If you want to know how to start a blog, you’ll find no end of guides online showing you what to do.
In general, they follow a pattern like this:
- Pick a niche
- Find a domain name
- Choose a blogging platform
- Select a web host
- Set up your blog
- Publish and promote posts
- Build an audience
- Monetize your blog
This is a more forward-looking, business-oriented approach than “start writing what you’re passionate about.” You could start a hobby blog and it might not matter too much if you have to change your domain name or blogging platform later on. But if you want to run a blog to attract business or make money, making the wrong decisions early on can be more costly to fix down the line.
Table of Contents (skip)
- What do you need to decide on to start a blog?
- What do the blogging experts recommend?
- Lars Lofgren, Quick Sprout
- Scott Chow, The Blog Starter
- Anya Skrba, First Site Guide
- Ryan Robinson
- Neil Patel
- Amy Lynn Andrews
- The Minimalists – Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus
- Adam Enfroy
- Alex Nerney, Create and Go
- Jon Morrow, Smart Blogger
- Susan Shain, The Write Life
- Matthew Woodward
- Adam Connell, Blogging Wizard
- Vanessa Gollasch, Blog Pixie
- Harsh Agrawal, Shout Me Loud
- Bill Widmer, Colin Newcomer and Karol K, Code in WP
- Jamie Spencer, Make A Website Hub
- Abby Lawson, Just a Girl and Her Blog
- Jessica Bowman, Elite Blog Academy
- Blog Tyrant
- What were the top recommendations for a new blog?
- Summing up
What do you need to decide on to start a blog?
Aside from choosing what you’ll write about, some of the key decisions you need to make are:
Where to register your domain name: Your domain name is your human-readable home on the Web, like myawesomedomain.com. Domains normally cost a few dollars a year. There are many companies who offer this service, and some even give away domains for free initially.
What type of domain to use: Two or three letters that come after myawesomedomain and a dot. Should you use .com, .net, .org, .co, .us or something else?
Which host to use: This is one of the most important decisions you will make. Effectively you are choosing housing for your blog. While it’s possible to change your mind later on and move elsewhere, it can be a hassle to do so.
Which blogging platform to use: This is the software you’ll use to create your blog. Should you use Blogger, Medium, Squarespace, TypePad, Wix or WordPress? To confuse things even more, WordPress comes in two flavours: 1) WordPress.com, and 2) WordPress.org – aka self-hosted WordPress.
Which theme to use: Your blog will need a design to reflect your brand. You can download one for free or pay for one. Paid themes usually look more professional and are better supported.
What do the blogging experts recommend?
I took a look at 20 of the most popular “how to start a blog” posts. These posts are all authored by experts who know what it takes to set up and run a successful blog.
I noted down all the recommendations the experts made on the topics above – domain, domain type, host, blogging platform and theme. At the end of this post is a summary of my findings, so you can see at a glance what were the top choices.
I also scanned the articles to see who had tips on promotion and monetization, which are important for your blog’s success, and picked out one quote on starting a blog from each article.
In no particular order, then, here’s the list.
Lars Lofgren, Quick Sprout
How to Start a Blog That Makes Money (Lessons Learned)
Who wrote this?
Lars Lofgren is currently CEO of Quick Sprout, a leading online marketing site launched in 2008 by Neil Patel. Formerly Lars worked for KISSmetrics and I Will Teach You To Be Rich.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: domain.com
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost or WP Engine
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: one from StudioPress (Genesis) or ThemeForest
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in section #11
Monetization tips: yes, in section #12
Quote
If this is your first blog and you’re not completely sure what you want to blog about, I recommend that you use your personal name.
Scott Chow, The Blog Starter
Who wrote this?
Scott Chow has been working on websites since the early 2000s. He has launched several of his own blogs and helped hundreds of people to start their blogs.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: none
Domain type: .com
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Twenty Sixteen
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in step 5
Monetization tips: yes, in step 6
Quote
Disclaimer Page: If you intend to make money from your blog, you must describe the ways you intend to generate income. This is an absolute must-have page that should not be overlooked, as per FTC guidelines. For example, if you are discussing and endorsing a product, and stand to monetize from affiliate links to this product, this relationship must be disclosed.
Anya Skrba, First Site Guide
Who wrote this?
Anya Skrba has been blogging since 2010. This guide is over 8,000 words and has been endorsed by content marketer Mark Schaefer. More than 7,000 people have started their blogs using Anya’s guide.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: .com if available
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: no particular theme, WordPress.org, StudioPress (Genesis) and Elegant Themes are all mentioned
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in step #7
Monetization tips: yes, in step #8
Quote
Your content may be commercially purposed, but should never be commercially focused. Never greet your visitors with pop-up ads and giant banner ads. Greet them with content and reasons to engage with that content. Let them know you are there to help them, not to use them.
Ryan Robinson
How to Start a Blog in 2020 (and Make Money): Easy Guide to Start Blogging Today
Who wrote this?
Ryan Robinson’s site gets over 4 million readers a year. He teaches people how to start a blog and build a profitable side business. Ryan has contributed to top websites including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc and Fast Company.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: .com if available
Host: Bluehost, or else Dreamhost or HostGator
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Hello or Astra
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in step 5
Monetization tips: yes, in step 5
Quote
Good design builds trust. It tells people that you care enough about your blog to make it look nice. This doesn’t mean you need crazy animations or tons of fonts and colors. In fact, the best designs are simple, clear and easy to read.
Neil Patel
How to Start a Blog That Generates $3817 a Month in 2020
Who wrote this?
A leading influencer in the marketing space, Neil Patel has created multiple marketing businesses and has won recognition as a top entrepreneur from President Obama and the United Nations. His site gets over 2.4 million unique visitors a year, from which he makes over $1 million in revenue.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: .com if available
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: one from WordPress.org, ThemeForest, Elegant Themes, StudioPress or Thrive Themes
Promotion tips: no
Monetization tips: yes, in step 9
Quote
I’ve written over a thousand articles and it’s not because I type 7,000 words per minute.
It’s because I follow an editorial calendar without compromise.
Schedules aren’t just for big publications like The New York Times and the Huffington Post. They’re for regular people like you and me.
Amy Lynn Andrews
How to Start a Blog (to Make Money)
Who wrote this?
Amy Lynn Andrews started a hobby blog in 2004. After several years, she began using her experience to teach others how to start a blog. She’s also helped people with web design, blog coaching, consulting and virtual assistance.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Astra or GeneratePress
Tips
Promotion tips: linked in the Long Term Goals section
Monetization tips: linked in the Long Term Goals section
Quote
Blog about something you enjoy. If you aren’t excited about your topic, writing about it will be drudgery. (And who wants that?) Also, readers won’t be enthusiastic if you aren’t.
The Minimalists – Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus
How to Start a Successful Blog in 2020
Who wrote this?
Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus promote a minimalist lifestyle through multiple channels – their website, podcast, 4 books and films. They grew their blog from 52 visitors in the first month to millions today. They’ve also featured in top publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Forbes and TIME.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: one from BYLT
Tips
Promotion tips: no
Monetization tips: yes, in the FAQ
Quote
We Instead of You. Use the first-person plural when possible. Statements of we and our are more powerful than you and your, especially when talking about negative behaviors or tendencies. The first person comes off as far less accusatory. Think of it this way: we’re writing peer-to-peer—we are not gods.
Adam Enfroy
11 Easy Steps to Start a Blog to Make Money in 2020 (for Free)
Who wrote this?
A former affiliate manager and marketer, Adam Enfroy uses the strategies he learned to grow his site from nothing in 2019 to over 400,000 visitors a month and over $80k/month today. Adam’s site is full of advice to help you do the same.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: .com
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: none in particular
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in section 11, Guest Posting and Link Building
Monetization tips: yes, see section 1 on choosing your blog’s niche
Quote
I could blog about my passions, skills, and experience for a while, but if I wasn’t gaining any readership or making any money, I’d quit 100% of the time.
And that’s why 95% of blogs fail.
Most bloggers start with a passion in mind but don’t know the simple digital marketing tactics to make it work.
Alex Nerney, Create and Go
How to Start a Blog in 2020 – Best Guide for Beginners (7 Easy Steps)
Who wrote this?
After meeting on Tinder, Alex and Lauren started blogs in the health and wellness space which led to the birth of the Create and Go blog, which now makes over $100,000 quarterly. They have a mission to help over 10,000 people make a full-time income from blogging.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Flash by ThemeGrill or Divi
Tips
Promotion tips: no
Monetization tips: linked to in the Make Money section
Quote
You can’t start a blog for free, without putting any money into it, and expect to earn money from it.
If it were that easy, everyone and their grandma would be doing it, competition would be sky high, and no one would be making any money from it!
Jon Morrow, Smart Blogger
How to Start a Blog: Easy, Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
Who wrote this?
This huge guide of over 11,000 words is credited to Jon Morrow of Smart Blogger, though Jon admits much of it was written by Kevin J. Duncan. Jon set up Smart Blogger in 2012, originally as Boost Blog Traffic. It’s one of the leading sites about blogging with over 100,000 email subscribers, and it generates over $100k a month in income.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: NameCheap
Domain type: none
Host: SiteGround
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Astra
Tips
Promotion tips: yes
Monetization tips: yes
Quote
Though it’s possible to buy your blog hosting from the same place you registered your domain name (in fact, Bluehost and GoDaddy offer a free domain name for the first year), we don’t recommend it. If you ever decide to switch to a different web hosting company later, the process can be tricky. By keeping your domain registrar and web host separate, you can save yourself future headaches.
Susan Shain, The Write Life
How to Start a Blog: A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide for Writers
Who wrote this?
Susan Shain, a freelance writer, wrote this to help other writers start blogging. Susan specializes in writing about personal finance, travel, and food and she has written for major publications such as The New York Times, CNN Travel, The Washington Post, The Independent and MarketWatch.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Genesis, Thesis or Elegant Themes
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in section 13 Promote, promote, promote
Monetization tips: no
Quote
While working on your blog’s appearance, you might want to put up an “under construction” sign to greet visitors.
You don’t want any potential clients or readers to Google your name and find a half-finished site. (You may think you’re going to finish setting up your blog tomorrow, but we all know how writers procrastinate when there are no looming deadlines!)
Matthew Woodward
How To Start A Blog THE RIGHT WAY
Who wrote this?
With a background in digital marketing, Matthew Woodward is an expert in SEO and building blogs. He has started multiple 7 figure blogs and helped thousands of people achieve blogging success. Matthew’s site averages $25k/month in profit.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: none
Domain type: .com if available
Host: A2 Hosting, else WPX or Kinsta
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Authority
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in the FAQ
Monetization tips: linked at the end of step 1
Quote
Getting your initial traffic to your blog is quite simple:
1. Find where your audience spends their time
2. Find out the best way to connect with them
3. Create website content that answers their questions
4. Share it with them
Adam Connell, Blogging Wizard
How To Start A Blog Today: Everything You Need To Start Writing
Who wrote this?
Adam Connell started Blogging Wizard in 2012, sharing what he learned in his role at a marketing agency. The site helps bloggers build, grow and profit from their blogs.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Namecheap
Domain type: .com
Host: DreamHost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: WordPress.org, ThemeForest or StudioPress
Tips
Promotion tips: linked
Monetization tips: yes
Quote
Can’t I just use one of those free platforms to start a blog? Free platforms are ok for hobby blogs. But the truth is you have little to no control with free platforms, and if they were to shut down, you’d lose your blog.
Vanessa Gollasch, Blog Pixie
Who wrote this?
Vanessa Gollasch has been blogging 11 years, starting with a fashion blog. She created Blog Pixie to share her knowledge about blogging, branding, design and social media.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Cassidy or Sasha Rose
Tips
Promotion tips: linked, in section 9
Monetization tips: linked, in section 4
Quote
If you want to get more blog traffic, you will need to promote your new posts and your blog on your social media channels. You can use Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and even sites like Stumbleupon. If you don’t start talking about it, nobody will know it exists! Be proud of what you’ve done and start spreading the word.
Harsh Agrawal, Shout Me Loud
How To Start A Blog in 2020 [Blogging Guide For Beginners]
Who wrote this?
An engineer by training, Harsh Agrawal started his first blog in 2008 and became a professional blogger in 2009. He has won multiple awards for his blog and now earns over $550k/year from blogging and other online activities.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: .com
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Genesis or Astra
Tips
Promotion tips: linked in step 11
Monetization tips: linked in the section Now, Make money from blogging in easy steps (after step 12)
Quote
One major difference between a normal blog and a good blog is the detailing.
An A-list blogger usually takes care of every tiny detail to ensure that users subscribe to his blog, and love to be a part of it. This is what we call turning one time visitors into readers.
Bill Widmer, Colin Newcomer and Karol K, Code in WP
Who wrote this?
The CodeinWP editorial team (Bill Widmer, Colin Newcomer and Karol K) collaborated on this guide, which sidelines the technical aspects of starting a blog in favour of tips on writing and publishing, promotion, building an audience and maintaining your site. The CodeinWP blog gets 400,000 visits a month and makes over $20k per month in revenue.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: none
Tips
Promotion tips: loads, see tips 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 25 and 28
Monetization tips: linked in tip 14
Quote
Quality always beats quantity when it comes to blog posts.
Pushing out daily or even weekly posts simply isn’t necessary. If you do things right, once a month is plenty. That gives you the whole month to spend on promotion.
Jamie Spencer, Make A Website Hub
How to Start a Blog in 2020 – Free Easy to Follow Guide for Beginners
Who wrote this?
Jamie Spencer has spent the last few years building and making money from blogs. He now makes a seven figure income through blogging. His aim is to help other people to build and monetize their blogs.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: one from ThemeForest, StudioPress, Mythemeshop or WordPress.org
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, linked in the FAQs
Monetization tips: yes, linked in the FAQs
Quote
Blogging is a great way to express yourself and share your ideas, creativity and knowledge. Become a thought leader in your niche and leverage that authority for your own gain.
Blogging will help you to connect with other people who share your interests and also become a better writer.
Abby Lawson, Just a Girl and Her Blog
How to Start a Blog in 10 Easy Steps: The Definitive Guide for 2020
Who wrote this?
Abby Lawson started Just a Girl and Her Blog in 2013. When it took off, her husband Donnie joined her full-time working on it. The blog now gets over half a million page views per month and earns thousands of dollars in profit.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: .com
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Genesis
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in step 9
Monetization tips: yes, in step 10
Quote
Google Analytics is the industry standard for website and blog traffic reporting. It has the potential to give you some incredibly powerful insights into your blog traffic and site activity. I don’t recommend you spend much time learning the ins and outs of Google Analytics when you first start blogging (you have more important things to do!), but it is necessary to create your account and start tracking your pageviews. Don’t skip this — brands and potential advertising partners will routinely request your stats, and they’ll want to see data specifically from Google Analytics.
Jessica Bowman, Elite Blog Academy
How to Start a Blog in 5 Easy Steps | How to Start a Blog in 2020
Who wrote this?
Jessica Bowman is the editor-in-chief of Elite Blog Academy. Elite Blog Academy was set up by Ruth Soukup to help bloggers relate to their readers, expand their reach and monetize their blogs.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted) or Squarespace
Theme: Genesis
Tips
Promotion tips: linked in step 4, Install a Few Basic Plugins
Monetization tips: just before step 1 is a link to a free book on blogging for profit (you pay shipping)
Quote
The best way to launch your blog is to just START.
The reality is that no matter how prepared you think you are, your blog will change over time. Who you are when you launch isn’t who you’ll be a week later, a year later, or five years later. And that means you don’t need to have it all figured out from day one. It’s a process, and as we grow and change, our blogs will grow and change right along with us.
Blog Tyrant
How to Start a Blog and Make Money – The Definitive Guide (2020)
Who wrote this?
Blog Tyrant was originally set up by Ramsay Taplin. It is now owned by Awesome Motive, the company behind the WPBeginner site and many popular WordPress plugins. With over 30,00 email subscribers, Blog Tyrant aims to help readers build lucrative blogs.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: none
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: Astra or OceanWP
Tips
Promotion tips: yes, in step 9, and the Tools for Blog Promotion section
Monetization tips: yes, in step 10, and the Making Money With Blogging Guides section
Quote
“It’s important to change your permalink settings for two main reasons:
1. It makes it easier for Google to understand the intent of the blog by crawling the URL.
2. It makes it reader friendly.”
Honorary mention: WebsiteSetup.org
How to Make a Website: An Easy, Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
Who wrote this?
Web developer Nick Schäferhoff is Editor in Chief of this website, which takes you through how to put together a website, not just a blog.
Recommendations
Domain registrar: Bluehost
Domain type: .com, .net or .org
Host: Bluehost
Blogging platform: WordPress (self-hosted)
Theme: no specific recommendation
Quote
There are a few things that can help you choose your domain name:
#1 Is it brandable? For example, if you make a site about poetry then best-poetry-website.net is not a good choice: poetryacademy.com or poetryfall.com is much better.
#2 Is it memorable? Short, punchy and clear domain names are much easier to remember. If your domain name is too fuzzy, too long or spelled in a strange way, visitors may forget it.
#3 Is it catchy? You want a domain name that rolls off the tongue, describes what you (or your business) does and sticks in the head. Coming up with a cool name can be a bit tough since there are more than 200 million active domain names in the world right now – but don’t give up.
What were the top recommendations for a new blog?
Domain registrar
| Domain registrar | Count |
|---|---|
| Bluehost | 15 |
| Domain.com | 1 |
| Namecheap | 2 |
| No recommendation | 2 |
And the winner is… Bluehost
Bluehost came top with 15 recommendations. I suspect the main reason why is that they offer a free domain for a year when you take out a hosting plan. The only other domain registrars to get a mention were Domain.com and Namecheap.
I would personally recommend using two separate companies for domain registration and hosting, rather than putting your eggs in one basket.
Domain type
| Domain type | Count |
|---|---|
| .com | 9 |
| No recommendation | 11 |
And the winner is… no recommendation
Most experts didn’t recommend one domain type over any other. For those that did, they endorsed a .com domain, which is considered the gold standard. It can be hard to find a good .com domain, though, as so many names have been taken.
Notably, only one of the 20 websites I selected has a domain name that isn’t a .com, backing up the idea that the .com has the most prestige. (The odd one out is Matthew Woodward, who has a .co.uk.)
Web host
| Web host | Count |
|---|---|
| A2 Hosting | 1 |
| Bluehost | 17 |
| DreamHost | 2 |
| HostGator | 1 |
| Kinsta | 1 |
| SiteGround | 1 |
| WP Engine | 1 |
| WPX | 1 |
And the winner is… Bluehost
8 different hosts got recommendations (some people suggested more than one). Bluehost was the winner with a mighty 17 endorsements.
Is Bluehost the best host? I can’t say, as I have never used them. But Bluehost is one of three hosts endorsed for hosting by WordPress.org. The other two are DreamHost and SiteGround.
I suggest you visit the Web Hosting Geeks site if you want to read about customers’ real-life impartial web hosting experiences. They only publish reviews from verified account holders.
Blogging platform
| Blogging platform | Count |
|---|---|
| WordPress (self-hosted) | 20 |
| Squarespace | 1 |
And the winner is… self-hosted WordPress
This was an overwhelming victory for self-hosted WordPress. Everyone recommended using it, and only Squarespace was suggested as a possible alternative.
Theme
| Theme or theme developer | Count | Free or paid? |
|---|---|---|
| Astra | 5 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
| Authority / Mythemeshop | 2 | Paid |
| BYLT | 1 | Paid |
| Cassidy | 1 | Paid |
| Divi / Elegant Themes | 4 | Paid |
| Flash / ThemeGrill | 1 | Paid |
| Genesis / StudioPress | 9 | Paid |
| GeneratePress | 1 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
| Hello | 1 | Free |
| OceanWP | 1 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
| Sasha Rose | 1 | Paid |
| Thesis | 1 | Paid |
| ThemeForest | 4 | Paid |
| Thrive Themes | 1 | Paid |
| Twenty Sixteen | 1 | Free |
| WordPress.org | 4 | Free |
And the winner is… Genesis from StudioPress
There was more of a spread of recommended themes. This topic is a little harder to unpack because some people recommended particular themes and others theme developers (who might make many themes). In the table, where 2 names are mentioned, the first is the theme name and the second the theme provider.
The top choice of theme was Genesis by StudioPress, with 9 votes, which is what I use. Also popular were Astra theme, Divi by Elegant Themes, ThemeForest themes and WordPress.org themes. Some of these are free and some are paid, so there’s a theme for all budgets.
Plugins
| Plugin | Purpose | Count | Free or paid? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akismet | Stop spam comments | 4 | Free plugin, paid service |
| Contact Form 7 | Form | 2 | Free |
| Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress | Analytics | 2 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
| Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights | Analytics | 2 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
| ShortPixel | Compress image sizes | 2 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
| Social Warfare | Social media sharing | 2 | Paid |
| UpdraftPlus | Backup | 3 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
| WPForms | Form | 2 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
| WP Rocket | Speed up site | 4 | Paid |
| WP Super Cache | Speed up site | 5 | Free |
| Yoast SEO | Boost SEO | 11 | Free, optional paid upgrade |
Not everyone mentioned plugins in their articles, so I didn’t list them alongside the other recommendations earlier, but here is a tally of the ones which got 2 or more votes. Most of the plugins in the table have a free version. For improved features and support, you can pay a fee, usually yearly.
The most popular plugin was Yoast SEO, which was favoured by 11 bloggers. I’m also a fan: I’ve used Yoast SEO since I started my blog to SEO optimize my posts.
Other popular choices were WP Super Cache and WP Rocket, which help boost your site’s speed. Akismet was endorsed for blocking spam comments, one of the banes of a blogger’s life.
Adam Enfroy’s post listed the most plugins, with 15 plugin recommendations. (Some of which I’m now interested to try!)
One tip: Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress plugin is now ExactMetrics and is almost identical to Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights. If you want to use one of them, go for the MonsterInsights plugin as it’s better documented and supported.
Summing up
If you’re not technical, starting a blog may seem daunting, but it’s maintaining it and making it a success that’s actually harder work.
Reading and absorbing the guidance from these blogging experts will help you figure out how to start a blog in a way that’s credible, sustainable and rewarding.
Dear Claire, thank you so much for this blog! I find this really useful in the making of the blog for our health blog.