Complete Guide to Set Up a WordPress Blog and Make Money

Source www.lifelearningtoday.com

Are you a writer? Would you like to make some good money writing about topics that interest you? Then starting a blog is something that I highly recommend. Because of my experience and success, I’ve had a couple friends and family members ask me how to set this up. I thought I would share it with everyone here for free.

This is a Complete guide to starting a WordPress Blog and earning money from it. And as a bonus you can download a free checklist to keep you on track. Here are the topics that will be covered:

1. Create Blog File
2. Picking a Domain Name
3. Sign Up with a Web Host:
4. Point Domain to Web Host.
5. Install WordPress
6. Login to WordPress
7. Install WordPress Theme
8. Set Up Permalinks
9. Install Plugins
10. Set Up RSS with FeedBurner
11. Set Up Google Analytics
12. Making Money – Set Up Advertising
13. Getting Traffic to Your Blog
14. Learning More
15. Can Someone Do This For Me? Yes!

What Is a Blog?

A blog is a website that has some automatic organizing features included in it. Your theme, the look and feel of your website, will be consistent on every page. Your readers will find navigating your website very easy if it is in the blog format. They can browse by category, tags, or date. And you can make money all while offering your content free to your readers. How?

How Blogs Make Money

Blogs make money through having advertisements on them and also by selling products or services. I will cover all of this in detail in Step 12 below. For now, know that if you are persistent in building your blog, your content, and your readership, over time you will have the potential to make good money. How much?

Some people make very little and give up. Don’t do that! When starting out, you might only make a few dollars a month while you are building your readership. Over time you could quite easily earn an extra $1000 per month from advertising revenues. Some top bloggers make a full living off their blog earning 5 or 6 figure incomes. And their are the tippity top blogs that earn in the millions. Your income potential is only limited by your belief and the work you put in.

Of course you will need to be persistent and stick with it even when it seems like things are going nowhere. Build your network of blogging friends over time and compare notes, ask for feedback and share learnings with each other. And, of course, continually provide great content for your readers and they will reward you with loyalty and referrals.

Complete Guide to Setting Up a WordPress Blog

There is a ton of information available on making money through blogging. This post will give you the steps for setting up a WordPress blog, customizing it, getting traffic to your blog, and how to make money from your blog. I promise to offer details where it is necessary and help make things simpler where there is already a lot of complexity and confusion. There are other blogging platforms out there, but none compares to WordPress. It is the most popular and the easiest to use. It is also free. (Your only costs will be domain registration – about $10/year and web hosting – about $6.95/month.)

I’ll guide you to getting the most important things done so you’ll get off to the right start. Then once your blog is up and running, you will have enough knowledge and experience to search the internet for information that will allow you to hone your blog even further. For now, this guide will be all you need.

There are many steps, but with this post and the free Blog Setup Checklist (free excel download), you can complete this quickly, in a day or two working full time, or you can spread it out over as much time as you need. The Blog Setup Checklist will help you keep track of where you left off and a place to write down notes or questions to follow up on at a later time.

The Best Way to Use this Guide

Bookmark this page. Download the WordPress Blog SetUp Checklist (free excel document). Check off your progress and follow the steps one by one right online with this post.

The Steps to Setting Up a WordPress Blog, Building Traffic, and Earning Money

1. Create a BLOG FILE.

This is where you will keep all the usernames, passwords, affiliate codes, login URL’s, instructions and anything else relating to your blog so that you can reference them whenever you need to. There will be a lot of them, so start this right away and be diligent about putting every new item into it.

The easiest way to do this is to create a text file or a Word document. This way you can just copy and paste the information into your BLOG FILE. When you need to find a particular item, just use the “Find” feature in your text file or Word document to search for the information you need. If you want you could use a notebook instead or any other method you like.

For each item that you enter into your BLOG FILE, type a title of what the information is. (Example: “Web Host Username and Password”) This will make searching for the information easier in the future.

2. Choose a Domain Name.

This is the name of your blog (www.YourBlogName.com). You can check on availability at GoDaddy.com . You can also purchase your domain name there. That is where I keep my domains. I like to keep my domain name separate from my web host in case I ever need to switch web hosts (which I have done in the past.) When you switch registrars, you can experience prolonged downtime of your blog which you don’t want.

GoDaddy.com is a low cost provider with excellent service ($10/year). If you want you can wait to purchase the domain name from your web host in Step #3. When you do purchase, it’s important to know that Google search engines give more favor to sites who have bought their domain for longer than 1 year.

When choosing a name think about how you want to brand your blog. You can choose a name related to your blog’s theme, you could choose to brand with your own name, or you can make up a name that sounds cool. Or you could do some combination of those. Usually “.com” is preferable to other extensions such as “.net” or because it makes it easier for people to remember. Everyone thinks “.com” but if you can only get “.net” with your favorite name that should be fine.

When it comes to picking a domain name I suggest brainstorming on paper first. Mindmaps are helpful for generating ideas. Get feedback from some people about the names you’ve picked. Then click over to GoDaddy.com to check availability. You may need to modify some of the names you thought of. They will also make suggestions for you too.

3. Sign Up with a Web Host.

A web host is the company that will store all the files of your blog and serve them via the web to your readers. I recommend using BlueHost as your web host. They are the #1 on WordPress’s list of recommended web hosts. Here’s some info about BlueHost:

• $6.95/month (at the time of this writing)
• unlimited hosting space, unlimited file transfers, and unlimited domains.
• If you decide to register your domain with them, the first domain for the first year is free.
• $25 credit towards Yahoo ads and $50 towards Google ads for promoting your blog.
• 24/7 Support via phone, online LiveChat, and Support Forums

They offer an excellent deal. Once you sign up, be sure to put all the info they send you into your BLOG FILE. There are others, but BlueHost is the best in terms of both price and quality. And it is super easy to sign up right online.

4. Point Your Domain to Your Web Host.

Once you are signed up with your web host, you now need to tell your registrar (GoDaddy) to point your domain name to your web host. This way when people go to your new blog (www.YourDomainName.com) they are automatically sent to where your blog is, at your web host (BlueHost).

This may sound scary, but it is simple as pie and only takes about 5 minutes. Sometimes this step is called “Modify DNS” where DNS= Domain Name Server.

Only complete this set of steps if you bought your domain through GoDaddy.com separately from BlueHost. If you registered your domain with BlueHost in addition to hosting with them, you don’t have to do this step.

Steps

1. Open email from Web Host – BlueHost.
2. Look for the “NameServers.” There will be two.
3. Copy the first nameserver. It will look something like:
   1. ns1.bluehost.com
      
      
4. Go to GoDaddy.com and login using the user name and password they sent you in an email.
5. Go to “Domains”
6. Go to “My Domains”
7. Click on your domain name (the name of your blog.)
8. Click on NameServers
9. Click on the “Custom Nameservers”
10. Paste your first nameserver (that you copied) in the first nameserver box.
11. Do the same thing with the second name server. (i.e. “ns2.bluehost.com)
12. Click on OK.

Here is a screenshot of where you will type in your two nameservers:

Now your domain name will be pointed to your web host. That’s it! It takes about 3-5 hours for the site to propagate over at your web host. And in rare cases it can take up to 24 hours. Once propagated you and everyone else will be able to see your site on the web.

Even though you can’t see your site on the web yet, you can still work on getting your blog set up at your web host!

So let’s move right onto Step #5!

5. Install WordPress.

This process is where you install all the WordPress code to your server at your web host (BlueHost).

This is very easy too because BlueHost has a one click install! There are a few steps but most of the steps only take 3 seconds to do. It goes pretty fast.

Don’t be intimidated if you see words you don’t recognize. It justs looks weird because you’ve never done it before, but don’t worry you can do it. Just follow the steps below. If you are a visual person, you can see these steps in a free online tutorial at BlueHost here:

Steps to Install WordPress on BlueHost:

1. Go to your new blog website. (http://www.yourDomainNameHere.com)
2. Click on “cpanel login.” If you don’t see this then go to “www.yourDomainNameHere.com/cpanel.”
3. Type in your username and password that you chose when you bought the web hosting. Should be in your BLOG FILE.
4. Scroll down to “Software/Services.”
5. Click on “Simple Scripts.”
6. Click on the WordPress Icon.
7. Choose the latest version of WordPress. (The highest number is the latest.)
8. Click “Install Now.”
9. Select your domain name.
10. Leave the “subfolder” box empty.
11. Give your site a name. This is the name of your blog, i.e. “My Big Honkin Blog.” Usually the same name as your domain name.
12. Enter a tagline – caption catchphrase. This would be like your branding, i.e. “The Place Where You Learn All About Ducks.” (You can modify this very easily later so don’t worry about it being perfect now.)
13. Uncheck the check box next to “Generate Admin Login.” This way you can choose your own.
14. Choose your Admin user name and password. This will be for logging into your WordPress Dashboard for writing your posts and setting up your blog. It is best if this is different from you cpanel user name and password.
15. Leave “Automatically create a new database” checked.
16. Check the legal agreement.
17. Click “Complete.”

You’re done installing WordPress!The system is now installing all the WordPress code for you! It only takes a few minutes.

You will receive a confirmation email from BlueHost (your web host) with the username and password you chose along with any other information you might need like support phone numbers etc. Copy and Paste the key parts of that email into your BLOG FILE. Give it the heading “WordPress Login Info” or something like that.

6. Login to Your WordPress Dashboard.

This will bring you to the place where you control almost everything about your blog including writing posts and customizing how your blog looks.

1. To login go to: “YourDomainName.com/wp-admin” in your browser.
2. Enter your WordPress Dashboard Login username and passsword that you just set up in Step#5.

If you don’t land at your dashboard, just give it a couple more minutes while your web host is installing WordPress to your site. When it is installed this is what you will see:

In Step #14 I have links to multiple articles on getting started with using WordPress. In the meantime, lets continue with the next step which is setting up the look of your blog, called your Theme.

7. Install WordPress Theme.

Where to Find Free Themes

In this step you will choose the overall look of your blog. There are many free WordPress themes. The best place to search for one is at the WordPress Theme Viewer. All themes can be customized with different colors, fonts, font sizes, layouts and more. However, you should look for one that is pretty close to what you like unless you are comfortable changing the code in your theme. Below I list some premium themes that make customization easy if you don’t want to deal with changing code.

Look for themes that are compatible with the latest version of WordPress that you just installed. You’ll be able to check on this at the theme view.

You can also find themes by searching for “WordPress Themes” in Google or your favorite search engine.

The theme that I am using as of this writing is the “Genki Theme Fixed Width” by ericulous. It is compatible with WordPress 2.7 and I like how it has 4 widget areas in the sidebars.

The Benefits of a Buying a Premium Theme

If you want be able to easily customize a theme, (and not have to deal with coding!) you might want to consider a premium theme. These themes have a one-time cost that gives you an additional dashboard for changing the colors, fonts, layout and more on your theme. So making changes to the look of your blog is easy.

With premium themes you will have access to online tutorials on how to use the theme and you’ll also have access to online support when you have questions. Often these are not available with free themes.

With free themes when you want to customize them you will need to change the coding which can be a little tricky if you’re not familiar with coding. If you are new to this, a premium theme can save you time and hassle learning how to code.

If I were new again, I would choose a premium theme. Even today knowing how to do a little bit of coding, I would choose a premium theme just for the convenience of being able to change the theme so easily.

Here are 3 Premium Themes that I have researched and that are very user friendly for new bloggers.

1.”Headway Theme”

Headway Theme is my favorite premium theme. It is incredibly flexible and fun to use. Definitely check this one out! I’ll be writing a review of this one very soon.

2.”Thesis Theme”

The Thesis Theme is my 2nd favorite. It also comes with a control panel for customizing the look of your blog. When you click on the above icon to see more about the them you’ll be able to see many blogs that have used this theme to create spectacular looking sites. This one is also a little less expensive than the Affiliate Theme.

3. “Affiliate Theme”

There are many ways to configure this theme including several different layouts, all without touching a line of code! Unique Blog Designs is known for their beautiful, simple, and elegant web designs.

Click here to see a very short video demonstration of how the theme looks and works. (Click on the “Learn More” button to see the video.)

They are all excellent and all are highly recommended within the WordPress blogging community.

Steps to Install WordPress Theme

1. Download the theme that you like the best. Look for the “Download” button on the website offering the theme. This will deliver a zipped folder to your computer. Choose “Save.” For now I would choose save to your Desktop. When you’re done you can move that folder to a designated “Blog” folder that you set up for all blog documents and files. You can download and install as many themes as you like. At the end of this process you’ll choose one to activate.
2. Open the Zipped Folder and choose “Extract All Files.” This will then open a new folder with all the files unzipped and ready to use.
3. Important: Check to see if there is an extra folder inside the Theme folder you downloaded. So the folder you unzipped might be “ABC Theme” and when you click on that folder to see the contents you see another folder called “ABC Theme.” (Yes, the same name. Or maybe different.) The bottom line is it is this inside folder that you will need to upload. If you click on the unzipped folder and you see files and and image folder etc, then it is the top level folder that you upload.
4. UPDATE (FEB 4 2010): You can skip steps 5-20 now by using the “Add New Themes” option under “Appearance” in your Wordpress dashboard. Here are the instructions. (NOTE: You can still use FTP if this tool doesn’t work, which sometimes happens. In that case just go to steps 5-20 listed below starting with “Download FileZilla….)
   1. Click on “Add New Themes” under “Appearance” in your Wordpress dashboard.
   2. Under “Install Themes” click on the link that says “Upload.”
   3. Click on “Browse” to find the zipped folder that contains all your theme files. (Don’t use the unzipped file.)
   4. Click on “Install Now.” Skip down now to Step 21 below to continue.
5. Download FileZilla if you don’t already have an FTP application on your computer. Click on “Download Filezilla Client.” This application allows you to upload files to your blog, such as theme files, pictures, and plugins (which add functionality to your blog – we’ll get to that later.) This is quick, free, easy, and painless.
6. Open FileZilla or whichever FTP application you have. (FireBug is another great option. It is a free add-on for FireFox browsers. It opens right in a browser tab eliminating the need to open another program, like you must do with FileZilla.)
7. Click on File -> Site Manager.
8. Click on New Site.
9. In “Host” type “YourDomainName.com”
10. In “ServerType” Choose FTP.
11. In “User” type your WordPress FTP username. (from Step #3 – you will set this up with your webhost or they will send it to you.)
12. In “Password” type your WordPress FTP password. (from Step #3)
13. Click on “Connect”
14. Under “Remote Site” expand your folders by clicking on the [+] sign. This will show you all your blog files that are on your BlueHost server.
15. Double Click on “public_html”
16. Double Click on “wp-content”
17. Double Click on “themes.” Here you will see a couple of themes already loaded: “Classic” and “Default” which you are free to use if you like them.
18. On “Local Site” search for the (unzipped) folder that holds all the theme files.
19. Drag that theme folder to your “Remote Site” into the “Themes” folder. You will see a running log of all the files being transfered over to your site.
20. Login to your WordPress Dashboard: “YourDomainName.com/wp-admin”
21. Click on “Appearance” in the left hand navigation section. This brings you to “Themes”
22. Click on the new theme you just uploaded. This will show you a preview of how your site will look.
23. Click on “Activate” in the upper right hand corner of the preview box.
24. Scroll to the top of the page and click on “Visit Site” to see how your site looks. (Bear in mind that you may not see it show up if you are still waiting for your nameservers to propagate.
25. To customize: for Free Themes you’ll need to change code in “Appearance”->”Edit.” For Premium themes, follow their instructions to find the theme control panel within your WordPress Dashboard.

Congratulations! Your theme is set up!

Troubleshooting tip: if the theme you uploaded doesn’t show up it may be because of step 3 above. Double check that again.

8. Set Up Permalinks.

This is a small little step that will make your posts more likely to show up in search results. You want this so that you will get more traffic. Here’s what you do:

1. In WordPress Dashboard, click on “Settings” in the left hand navigation panel.
2. Click on “Permalinks.”
3. Click on “Day and name” option.
4. Click “Save changes.”

That’s it. Takes less than 2-3 minutes and it is well worth it!

At this point, you could write your first post if you wanted to. If you want to wait until everything is in place then keep taking the next steps.

9. Install Plugins.

These add functionality to your blog. The install is the same process as installing your theme (Step#7). You download, unzip, and then transfer the plugin files to your site via FTP (FileZilla) except this time you put them in the “Plugin” folder on your “remote site” not the “Theme” folder. The “Plugins” folder is inside the “wp-content” folder on your remote site. Have that folder open before you drag the plugins over.

Once uploaded, go to “Plugins” in your WordPress Dashboard and click on “Activate” to enable each plugin. For each plugin, there may be additional instructions for usage that you will find on the page where you downloaded the plugin.

Here are the plugins that I recommend installing. They are all free, as are most WordPress Plugins. The ones that are in Bold I recommend installing first. You can click on the link on each to get to the download page:

Adsense-Deluxe 0.8

Place Google AdSense ads in your WordPress Posts. Requires WordPress 1.5 or higer. For complete usage and configuration click on AdsenseDeluxe under the “Options” menu. By Acme Technologies.

Akismet 2.2.3

Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not. You need a WordPress.com API key to use it. You can review the spam it catches under “Comments.” To show off your Akismet stats just put in your template. See also: WP Stats plugin. By Matt Mullenweg.

All in One SEO Pack 1.4.7.4

Out-of-the-box SEO for your Wordpress blog. Options configuration panel | Donate | Support By Michael Torbert.

FeedBurner FeedSmith 2.3

Originally authored by Steve Smith, this plugin detects all ways to access your original WordPress feeds and redirects them to your FeedBurner feed so you can track every possible subscriber. By FeedBurner.

Full Text Feed 1.04

Prevents WordPress 2.1+ from adding a more link to your website’s feed. By Ronald Heft, Jr.

Google Analytics 2.2

— Adds Google analytics to your blog, with all sorts of advanced tracking toys enabled. By Denis de Bernardy. You will need to sign up with Google Analytics to use this. It is free.