How to start a blog or website for your small business or creativity in just a few days. Showcase your products and reach out to potential customers. Share your creativity and attract like-minded individuals. Build a decent community by engaging with your readers.
If you want to start a blog or website, or both, I recommend you do it with WordPress.org.
What is WordPress?
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com – Two very different platforms
WordPress.org
WordPress is referred to as ‘self-hosted WordPress’. You can download this software and install it on any web host. It’s free to use and without restrictions. There are endless themes and plugins to choose from. You need a domain and web hosting for this platform.
WordPress.com
WordPress.com is ‘a for-profit hosted blogging service run by Automattic’. This platform has different pricing plans and some restrictions.
Important: Chimene graphics themes are exclusively designed for WordPress.org and don’t work on WordPress.com.
WordPress is a powerful content management system and popular blogging platform. Depending on your needs, you can create a blog or website. A lot of business owners set up both, a website and blog.
What is the difference between a blog and website? I listed some key differences below.
Blog:
- chronological order of blog posts(entries), new posts appear first
- posts are archived by date, category, author and tags
- you can display a comment section below each post
- regularly updated with new content
- blog posts can improve search engine optimization
People who love to share their thoughts or ideas, often choose a blog. A blog provides an opportunity to engage with your readers and build a pretty decent community. It’s also possible to monetize your blog by asking for donations, adding affiliate links or running Google ads. For more information on how to monetize your blog, click on this link.
Website:
- static pages(home page, about page, contact page, etc.)
- you can combine website and blog
- static websites don’t need frequent updates
Many businesses create static pages for their main website and run a blog for their latest updates. A good blog post with SEO can attract more people to your website and rank high on Google search.
Four simple steps to launch your blog or website
Step 1: Domain and Hosting
Choose a domain name and a hosting company that can host your blog/website.
Domain
A domain is the URL(example: chimene-graphics.com) of your website. It’s basically the address you type in your browser to access a website.
Web Hosting
Your address(domain) needs a house(hosting) for visitors. Think of web hosting as the house, where all your website content is saved and stored. It’s the service that makes your website’s content accessible.
Step 2: Set up WordPress
Many web hosting companies offer options to install WordPress from your hosting account. Contact your provider to learn more. If you are comfortable installing WordPress via FTP, read to this instruction.
Step 3: Choose a Theme
Your WordPress installation is set, now you need to choose a theme for your blog or website. Below are the most common ways of installing a theme.
Installing a theme from WordPress Admin
1. In your admin panel, go to Appearance -> Themes and click the ‘Add New’ button.
2. Type in the name in the search form and press the ‘Enter’ key in your keyboard.
3. Click on the ‘Activate’ button to use your new theme right away.
4. Navigate to Appearance > Customize in your admin panel.
Manually uploading a theme
1. In your admin panel, go to Appearance -> Themes and click the ‘Add New’ button.
2. Click on the ‘Upload Theme’ button. You will be given an option to ‘Browse’.
3. Choose the theme’s .zip file and click on the ‘Install Now’ button.
4. Once the theme is installed, click on the ‘Activate’ button.
5. Repeat step 1-4 to upload, install and activate the Child theme.
6. Navigate to Appearance > Customize in your admin panel.
Most premium themes come with Parent and Child Theme. Below are some key differences:
Child Theme
A child theme inherits the look and functions of the parent theme, but allows you to make modifications to any part of the theme. Your custom changes are kept separate from the parent theme’s files. A child theme also lets you upgrade the parent theme without affecting the changes you’ve made to your site.
Parent Theme
A parent theme is a complete theme, and includes all of the required WordPress template files and assets. A parent theme can function on its own and without the child theme. If your theme package comes without a child theme, I recommend you create one.
Step 4: Launch Blog/Website
Once you customize your theme and upload content, preview your website before launching. If you need help setting up your blog or website, let me know.
Recommended Plugins
What are Plugins?
Plugins are software applications to extend and add to the functionality that already exists in WordPress. Think of plugins as helper tools to enhance the features and functionality of your website.
How to install a plugin
Installing a plugin from WordPress Admin
1. In your admin panel, go to Plugins and click the ‘Add New’ button.
2. Type in the name in the search form and press the ‘Enter’ key in your keyboard.
3. Click on the ‘Install Now’ and then on ‘Activate Plugin’ button.
4. Navigate to Plugins and configure the plugin settings.
Manually uploading a plugin
1. In your admin panel, go to Plugins and click the ‘Add New’ button.
2. Click on the ‘Upload Plugin’. You will be given an option to ‘Browse’.
3. Choose the plugin’s .zip file and click on the ‘Install Now’ button.
4. Once the plugin is installed, click on the ‘Activate Plugin’ button.
5. Navigate to Plugins and configure the plugin settings.
Let’s recap:
- Install WordPress software
- Install and activate theme/plugins
- Create pages(about page, contact page etc.)
- Adjust settings and Customize theme
- Preview and then launch blog/website
Get Free Stock Photos for your blog and website
Are you looking for free images for your blog or website? Blog posts without images are boring, right? You can take your own pics or go to the following photo sharing platforms for free images.