared SSL certificates are contentious, so this may be something to revisit in the future and a possible additional cost.
Other options such as:
- Domain Privacy- to attempt to keep your personally identifiable information unpublished
- Dedicated IP- required in order to get a “true” SSL and to make email management easier
- Automated Backups*- to protect against site wide losses
Are skipped, through a dedicated IP and SSL may need to be revisited in the future. The process is straightforward, and I soon have a “coming soon” site with WordPress pre-installed. Backups are vital, but several free options exist for this need.
Invested to this point– ~$142
Next year cost – ~$12 (renewing our domain name)
How to Install WordPress
Once you have selected a web host and domain name, you can log in to your dashboard.
Navigate to your web host (ie bluehost.com) -> sign in.
Look on the left navigation for “word press” or “one click installs” (if you do not see it look for a “marketplace” option and then for WP or one click installs). During the install you will be asked to provide a title for your blog and set up a name and email for your admin user.
After the install, they will provide you with a username and password. Save this information in a secure place, you will use it to sign into your new blog to publish posts and give it your own look and feel.
This is the end of the technical work! Navigate to the URL of your site followed by /wp-login and sign in to your new site and then take a quick break. When you get back, we will explore your new WordPress blog and do some basic setup to make it look and feel your own.
Making Your WordPress Blog Your Own
To sign in to your WordPress site you can type in the URL of your site followed by /wp-login. You may wish to bookmark this page to make it easy to access. Once you log in, you will see your WordPress dashboard along with a left navigation menu which includes all the sections and options you need to make your blog your own.
How to Enable SSL/HTTPS and Configure Permalink Settings
The first thing we are going to do is make a couple of security tweaks to provide your visitors peace of mind when visiting your site. First, we will change our default WordPress and site address from http:// to https:// we do this because a http:// address can cause a “this page is not secure” warning to your audience.
Navigate to Settings->General
While you are here, check your site title and tagline, if they are missing, or you would like to change them, do that now.
You will see two boxes – one labeled ‘WordPress Address’ and one labeled ‘Site Address(URL)’. If the URL in these boxes start with http:// update them to start with https:// (leave the rest of the address which should be your sites URL).
Changing your Permalink Settings to Make Your URLs More Readable:
WordPress offers several options on how you would like the URL of new posts to read. The default may not be the best, as it creates a URL with a digit string at the end which doesn’t truly reflect your content. This is simple to change:
Navigate to settings->permalink
The most common suggestion is to use post name as the URL for new posts, but including the date or a custom structure can work as well, just be cognizant that you don’t want your URLs to become too long.
How to Chose and Enable a WordPress Theme:
Navigate to Appearance->Themes
A theme pulls together a lot of design elements to provide a consistent look to your blog. There are thousands of themes available, some are paid, some are free.
Advantaged and Disadvantages of a Free WordPress Theme
Pros– Popular free themes are used by millions of users so the code base and performance is well established and you will most likely be able to find answers to any issues you might run into.
Cons– Limited to no direct support. Customization options are often limited, combine this with the large user base and your blog may not feel as unique as you might desire.
Suggested free themes to consider- Look for a theme that has a decent community. This makes your blog a little less unique, but it provides some assurance that the theme will continue to be supported and updated. The Inimitable Path runs on Astra with our homepage being our own design.
Advantaged and Disadvantages of a Paid WordPress Theme
Pros– Typically a paid theme will provide more customization options than their free counterparts. This along with the increased barrier of entry(cost) can result in a blog which looks and feels a little more your own.
Cons– The cost not only works as a barrier to entry but it can also result in you being more hesitant to change if it doesn’t quite meet your needs in the future.
Before deciding on a theme you will want to consider:
- Is the theme being supported? The details of a theme will tell you the last time the author updated it.
- Look for a demo site running that theme and use a tool like PageSpeed Insights to ensure it loads quickly.
Besides your chosen theme, you may want to set up a backup default theme. If something were to go wrong and your current theme failed to load, the default theme would act as a fallback and ensure your blog remains accessible.
Creating Branding- How to Create a Logo to Identify Your Brand
Let’s make your blog reflect your brand! Most themes will allow you to set a logo which will appear across your entire site. From the WordPress dashboard
navigate to appearance->Customize->General Settings->Site Identity->Logo
The first option you will see is Logo where you will upload an image you would like to display at the top of each page. The suggested size depends on your selected theme.
I initially designed a basic two-toned header with the sight name side by side with the basic tag line:
You will see a slider where you can set the logo width. If you click on the computer icon, it will switch to show you how it will appear on a tablet. Clicking this icon again will show you a mobile view.
You can additionally set a site title and tagline to display either inline or just below your logo image. We have included our tagline as part of the logo image and have both the title and tagline set to not display. Toggle these options on and off and decide what looks best for your blog.
Your site now has a slight bit of color and branding!
Another simple option for a logo is a letter logo where you take the initials of your site and lay them out next to one another. From here you have several options:
- If the letters share a common line or curve you can sort of merge them from that element
- You can rotate letters or mix their cases which might present an opportunity
- You can remove lines and abstract the letters as long as we can still associate it with your brand
I took the initials of my site IP and noted that I and P could both share the I. Within Adobe Illustrator, I then added the spelled out name below it and made turned the P into a series of three overlaid circles each shaded slightly different tones of the green in my identity colors. It is simple but effective:
A Fresh Start
Most default WordPress installs came with several preinstalled themes, plugins, and core pages such as home. Our first steps will be to remove everything. Unused plugins present a small security risk and, if left enabled, could impact the response time of our site. In deleting the default pages, we can start from a blank slate.
How to Remove Unneeded WordPress Themes
We’ll start by removing any extra themes by
navigating to appearance->Themes
Here you will see a tile for each theme you currently have installed. Your active theme will say ‘Active’ and have a blue ‘Customize’ box at the bottom. You may wish to leave one other theme as a backup. You can remove the remaining themes by:
- Hovering over the theme you wish to remove
- A black box will appear with the label “Theme Details”- click this button
- A delete button will appear in the lower right-hand corner- click this button
How to Remove Unneeded WordPress Plugins
Your new site may currently run several plugins that you will not have a use for. By removing them you can make your site slightly more secure, slightly faster, and give yourself the freedom to use the plugins best suited to your needs. To remove plugins you do not have a need for:
Navigate to Plugins->Installed Plugins
- The main window will display a list of all plugins currently installed on your site
- Check the checkbox before the name of the plug-ins you wish to remove
- Near the bottom of the screen you will see a drop-down box labeled “Bulk Actions”
- Click that box and select “deactivate” and click apply
- Select the check boxes next to the plugins you wish to remove one more time
- This time select the item “delete” from the bulk actions drop-down
- Click apply one last time
How to Remove the Default WordPress Posts and Pages
One last step before we start creating content! We will now clear out the placeholder post and pages (we will later replace them with our own).
To remove the placeholder pages:
Navigate to Pages->All pages
- Click the checkbox next to each listed page
- Select “move to trash” from the bulk actions drop-down
- Hit Apply
To remove the placeholder post (s):
Navigate to Posts->All posts
- Click the checkbox next to each listed page
- Select “move to trash” from the bulk actions drop-down
- Hit Apply
How to Create an About Page, Contact Page, and Privacy Policy
Google, and your future audience expects all blogs to have what it considers “core” pages:
• About Us- A page to explain who you are, what your blog is about, and why you created it, this is a wonderful way to explain your core mission to your readers.
• Contact Us: A page for readers to get in touch should include a direct contact form. Can additionally include your social media handles and email address.
• Privacy Policy-This page should tell visitors what information you collect, how long you store it, for how long, and how they can request its deletion. WordPress provides a start here which address things such as their default comment section and user registration.
As you layer additional plugins into your site, you may need to supplement the baseline privacy policy to disclose these third parties.
- Disclaimer- A statement to show that the contents of your side are for educational purposes/entertainment only and should not be taken as advice.
How to Build a WordPress Navigation Menu:
Now that we have several pages built out, we need to provide readers with a straightforward way to navigate between them.
Navigate to Appearance->Menus
and create a new menu giving it a simple title. On the left of the screen you will see a searchable list of the pages you just created. Place a check next to them(or hit select all) and click the button labeled “add to Menu”. If you indent a page under another, you will make it appear as a sub-item within the menu.
You can chose to have new pages added automatically to your menu upon creation by checking that option under Menu Settings. We have this option turned off to have a little more control over how our menu appears.
Your site now has a nice menu across all pages!
How to Create Your First Post in WordPress
You are ready to publish your first post!
Navigate to Posts->Add New
The main element of the post screen is essentially a basic text editor. Click on the words “Add Title” and add a title for your first post. In the near future, we will discuss ways in which you can optimize your titles but for now simply ensure it reflects the essence of your post.
After you have given your post a title, click the “Start writing” and write out your first post! As you type a toolbar will appear hovering above your text. Much like the ribbon in Microsoft Word, this toolbar gives you easy access to formatting options you will use often as you write:
- A paragraph symbol- clicking on this icon allows you to define the type of text. Common options are:
- Standard paragraph- most of the body of your post will be this
- Heading- Allows you to define sections of your post. If you add a table of contents, it will be built off of these sections. Headings are a great area to place keywords to help google and visitors who prefer to scan an article determine what your post is about.
- List- allows you to create simple bullet lists. Lists are a good way to break up a post of paragraphs.
- Alignment- allows you to set the text alignment of a block of text to right, center, or left aligned.
- Bold, Italicized- the next two options allow you to bold or italicize selected text. These options can be combined.
- Link- allows you to make your selected text a hyperlink either to your own content or external references.
- A down carrot- provides access to a second-level menu of additional options including text color
- Three vertical dots
- Show more settings- will provide additional options in the side bar including drop cap and font family and size.
- You will also see options to move the block you are currently working on, insert additional blocks before or after, delete the entire block, or access and HTML editor.
How to Set a Featured Image in WordPress
Before you publish your first post to the world there are a couple of final options that will make your post reflect all of your hard work. At the top of the block editor on the right sidebar you will see a tab titled “post”. On the post tab you will see a heading titled “featured Image”. Click on the gray box containing the words “set a featured image”. The editor will present you with the option to upload in image for your post, grab it from your google photos account, or use a free photo from Pexels free library.
How and Why to Set a Post Excerpt in WordPress
Just below where you set your featured image is the final setting you will want to make before publishing your first post. A section titled “except”. This section allow you to summarize the key features of your post and notifies search engines to display it in search results.
Hit the Blue Publish button at the top right of the screen to publish your post and show it to the world!
Next Steps
Take a few days to relax! Come back in the near future to dig into the world of WordPress plugins, social media, and search engines. All of this as we continue down our path to launch a successful WordPress blog in 2021!
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