How to Start a Blog in 2025 - Natalie Rae Studios

How to Start a Blog:
A Step by Step Guide for Beginner Bloggers

Disclosure: There are referral links within this post that I make compensation from at no extra cost to you.

Welcome to my step-by-step guide on how to start a blog for beginners! I’m so excited for you to take that first step.

Common misconceptions about blogging…

1. That blogging isn’t profitable.

Blogging is actually more profitable than ever. Think about it… Everything is based around the online space and basically every search result on Google is a blog post. A blog post comes in many forms from recipes, tutorials, to even product reviews. You just have to find a way to make it profitable. Blogging is a form of digital marketing, and digital marketing is a HUGE (and growing) industry.

2. You need to be a good write to become a blogger.

You actually don’t need to be a good write to start a blog. People relate to PEOPLE and more often than not, people don’t have perfect grammar or spelling… which actually makes you more relatable, in my opinion.

3. Blogging is only for tech-savvy people.

One of the best things about living in 2025 is that blogging and website programs (along with basically everything else) has become SUPER user friendly. WordPress actually has really simple and easy to navigate website builder tools that will help you out with your blog.

4. You have to blog every single day.

This is SO NOT TRUE. People show up once a week and make a livable wage with their blog. I think the key to success on your blog is being consistent, and providing value to people. There is no set schedule to see success on your blog… and let’s be real, life happens and we won’t be able to show up every single day anyway.

How did I get started with my blog?

Before I dive into how to get your blog started, I wanted to give you some background on how I got started in the blogging world.

It started a few years ago when I was actually working for a bloggers brick and mortar bakery, she had been a baking blogger for years and finally opened her shop. Before my interest in blogging grew, my OBSESSION (and I mean obsession) was baking. I’ll show you some of my creations…

When I would talk to my boss about her own blogging journey, my interest sparked and my mind started going. I knew I wanted to give it a try, in another niche, of course!

Of course, the natural next step is to take to Pinterest and research blogging. That’s when I came across these pins like…”How I made $10k Last Month With My Blog” or “How Blogging Replaced My 9-5”

I clicked their pins, read their articles and invested in a course! That course was a great start, but I ultimately took another, and another until I felt confident in my ability to get started.

So there I went, signing up for my first blog. It was hard to come up with a topic that wasn’t baking because that’s what I knew the most about, but I didn’t want to step on any toes! I got myself a WordPress blog, and started blogging about…homesteading.

Was I a homesteader? No. Was that my first big mistake? YES. I quickly realized that I didn’t know enough about being a self-sufficient homesteading queen, so I had to pivot. This was my first learning lesson, you need to blog about something that you actually know enough about so you can provide value.

I was determined though! I knew I wanted blogging to replace my full time income (because I knew I eventually wanted to stay home with my future babies) so I put my nose to the grindstone and pivoted.

Boom! Once I started that second blog, I was off to the races… I made my first sale within 10 days and gaining momentum.

Fast forward four years, and now I’m a successful full time blogger, earning a full time income consistently, AND (the best part) I’m home with my baby boy. Prayers answered.

I’m here to save you some time though…

At the beginning of my blogging journey, I spent SO MUCH TIME researching and stuck in analysis paralysis (I must be a perfectionist?) that it actually cost me money. There wasn’t really a course that taught me the exact steps I needed to be following. I’d spend hours trying to figure out with trial and error, so I promised myself… If I figure this out, I’m going to teach other aspiring bloggers how to ACTUALLY do it!

If you’re feeling stuck with everyone else’s success stories and you’re not seeing success yet, or haven’t started because of the fear of failure… Let me remind you this. There is NOTHING SPECIAL about me, the only thing that set me apart from everyone else? I started.

What do you actually need to get started?

It’s actually pretty simple to start a blog. You will need:

– A computer
– Wifi
– An email (separate from your personal one)

The reason I say computer, and not a phone, is because to use WordPress successfully it has to be on a computer screen. There’s a decent amount of backend stuff for your blog, and trying to navigate it on a phone would be a nightmare.

A Reminder: Don’t self sabotage…

To be honest, as much as I WANTED to start a blog I was hesitant because I was living paycheck to paycheck and the thought of making a purchase on something that I thought might fail was scary. I didn’t exactly have the funds to cover something like that. But it was in my head…

My mind almost got the best of me.

But I took the chance, and I thank God everyday that I did. If I hadn’t given myself the chance to start, I honestly don’t know where I would be today… Maybe at a 9-5 that I hated, with a boss I didn’t like, stuck in traffic… or worse… sending my tiny baby boy to daycare.

Bottom line is your mind can get the best of you, but if you have faith that you can succeed without giving up then you WILL find success.

If you didn’t already sign up for my free 6 day email course on how to start blogging, I really encourage you to. This course honestly has some really great information beyond this article.

How to Start a Blog

Now, I’m not going to repeat the typical articles that say things like “First step! Pick a niche.”

While I think sticking within a realm of a niche is a good idea, I don’t really think you’re glued to one specific topic.

If you want to talk about raising goats and baking, you can. Or finance and fashion, you can!
A lot of bloggers believe that YOU’RE your niche. And I kind of agree…

So, first step… consider your realm of content.

Let’s name that blog!

Choosing a name for your blog can be daunting… but don’t worry too much about it! Choose something that’s simple, and easy to remember. I recommend that you choose something that has traditional spelling too (monkeygradeschool.com vs monkeegradingskool.com haha…you get the point)

You can always refer to your own name as your website, like I did, because it doesn’t lock you into a specific niche.

Why WordPress and BlueHost are your new besties:

Let’s talk about why…

WordPress: This is the platform where you’ll actually build and manage your blog. It’s incredibly customizable and powers over 40% of websites on the internet (so yeah, it’s kind of a big deal). Plus, it’s free!
Bluehost: This is your blog’s home base. Think of hosting as renting space on the internet. Bluehost is beginner-friendly, affordable, and officially recommended by WordPress. Plus, they make setup ridiculously easy.

What is hosting?? It basically means that all of the information on your website is stored on a server (host) and it usually offers other services like security and technical support.

There are hosted websites (wix.com or square space.com) which are easily set up but you don’t technically own your information and have very limited customizations. These sites are pretty cost effective and are appealing to beginners, but I don’t recommend them. With a hosted website, a lot of the time, you’re limited on how you can make money too.

A self hosted website is a better long term option because there is more room for growth, customization, and storage. With a self-hosted website (Bluehost) you own and operate your website, giving you more options to monetize and more freedom.

The goal is to make money, right? So, in my opinion… go with a self hosted website.

If you want to look more into Bluehost, click here.
(There is a %75 off deal currently going on)

Here are the steps to get started with Bluehost:

Sign Up for Bluehost

Now for the fun part: making it official! Head to Bluehost and follow these steps:

Choose a Plan:
Bluehost offers several plans, but the Basic plan is perfect for beginners. It’s affordable and has everything you need.

Pick Your Domain:
This is your blog’s web address (e.g., www.yourblogname.com). Bluehost gives you a free domain for the first year, so no extra cost there!If your dream domain is taken, don’t panic. Get creative by adding words like blog, by [your name], or HQ to the name.

Set Up Your Account:
Enter your details, choose your billing plan, and skip the extras (you can always add them later if needed).

Install WordPress:
Here’s where Bluehost makes life easy. After signing up, they’ll prompt you to install WordPress with just one click. Seriously, it’s that simple.

Getting comfortable with WordPress:

Now that your blog is live! Let’s make it look like YOU!

Customizing a fresh site is my favorite part of starting a blog. First, you’ll need to log in. You can get to the log in page by typing in www.yourblogsname.com/wp-admin
This is your HQ.

Pick a Theme:

Your theme is like your blog’s outfit—it determines how everything looks.

Go to Appearance > Themes in your dashboard.
Browse free themes or invest in a premium one. You can find tons of premium themes on WordPress, or Etsy.

Customize Your Blog

Here’s where you can make your blog uniquely yours:

Create Key Pages: Add an About Me page (so readers know who you are) and a Contact page (so they can reach you).
Add Plugins: Plugins are like apps for your blog. A few must-haves:
- Yoast SEO (for optimizing your content).
- Jetpack (for site stats and security).
- Akismet (to block spam comments).
Set Up Your Menu: Organize your site’s navigation by going to Appearance > Menus.

Writing your first blog post

It’s time to create some content! Don’t overthink it though, your first one isn’t going to be your best one. It’s important to just focus on getting some content out there.

Here are some ideas on where to start:
– Share your story!
– 10 tips about *your niche*
– Answer common questions about your niche

Here is a tip that I heard from a professional digital marketer… “if you’re talking to everyone, then you’re talking to no one” and that is very true! Write your blog posts like you’re talking to a friend.

Promote your blog!

Social media is a free and simple way to promote your blog. And, of course, Pinterest is the best for bloggers because it acts as more of a search engine than a social media platform.

Let’s recap.

Find your niche/realm of content
Name that blog!
Sign up for hosting with Bluehost and WordPress
Theme and customization
How to write a blog post
Promoting your blog

That wraps up this step-by-step guide on starting a blog!
A few things to remember…

Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint! Staying consistent is truly the secret ingredient to growing your blog. Set a schedule for yourself and continue learning about SEO, social media marketing and content creation.

And lastly, everyone has started from where you currently are. Zero content, zero followers, but a whole-lot of ambition!

Cheers to your journey, and good luck!

How to Start a Blog:A Step by Step Guide for Beginner Bloggers