Blogging For Business: How To Set Up a WordPress.org Blog

The Nuts And Bolts To Setting up a Basic WordPress.org Blog

In previous articles we learned why Blogging is Important, the 1-2 Punch Lead Generation System, and The Basic Blog Design.

In this article I will show you how to set up your very own WordPress.org blog.

Step 1:  You need a Host for your blog.  

This sounds really complicated right off the bat, but it is not.  It is simply a little piece of the internet that you rent from a Hosting Provider for a small monthly fee.  It is this little slice of the internet that will store, or house your blog.

There are many Hosting Companies to choose from and some are better than others, I use either Bluehost.com or Hostgator.com.  Both are award winning hosting companies with 24/7 customer support, competitive pricing, and lots of features. (disclosure:  If you click the links above I do make an affiliate fee)

Step 2: You need a Domain Name

Or URL for your WordPress.org site.  If you already own a domain that you want to use great, if not you can get 1 free when you sign up with either hosting company mentioned above.  

When you make your Hosting purchase and start to setup they will ask you if you have a domain name that you want to use or if you would like to get a new one.  Act accordingly.

Step 3:  You will need to install the WordPress.org software.

Onto your server.  This is another step that sounds tumultuous, but is super easy.  

Both of the above mentioned Host Providers offer what are called Simple Scripts.  This means that once you have your server space you can login to the back end, called the C Panel, and simply push a button and it will automatically load the most recent, stable version of WordPress onto your server space.

If you want to make your blog a Multiple User style blog where you can add many blogs to the same domain name there are additional steps that need to be taken.  This process is a bit more intense and I will not be covering that.  If you want to try it yourself you can follow the Creating a WordPress Network Instructions.

A WordPress Login URL (ex:  http://www.YourBusiness.com/wp-admin), a UserName (ex: admin) and Password (ex:  a77CDl4x) will be provided to you.

**NOTE**  If you set up your server space using a Domain Name that you already owned the Login URL will not work.  You will need to change the nameservers that your domain name points to.  If you know what company you bought the Domain Name from (The Registrar) then you should login to your account and click on Edit Your DNS Settings, or Edit your Nameservers.  

If you choose Bluehost as your Host the nameservers are:  

• ns1.Bluehost.com
• ns2.Bluehost.com

Step 4:  You will need to choose a Theme.  

There are 1,000′s of WordPress Themes to choose from and many of them are free.  I have had the best luck with Studiopress .com and Elgant Themes .com. (disclosure:  If you click the links above I do make an affiliate fee)

You can also choose to stay with the Default WordPress.org Theme, although I am sure you are going to want to pick your own favorite theme.

Step 5:  Installing your new Theme.  

First you will need to login to the backend of your WordPress.org blog.  

Visit your WordPress Login URL (ex:  http://www.YourBusiness.com/wp-admin), enter your UserName (ex: admin) and Password (ex:  a77CDl4x).

If you have decided that you would like to use a Free Theme you can simply navigate to the APPEARANCE category in the far left hand column and select THEMES.  Click on INSTALL THEMES  and begin searching.

If you have decided that you would like a Paid Theme then you will have downloaded the theme in a .zip file.    Rather than Search for Themes, click on UPLOAD.  Find the .zip file saved on your computer and Install and Activate your new theme.

Step 6:  Installing Plugins. 

Plugins to the WordPress Blogs are like Apps to the iPhone or Droid.  They help to customize your experience and add extra features to an already cool product.

Here is a List of Some Of My Favorite Plugins:

• WordPress SEO
• W3 Total Cache
• Slick Social Sharing
• Pretty Links Lite
• Broken Link Checker
• FREE FORMS:  Contact Form 7 or CFormsII
• PAID FORMS:  Formidable Pro or Gravity Forms
• What Would Seth Godin Do?
• AdRotate
• TinyMCE Advanced
•  Yet Another Related Posts
• WPTouch
• Akismet
• Google Analytics
• Any Social Sharing Plugin
• Comment Luv
• SEO Friendly Images
• WP Lead
• Max Buttons
• No Self Pings
• Vipers Video Quicktags
• WP Auto Tagger
• WP Backup
• Events Calendar

Most are FREE but some are paid.  You can install plugins the same way you install Themes.  Navigate to the PLUGINS category and choose ADD NEW.  Either search for free plugins or UPLOAD paid versions.

STEP 7:  Customize Your Theme and Fill in The Widgets.

There is not much I can tell you here because it will vary depending on the Themes you choose and what type of blog you are creating.

STEP 8:  Start Blogging 

You can get step by step instructions on how to post your first blog here.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU FOUND THIS POST HELPFUL…