{"id":1067,"date":"2018-09-16T12:39:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-16T16:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2018-09-16T12:44:07","modified_gmt":"2018-09-16T16:44:07","slug":"set-up-a-new-wordpress-blog-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debradalgleish.com\/blog\/2018\/09\/16\/set-up-a-new-wordpress-blog-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Set Up a New WordPress Blog Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s hard work to set up a new WordPress blog, even though it’s promoted as “a few clicks and you’re done”. The bare bones might be set up in a few clicks, but there are many more steps to complete, before you’ve got a working blog. I’m making notes here, on some of the key steps, just in case I’m every foolish enough to try this again. And if you’re starting a new blog, maybe this will help you too.<\/p>\n

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A couple of weeks ago, I offered to help my son with the setup for his new blog, so he could get it up and running quickly. I’ve been blogging since 2008, so how hard could it be to start another blog? (Ha! Famous last words)<\/p>\n

Step 1 \u2013 Choose a Domain Name<\/h3>\n

If you want to start a blog or website, you need a place to put it on the internet. In the background, number are used in the addresses, but we use friendlier domain names to find things.<\/p>\n

My son had a a blog name in mind, so we checked the WHOIS database<\/a>, and found an available domain name that matched the blog name.<\/p>\n

We also did a free search on the KnowEm site<\/a>, to see what usernames were available on the social media sites, such as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. In the olden days, we didn’t have to worry about branding, but it’s important now.<\/p>\n

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Step 2 \u2013 Get Web Hosting<\/h3>\n

Next, you have to register your domain name, and get web hosting. You can do those steps separately, but I use Hostgator for my blogs<\/a> (affiliate link), and usually do those steps there. I’ve found that the domain is activated faster that way, but your mileage may vary.<\/p>\n

You can use any reputable web host for your WordPress blog \u2013 most of the big ones make it easy to install WordPress and get started.<\/p>\n

It was easy to set up the web hosting, but it might be confusing if you hadn’t done this before. Hostgator offers all kinds of optional features, and has them checked by default. If you’re not paying attention, your basic web hosting cost could go way up!<\/p>\n

For example, they offered an email option for $5 (I can’t remember if that was monthly or annually). You don’t need that \u2013 just set up an email account for free, in your Hostgator domain settings. They also offer a deluxe WordPress installation package, but we passed on that too.<\/p>\n

Step 3 \u2013 Install WordPress<\/h3>\n

After you’ve paid for your domain registration and web hosting, you’ll have to wait for an email from Hostgator, with your account info, and the login details for the control panel (cPanel). That’s where you’ll go to install WordPress.<\/p>\n

After logging in to the cPanel, I clicked the “Build a New WordPress Site” button, and followed the steps there. I won’t post the installation steps here, because they change occasionally. Check the Hostgator Support pages for the latest instructions on how to install WordPress<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Important<\/strong>: Be sure to write down the email address and password that you choose for your WordPress login. You’ll get a login URL where you can go later, to make some changes to the WordPress setup.<\/p>\n

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Step 4 \u2013 Set Up Email and Forwarding<\/h3>\n

The final step that I’ll cover today is setting up email for the new domain, and forwarding that email to another email address.<\/p>\n

In the cPanel’s Popular Links section, click the Email Accounts button. Then create one or more email accounts for your new domain.<\/p>\n