When people hear of creating a website, they expect themselves to learn programming languages like HTML, PHP, ASP.NET and many more before they can build their own websites. This used to be true some years back. But things have changed. You don’t have to be a “computer wiz” before you can do this. There are platform like WordPress, Wix , etc that have made web development so super easy. 

For this exercise we are going to use the WordPress platform. So relax and enjoy the ride for free.  

How to start your free website or  blog using these few steps:

• Domain and Hosting.

The first thing you do when starting your blog is to go to Bluehost and register your domain. Bluehost’s basic price is $2.95 a month, which works for 99% of people

Click this link to receive a 50% discount off the monthly price and a free domain

 Login to your account and find “Install  WordPress”.

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Using “Install  WordPress”, when you have questions you can have a live chat with the folks at bluehost for free. They will point you in the right direction and make starting your own blog super easy.

• Theme

A good theme gives you the look and feel you want for your blog, allowing you to make a blog that looks exactly how you want it to look. If you’re not a coder (we certainly weren’t), then a theme makes the design work a million times easier. Plus, once you purchase a theme, which are inexpensive for the time they save you, you own it for life. A theme has two halves: the framework (the bones) and the Child Theme (the beauty):

Framework. There are several WordPress theme frameworks on the market, but Genesis is without a doubt the best and most flexible choice. Genesis is the first half of your theme. Many themes merely handle the aesthetics of your new blog, but Genesis provides a necessary foundation for your Child Theme. Simply go to StudioPress and purchase the Genesis Framework.

Child Theme. After you get your Genesis Framework, you’ll want to find the right Child Theme (which is just a silly way to say “blog design”). The Minimalists uses the beautiful “tru” theme, which is available at BYLT, the Genesis Community Marketplace. Head on over to BYLT, browse their carefully curated collection of themes, and find the design that’s right for you.

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• Modify Your Blog.

Once you have your domain, hosting, WordPress, and theme,you need to spend a lot of time tweaking the theme to get the look and feel you wanted (i.e., making your vision a reality). Spend even more time tinkering with the theme and arguing about it and tweaking it some more. Once you have created your blog, set up a free Feedburner account so people could subscribe to your site via email and RSS subscriptions. And then establishe a free Google Analytics account to track your stats.

• Plugins.

Use only a few plugins on your blog: “Google Analytics for WordPress” and really simple Facebook and Twitter share-button plugins (since human beings are intrinsically wired to share value, it’s important to make your posts easy to share with others). They take just a few seconds (literally a few seconds, it’s just a click of a button) to install once you’ve started your blog.

• Write Compelling Content.

Last, via WordPress, start writing and uploading the content for your pages: About Page, Contact Page, Start Here Page, Books Page, Tour Page, Archives Page, etc. Next, design your logo . Finally, start writing your new blog posts and publishing them regularly (at least once a week), accompanied by photos.

We hope this article helped you get your website up and running.  You can consult an expert to help you with the WordPress. There is no shame in that. We all had to start somehow. Enjoy the rest of your day