This WordPress Blogging 101 tutorial is a complete guide for beginners to learn the ABC of starting a WordPress blog in 2024.

By the end of this FREE dummies workbook, you will have a good knowledge of how to set up a blog on WordPress CMS that makes money like this.

elementor affiliate earnings

That’s your dream, RIGHT?

Earning money by blogging with WordPress.

Let’s dig in.

Days are gone when there was no competition in the blogging niche.

Now, becoming a blogging master required many efforts, and setting up a professional blog on WordPress involves hundreds of things.

And, if you are unaware of these things, there is no chance your posts will rank in search engine results.

Want to just get started? Click here to sign up for Bluehost hosting and get your website online as low as $2.95/mo.

This Blogging 101 WordPress guide will show you how to start a WordPress blog in 2024 and set it up like a pro blogger even without having any technical knowledge.

WordPress Blogging 101: The Ultimate Guide On Starting A Blog in 2024

Let’s break down the steps of starting a WordPress blog in 2024

Step 1. Find A Profitable Blogging Niche

wordpress blogging 101 niche

The very first step to learning WordPress Blogging 101 is to find a topic. It’s an essential part of getting success fast in 2024‘s blogging business.

According to several different websites, professional bloggers, and experts, below are some of the most profitable niches:

  • Blogging
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Weight Loss
  • How to series
  • Product reviews
  • Making money online
  • Dating & relationships
  • Self-care
  • Beauty & fashion
  • Home decoration
  • Technology

All of these niches are conventional and high competitive.

So, it’s my suggestion, that if you are going into any slot mentioned above, then don’t go straight but into a narrow niche.

For example, if you pick blogging, then choosing blogging for business, event blogging, Christmas blogging etc. will be an intelligent decision.

In this way, I can start and grow up a blog within very little time.

Also, take care of the monetization method before picking up a blogging niche.

For example, if you are going to write on movie reviews or technology hacks, then Google Adsense is the best option to earn money.

On the other side for product reviews niche like WordPress themes or hosting reviews, affiliate marketing is the most powerful method to earn passive income.

Step 2: Choosing Between WordPress.com & WordPress.org

wordpress.com vs wordpress.org

There are two types of WordPress software available wordpress.org and wordpress.com.

Both are free; only the difference is, that to start a blog on wordpress.org, you need a custom domain name and web hosting.

But to build a website on wordpress.com, you don’t need to purchase domain and web hosting separately.

Even this free stuff, most professional bloggers don’t recommend it for some reasons:

  • If you prefer to choose a free blogging platform (wordpress.com), that means you are REALLY not serious about blogging.
  • You’ll never be able to manage your blog the way you can control it using wordPress.org software.
  • You can’t monetize your website with Google Adsense and some other affiliate marketing methods.
  • They can shut down your site anytime without any notice.
  • The free version can insert ads on your website without notice, which are unable to remove.

Now you can understand from reading above why professionals don’t suggest wordpress.com.

For now, if you are interested in making money online, you should start a WordPress blog with the lowest investment in 2024.

You know WP Blogging 101 is also powered by wordpress.org.

Browsing this website shows you how I designed it with custom layouts, widgets, headers-footer, and colours.

Ultimately, I have complete control of my blog.

So, now we are going to pick wordpress.org for starting a WordPress blog.

Ready?

Let’s move to 3rd step of the Blogging 101 WordPress guide to get a domain name and web hosting.

Step 3: Buy a TLD Domain And Web Hosting

web hosting

TLD stands for Top Level Domain, which refers to the last segment of a domain name or the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol.

Here are some examples of the popular TLDs include:

  • .com
  • .org
  • .net
  • .gov
  • .biz
  • .edu etc.

Web hosting is a place on the internet where your website files will be live. It is like the home of your blog.

Choosing the best WordPress hosting for your blog not only improves blog SEO (Search Engine Optimization) but increases affiliate sales.

Though there are different types of WordPress hosting options available such as:

  • Free hosting
  • Shared
  • VPS
  • Dedicated
  • And managed WordPress hosting

But, in this workbook guide, I recommend you buy a domain name and shared web hosting from Bluehost (claim Bluehost 67% instant discount and free domain now).

Here is why Bluehost…!

bluehost

Bluehost (review) is one of the biggest leading web hosting companies in the world. It offers free customers 24/7 live chat, unmetered bandwidth, and at least five email accounts.

Compared to other web hosting companies like SiteGround, Hostgator, and DreamHost, Bluehost is the most searched keyword in Google Trends data.

Don’t believe me?

See below data from Google Trends report.

Showing the past 12 months, Google Trends data within United States:

bluehost

Showing the past 12 months of Google Trends data worldwide:

bluehost

This makes sense why I have picked up Bluehost in this WordPress Blogging 101 guide.

The very best thing about Bluehost is that you can register a free domain name for the first year (worth $15.95/year).

FEATUREWordPress.org + Bluehost
BLOG HOSTING SERVICE$2.95/month (when billed for 3 years hosting)
DOMAIN REGISTRATIONFree first year (after $17.99 per year)
CUSTOM EMAILFree web-based E-mails & forwarding
SSL CERTIFICATEFree SSL certificates
STORAGE SPACESSD 50 GB
BANDWIDTHUnlimited
FREE TRIALNo! 30 days refund policy is available
Deal LinkBluehost.com

Being an affiliate partner with Bluehost, I’ve negotiated with their sales team for an exclusive discount for you.

Hopefully, they accepted my request and arranged a 67% instant discount for you using this link.

Just in case you don’t want to host your site on Bluehost, try these alternatives:

Let’s put up our WordPress Blogging 101 tutorial to sign up on Bluehost website.

Click on this special link (coupon code added into the link) to visit Bluehost website and click on the green button saying Get Started.

bluehost hosting

Choose your hosting plan (Bluehost Choice Plus plan is highly recommended for maximum savings).

bluehost pricing

Enter the Domain Name you want to register and tap on the Next button.

bluehost free domain

Add your Account Information, select Package Information, choose Package Extras, add Credit Card details, accept Terms, and the last step, tap on the Submit button to complete the purchase.

bluehost account

Once the payment is sent successfully, you will get a confirmation mail on your registered email ID.

Congratulations, you have purchased a TLD domain name and web hosting service from Bluehost.

Now, let’s move to the next step of installing and setting up a WordPress blog with Bluehost.

Step 4: Install WordPress

installing wordpress

I know you were waiting for this moment.

Until now, you have done almost 50% of the Blogging 101 WordPress training.

Now, let’s install WordPress on Bluehost hosting.

In this guide, I show you how to install WordPress on Bluehost hosting using the website builder.

#1: Log in to your Bluehost hosting account.

#2: Open the My Sites tab from the left side menu options.

#3: Now, click on the Create Site button.

#4: Enter your Site Name and Site Tagline.

#5: Click the Next button.

#6: Select the preferred domain name from the drop-down list.

#7: Choose the directory this should be installed to, and click on the Next button.

After clicking on the Next button, the application will be installed on Bluehost hosting.

For more details, read my guide on how to install WordPress on Bluehost.

Step 5: Set A Secure Password

wordpress password security

After installing WordPress application on hosting, the very first step to secure your website.

For updating your blog password, go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin (don’t forget to replace yourdomain keyword with your domain) and log in using Username and Password.

wordpress change password

Once you logged in, navigate to “Users” then “Your Profile” under the right side Menu. Scroll down to the bottom under the “Account Management” section, and click on “Generate Password.”

Enter a new password you want to set (mix numbers, letters, and characters to make the password highly secured) and then click on the “Update Profile” button.

Congratulations, your website password has been updated successfully.

Step 6: Design Your Site

wordpress design

There are thousands of pre-made WordPress themes that you can install on your WordPress blog. Some of them are free, and others are paid.

On WP Blogging 101, I use GeneratePress.

GeneratePress has two versions, “free and premium,” and I use a premium version, which is technically a plugin called GP Premium.

If you have a large budget, it’s always a smart decision to purchase a premium theme. But if not, start with a free theme from the following list.

You can find WordPress free themes by tapping on the Appearance >> Themes >> Add New button.

wordpress new theme

In a few seconds, a mega library of 6K+ themes will be displayed on your computer screen.

You can sort the list by popular, latest, featured, as well as other filters (i.e industry, layout, etc.).

wordpress themes

Once you are happy with the theme you want to use on the newly launched blog, delete the other themes from the dashboard by visiting Appearance,>>Themes >> Select Theme and hit the Delete button.

Note:- Remember having a premium theme will serve more speed, flexibility, and optimization features.

Below are some of the best WordPress premium themes you can try right now or later.

  1. Thrive Themes (All-in-one solution)
  2. Elegant Themes (Divi Builder included)
  3. WP Astra (Ideal for multi-purpose blogs)
  4. Kadence Theme (affordable WP premium theme)
  5. Affiliate Booster (best for affiliate marketing websites)
  6. Multifox Theme (free + premium)

For more customization and designing experiments, I recommend going for Elementor or Thrive Architect landing page builder.

At WP Blogging 101, I use both plugins.

My Experience: I found Thrive Architect is one of the best tools for writing blog posts that hit thousands of shares.

Get your free copy of Thrive Architect with Thrive Suite ($19/mo) and get instant access to all Thrive products, such as:

  • Thrive Theme Builder
  • Thrive Leads
  • Thrive Quiz Builder
  • Thrive Apprentice
  • Thrive Comments
  • Thrive Ovation
  • Thrive Optimize
  • Or click here to read Thrive Themes review and see if it gives you the best experience in website designing.

Also, don’t forget to look at our recommended themes and websites made with Thrive Architect page builder.

Step 7: Start Installing Essential WordPress Plugins

wordpress plugins

Plugins are the tools that provide full control of your WordPress blog.

Though there are thousands of free and paid plugins available depending on needs, you can start with free plugins as a beginner.

Here, I have listed the 7 most essential plugins; without your website/blog can’t survive in 2024.

  1. Rank Math (review): Rank Math is a plugin with 800K+ million active installations built considering better SEO-Optimization. On Wp Blogging 101, I use Rank Math on-page SEO, generating sitemaps, indexation rules, title tags, and more.
  2. WP Rocket: On behalf of SEO (search engine optimization), website speed matters a lot. This plugin helps your website to load faster by putting very little stress on your web hosting account.
  3. Akismet Anti-spam: There are millions of bots leaving spam comments on your WordPress blog, and Akismet is only one best tool to stop them.
  4. Wordfence Security: This plugin keeps your site secure from hackers (such attempts are more common than you may think).
  5. WPForms: The WPform is a plugin used to create contact forms.
  6. Smush it: Image compression also a positive effect on SEO by improving blog loading speed, and Smushit is the best plugin fit for these requirements.
  7. GDPR Cookie Consent: This plugin makes it easy for you to comply with the GDPR and CCPA regulations with its powerful set of features.

Step 8: Other Essential Settings

We have almost started and designed our WordPress blog.

Now, our next step is to start writing posts and pages. But before we proceed, there are a couple of settings that you need to make.

Permalink Setup

By default, WordPress doesn’t have an SEO friendly permalink structure.

wordpress permalink settings

To make it SEO-optimized navigate to Settings >> Permalinks and set to the Post Name.

Disable Pingbacks & Trackbacks

Pingbacks and Trackbacks are annoying notifications that appear (in the comments area) after publishing each post.

wordpress pingbacks

To stop these notifications go to Settings >> Discussion >> Untick Allow link notifications from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks) on the new articles option.

Timezone

Navigate to Settings >> General >> Select Timezone according to your country time.

wordpress timezone settings

As you see above, I have selected UTC+5:30 for India.

Step 9: Must-Have Pages

Once you have done everything with the above steps, its time to add a few essential pages listed below:

  1. About Us (see my page example)
  2. Contact Us (see my page example)
  3. Privacy Policy (see my page example)
  4. Disclaimer (see my FTC disclosure example)

Above are the most important page to approve a Google Adsense account.

However, there is more page like Black Friday deals, blog, services etc. you may have to write later as per your requirements.

Step 10: Start Writing Blog Posts

Writing the first blog post is one of the best things to start your blogging career, where you can provide the best of the best ideas through words and images.

To create your first post, go to Posts >> Add New and WordPress post editor will be loaded on your computer screen.

wordpress post editor

You can see the box to enter the post title, and the rest of the content will be written in the bigger box (Note: Make sure you are writing your own content. Either way you can check your article originality using a plagiarism checker tool).

Once you finish writing your article, publish it by hitting on the “Publish” button.

After publishing your first blog post, it’s time to share content with the whole world.

My recommendation always follows the 80/20 rule. This means, investing 20% of the time in writing content and the rest in its promotion.

You can use social media platforms or email marketing even to bring traffic to your website.

For email marketing, I recommend GetResponse and Aweber email marketing tools.

With this final step, our WordPress Blogging 101 workbook for “how to start a WordPress blog in 2021” ends.

FAQs On Blogging 101 WordPress Tutorial

Below are the frequently asked questions (with answers) on starting a WordPress blog in 2021.

How much does it cost to start a WordPress blog 101?

In the meantime, starting a professional WordPress blog costs under $100 only. But for more engaging blogging tools and resources, the price may increase as below:

Domain free (only from Bluehost)
Hosting $72/year (Bluehost)
Theme $59/year (GeneratePress)
Landing Page Builder $19/mo lifetime (Thrive Architect)
Social Sharing Plugin $39/year (Social Snap)
Caches plugin $49/site (WP Rocket)
Email Marketing Tool $19/mo (GetResponse)

How to make money blogging in 2024?

There are several ways to make money from blogging e.g. Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, sponsorship ads, paid reviews etc.

For me, affiliate marketing is the evergreen income source for long-term earnings. So, this website is 100% monetized with affiliate products.

That means I earn money when you end up buying a product (at no extra cost to you) from my link. I have discussed everything about my affiliate earnings on the FTC disclosure page.

Apart from this method, Google Adsense is yet another straightforward way to earn revenue by displaying Google advertisements on your website. Or you can run sponsorship ads to make money by the side.

Need Help in Starting A WordPress Blog 101?

I hope my WordPress Blogging 101 guide has helped you set up a new blog with WordPress.

If you have more questions or need additional help creating a WordPress blog in 2024, please don’t hesitate to ask me via the comments box. I will love to assist you.

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