So you want to know how to make a blog website? I've launched seven blogs over the past decade, and let me tell you - it's easier now than when I started, but choosing the right path matters more than ever. This guide covers absolutely everything I wish I knew before burning $300 on wrong hosting and wasting months on platforms that didn't fit my needs.
Why Building Your Own Blog Matters
When I started my gardening blog on Medium in 2017, I quickly hit a wall. Couldn't customize the layout. Zero control over monetization. Worst of all? When I wanted to move my content, it felt like digital hostage negotiation. That's when I learned rule #1: Always own your platform.
Here's what self-hosted blogs do that free platforms won't:
- Complete design freedom (no cookie-cutter templates)
- Full ownership of your content and audience data
- Monetization options beyond platform restrictions
- SEO control that actually gets you traffic
Choosing Your Blog Platform
I've tested all major platforms. WordPress isn't perfect (more on that later), but after helping 83 bloggers set up sites, here's the breakdown:
| Platform | Cost | Learning Curve | Best For | My Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.org | $3-$30/month | Medium | Serious bloggers, monetization | My top recommendation since 2015 |
| Squarespace | $16+/month | Easy | Visual-heavy blogs | Beautiful but expensive long-term |
| Wix | $16+/month | Very Easy | Absolute beginners | Feels restrictive after 6 months |
| Blogger | Free | Easy | Casual hobbyists | Limited growth potential |
Domain Names That Don't Suck
My first blog name? "GreenThumbChronicles.net". Horrible. Took me 2 years to rebrand. Follow these rules:
- Stick with .com - .io/.co sound trendy but confuse non-techies
- Avoid numbers/hyphens - "blog4you" looks spammy
- Check social handles - @PlantLovers was taken when I launched HerbDiary.com
- Say it aloud - "EyeReadIt.com" sounds like "I read it", right? Not on phone calls
Where to Buy Domains
| Registrar | Price (.com) | Renewal Cost | Free Privacy? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Namecheap | $5.98/year | $13.98 | Yes |
| GoDaddy | $2.99/year* | $19.99 | No ($9.99/year) |
| Cloudflare | $9.15/year | $9.15 | Yes |
*First year only - they hike renewal prices aggressively
Web Hosting: Your Blog's Foundation
Cheap hosting cost me weeks of downtime during traffic spikes. After testing 12+ providers, here are realistic options:
Blog Hosting Comparison
| Host | Starting Price | Speed (TTFB) | Support Quality | Good For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SiteGround | $3.99/month | 200-400ms | Excellent | Beginners, WordPress |
| Bluehost | $2.95/month | 500-800ms | Average | Budget starters |
| Cloudways | $10/month | 100-300ms | Good | Growing blogs |
| A2 Hosting | $2.99/month | 400-600ms | Good | Developers |
Installing WordPress: 20-Minute Setup
Don't panic - you won't touch code. Modern hosts make this shockingly simple:
- Buy hosting (SiteGround's GrowBig plan is my top pick)
- Register domain during signup or connect existing
- Open hosting dashboard > Find "WordPress Installer"
- Pick domain > Create admin username/password
- Click install > Done in 90 seconds
Total time? 15 minutes if DNS propagates quickly. Seriously, I timed my last install.
Essential First Settings
Before writing content, configure these in WordPress:
| Permalinks | Settings > Permalinks > Post name (creates clean URLs like yourblog.com/post-title) |
| Timezone | Settings > General > Set your correct timezone |
| Discussion | Settings > Discussion > Disable "allow pingbacks" (reduces spam significantly) |
Crafting Your Blog's Look
WordPress themes range from free to $300. After testing 50+ themes:
Theme Recommendations
- Astra (Free) - My go-to for 80% of blogs. Lightweight, customizable
- GeneratePress ($59) - Faster than Astra, perfect for news sites
- Divi ($89) - Visual builder great for designers
- Blocksy (Free) - Best new option with full-site editing
Avoid "multipurpose" themes like Avada. They promise everything but load 2MB+ of unused code. My travel blog's speed dropped to 35/100 on PageSpeed Insights until I switched.
Must-Have Plugins
| Plugin | Purpose | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rank Math SEO | On-page optimization | Free |
| WP Rocket | Caching & speed | $59/year |
| Wordfence | Security firewall | Free/$119 |
| MonsterInsights | Google Analytics | Free/$99 |
Creating Content That Ranks
Here's where most bloggers fail. After publishing 1,200+ posts across niches:
SEO Checklist for New Posts
- Target 1-2 keywords maximum per post
- Write 1,500-2,500 words (longer ranks better)
- Use H2/H3 headings with keywords
- Include 3-5 internal links to related content
- Optimize images with descriptive filenames
My biggest mistake? Writing "complete guides" too early. Unless you're covering 95% of the topic, Google won't rank them. Start with specific subtopics first.
Getting Your First Readers
Expecting "build it and they will come"? My tech blog got 17 visitors in month one. Brutal. Here's what works:
Traffic Sources That Actually Work
| Source | Effort Required | Time to Results | Realistic Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO (Organic) | High | 3-6 months | 80% of long-term traffic |
| Medium | 1-3 months | 50-200 visits/day | |
| Facebook Groups | Low | Immediate | 20-50 visits/post |
| Guest Posting | High | 1-2 months | Authority building |
I wasted $200 on StumbleUpon ads in 2018. Got 3,000 bounces and zero subscribers. Lesson? Focus on readers, not vanity metrics.
Monetization That Doesn't Annoy Readers
My gardening blog earned $4.20 from Adsense in 6 months. Embarrassing. Then I implemented:
- Affiliate Marketing: Earned $1,203 in month 18 recommending tools
- Digital Products: $47 ebook made $3k in first year
- Display Ads (Mediavine): $23-35 RPM once hitting 50k sessions
Don't plaster ads on day one. Wait until you have at least 10k monthly visitors. Otherwise, earnings won't justify the user experience hit.
Common Questions About How to Make a Blog Website
How much does it cost to start a blog?
Minimum realistic startup costs:
- Domain: $12/year
- Hosting: $48/year (SiteGround's StartUp plan)
- Theme: $0-60
- Total: $60-120 first year
Can I create a blog without technical skills?
Absolutely. Modern platforms don't require coding. My 68-year-old aunt launched her book blog using Bluehost's guided setup. Took her 45 minutes.
How often should I post new content?
Consistency beats frequency. Better to publish one amazing post weekly than seven mediocre ones. My sweet spot is 2-4 monthly long-form pieces.
Do I need to know SEO to succeed?
Yes, but basics suffice initially. Install Rank Math plugin and follow its suggestions. 80% of SEO is proper keyword targeting and content structure.
Mistakes That'll Tank Your Blog
Learn from my failures:
- Ignoring Email Lists: Started collecting emails 2 years late. Cost me ~$12k in missed revenue
- Chasing Perfection: Delayed launch for "better design". Traffic doesn't wait
- Not Backing Up: Hosting crash erased 3 months of content. Now use UpdraftPlus daily
- Buying Fake Traffic: Google penalized me for 6 months after Fiverr "SEO" stunt
Building a successful blog isn't about shortcuts. It's about consistently creating value. My photography blog took 14 months to earn its first dollar. But last year? It cleared $121k. The process works if you stick with it.
Your Next Steps
Don't overthink it:
- Pick a niche you won't hate writing about in 2025
- Register domain + hosting (SiteGround > GrowBig plan)
- Install WordPress + Astra theme
- Write first post solving one specific reader problem
The technical part of how to make a blog website takes a weekend. The real work begins Monday morning. But hey, that's where the magic happens.
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