Back in 2003, developers Mike Little and Mike Mullenweg created

WordPress—a self-contained set of PHP coded files that anyone could

download and use to publish content online. Their goal was to “democratize”
publishing blog posts, and content in general, on the web with a content
management system with features for both non-tech users and those with
experience in web development and design.

Today, WordPress has far exceeded that original goal. A third of the world’s
websites use WordPress for purposes that range from small personal blogs to
complex business sites for companies like the Disney Corporation, the New
York Post, and Time Inc. Many sites using WordPress aren’t focused specifically
on blogging, but the WordPress content management system, or CMS, is
structured around publishing content in the form of posts and pages.

Getting Started With

a WordPress Blog
Launching a self-hosted blog with WordPress requires only three things:

A domain name for the blog. To build a blog with WordPress, you’ll need a
domain name. Use a domain name registrar or your web host to find out if
your chosen name is available. If so, you can purchase it for terms of one year
or multiple years, either through a registrar or through your web hosting
provider. Blogs have transformed from simple online diaries to websites rich in
content. In many ways they have become the backbone of the internet.
Regardless if you create video blogs, text blogs, or picture blogs, it’s important
that you own what you create. And nothing makes that easier than putting
your creation on your own domain. .blog allows you to be seen and heard
without compromise. A unique domain is often all that separates you from the
noise of the internet. Get started with your .blog and take 40% off with our
promotion ending in August 2018. Not looking to start a blog? .biz and .co are
also available at a discounted rate!

Web hosting. Buy a web hosting plan from a reputable WordPress hosting
provider. You can download WordPress free from WordPress.org and install it
yourself, but most web hosting providers include a fast WordPress installation
feature with your hosting plan. This “one click” installer sets up WordPress for
you, so that all you need to do is select a theme and start adding content to
your new site.

Once WordPress is installed, you’re ready to start blogging. But, it’s helpful to
plan the basic content of your blog, so that you can customize it to reflect
your brand and purpose. You can customize your blog’s appearance with
themes and plugins and create virtually unlimited posts and pages, so it can
help to make a list of the basic features you want on your blog site before you
begin.

Install a Theme for Your Blog

A new WordPress install comes with an admin dashboard with all the tools you
need to set up your site. From the dashboard, you can choose a theme for
your site from among the hundreds of free themes available from the
WordPress theme directory or purchase a custom theme from a wide range of
independent designers. Many WordPress themes are designed for general use,
but some are optimized for specific purposes like writing or blogging. Search
for themes with the features you want by selecting the “filter’ option on the
WordPress directory page. When you find a theme you like, you can preview it
live on your site and install it with the click of a mouse.

Customize the Theme

Free and Premium WordPress themes can be customized by anyone using the
tools in the WPAdmin dashboard. From here, users of all experience levels can
easily customize features such as changing the header, fonts, and page layout.
Users with more design and development experience can work directly with
WordPress source files and style sheets, accessible from the Files section of the
hosting dashboard.

Add Features With Plugins

Although WordPress comes with all the essential elements for setting up a
basic site, users can add special features that are unique to a particular site’s
needs with plugins—small bits of code that add specific functions to any
compatible site. Choose from hundreds of free plugins in the WordPress
plugin directory that comes with your WordPress install or buy and install
custom plugins designed by third-party WordPress developers. Blog-related
plugins can include tools for social media sharing, cross posting to other sites,
managing email lists, tracking analytics, and more. And don’t forget about
driving traffic to your blog. The most popular theme to help you easily boost
traffic is the Yoast SEO plugin which helps ensure you’re maximizing visibility
in top search engines such as Google.

Create and Publish Posts

The WordPress dashboard includes tools for creating two kinds of content:
pages and posts. Pages are for static informational content, such as your site’s
“About” page or policies and disclaimers, and posts are for publishing
frequent, timely pieces that define a blog. Selecting “Post” opens the content
editor for creating a post, with all the tools you need to write and format text
and add other elements such as images or video.

When you’ve completed a post, click “Publish” to make it live on the site or
save it as a draft for later editing. WordPress also includes tools for scheduling
posts to be published at a later date, and any published post can be edited
and updated—or deleted completely—whenever necessary. WordPress allows
you to display your posts as the blog’s front page or to set a static page such
as an “About” page as the first page a visitor will see.

There’s no limit to the number of posts or pages that can be added to any
self-hosted WordPress site, and you can change the appearance and layout of
the site at any time by choosing different themes and plugins as the site
evolves.

WordPress is a versatile, flexible content management system used by nearly a

third of the world’s websites. With a suite of tools and features for building
blogs of all kinds, WordPress makes it easy for anyone to publish and share
content across the globe. And if you’re ever feeling lost or stuck, the great
news is the WordPress community is large, offering a myriad of forums,
support resources, and step-by-step guides for common tasks.