Hello, Dear Fellow Blogger!
If you are reading this text, you are probably having a blog on a different from WordPress platform, or considering to start!
So the question “How to create a blog with WordPress?” is very relevant and here you will find the following answers:
1. What is WordPress and where to find it?
2. Why should you use WordPress?
3. How to create your blog with WordPress?
4. Which are the crucial components of WordPress that you will have to be aware?
What is WordPress?
It is an open source software, elaborated for websites’ creation. A lot of people have worked around it to make it the most 
popular website building tool in the world at present.
It is like the technology,
the “black box”
behind your website content. Maybe around the whopping 30% of the websites are created with WordPress!
I also joined this vast community and planned to stay there, only because everything works fine for me and I have no single reason to switch to another service!
WordPress gives you two options to proceed: WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
Let’s have a brief look at them and understand the differences between them.
WordPress.com
If you choose the “.com” option, you are receiving the hosting service, as well. You don’t need to take care of a hosting service or to pay for it. You don’t also need to install software.
On the other hand, you have to “swallow” the fact you will have the extension “WordPress.com” on your domain name. Another downside is you will not be able to customize your website with themes and plugins.
WordPress.org
If you choose the “.org” option for your blog, you will have to take care of hosting your site.
But what you receive is freedom – to buy your domain name, to fully customize your blog with themes, plugins and additional coding, if needed.
So, hosting.com versus freedom.org?
I vote with two hands for the WordPress.org option!
It is my personal choice, as well. It is very user-friendly, you can do it your way. As for the hosting, there are a lot of solutions.
I will tell you my approach at the end of the text.
Installing WordPress is very easy.
Usually, you will do it through your hosting provider who will guide you the process.
But in a nutshell – you go on www.wordpress.org and click on the righthand side the big blue button “download WordPress.”
Then you have detailed instructions about the next steps.
Why Should You Use WordPress?
I will give you two main reasons:
1. Because it WORKS JUST FINE!
2. Because it is FREE!
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so popular.
How To Create Your Blog With WordPress?
When you have your WordPress framework installed, you will have your login details, like Username and Password. Thus, you will be able to enter your back office as I call it.
In the back office, you will find all the menus, and you will be able to build and run your blog, to make all customization, to create and publish posts, etc.
It’s like the cockpit of the Formula 1 Car.
OK, I am joking:) It is not that complicated. I am not computer savvy at all, and have no issues with the back end, as it is very intuitive and has a user-friendly interface.
The back office menu is positioned on the left and includes the following main buttons:
Dashboard – is like the home button which gives you the bird’s eye view on your website functionalities;
Posts – from here you manage your posts – creating, designing, editing and publishing them;
Media – here you control your visuals – you can upload and store all beautiful photos and videos you will use for your posts;
Pages – this is the place you design your website menu and the pages you will include: like “Home,” “About me,” “Contact,” etc.;
Comments – as a blogger, you will want to interact with your audience – receiving questions, comments and feedback, and of course answering them. This is the section, where you control that part of your blog;
Appearance – as the name of this section suggests, from here you control the layout of your website – how it will look like, colors, fonts, size and positioning of the different elements. This is the place where you install your theme;
Plugins – this is the place where you can connect and uninstall the plugins for your website;
Users – here you define who is the administrator of the site and who is allowed to publish and edit content;
Settings – in this section, you set some general rules, like for example whether the Home page will be static or dynamic.
WATCH this video on WordPress dashboard.
Now, let’s see
Which are the critical components of WordPress that you will have to be aware?
Themes
One of the opportunities given in terms of appearance is choosing a theme.
This is the “face” of your website.
You can choose from many (literally thousands) “faces” or themes – there are a lot of independent theme designers. Some of them are free, some of them are paid.
Usually, the paid ones include more features and extras in them, plus guidance and support, but it is not necessarily to go with paid one.
There are lots of excellent free examples. And you can always start with one theme and switch/upgrade to another one!
There are two ways to find themes on the Internet.
The first is to visit the WordPress.org website. There you will find a menu called “Themes.” Go there and click on “Popular” submenu. There you will find almost 3 000 themes.
When you click on a theme, you will see its details, and you can read the reviews about it. You can see how it would look like in a real situation, through the preview menu option. And finally, you can download it.
The second way to search for a theme is to type in Google “themes for WordPress” or similar. A lot of results will appear, including many reviews, which will help you make your decision easier.
Plugins
Plugins are small pieces of software, which serve as extensions of the core features of the WordPress themes.
Think of them as “extras.”
They can be instrumental to add functionalities to your website or to achieve an even higher level of customization. There are plugins literally for everything.
In WordPress.org you can find them on “Plugins” menu (there are more than 50 000). You will find a search bar where you will have to type in the name of the plugin or a broad keyword of the topic of interest.
The other option is that you search on Google for reviews and read comments before you proceed.
Similar to themes, plugins could be free or paid. Some of them have both free and paid levels. Very often you don’t need paid ones to have a beautiful and well-functioning blog.
Just one note here!
Plugins are something good and sometimes “must have” opportunity. But you should not overuse them. If you have too many of them, this will lead to slowing down your blog. You don’t want to have this happen, as the site speed is essential for your blog visibility.
Learn HERE how to add Google Analytics to your website.
My Approach
I’ve already mentioned that I use WordPress.com version.
But this is just the technical framework. Without great content, not a single blog can be successful.
This is like if one has the most powerful and fast car in the world, but he or she is not a good driver and uses just 10% of its features!
Well, imagine WordPress is the car, but you are the driver (in your case – the blogger:)
In my case, I decided to improve my skills to be a successful internet marketer and blogger.
I found the best opportunity to do master my skills and became a member or WealthyAffiliate.com community. You can see what it is about, as well.
By the way, I have created a text with useful tips what is the best way to start a blog to make money. You can check it HERE.
Are You Ready To Blog?
My idea today was to give you enough basic knowledge how to create a blog with WordPress. You learned three crucial points:
1. Where to go and what to look for, to create a WordPress account;
2. Where to rule your website from;
3. What are the WordPress supplementary components and how to find them?
I am sure you will play around and dig deeper into all these topics. Due to WordPress popularity, there are a lot of supporting materials to find on the Internet.
But most importantly, whatever you decide – TAKE ACTION! You are the responsible one!
I would love to hear from you! If you need my opinion, or just want to say Hi and leave a comment below! I will respond you!
Happy “WordPress” blogging:)
Tony
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