How To Create A Blog (in 2024)

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A few days ago, someone asked me ...

"Hey Mark, how do you create a blog?"

So I thought, "Sounds like a good topic for a blog post!"

Before I go into what technology or what blogging platform I recommend, let's first make sure we're all on the same page regarding ...

What exactly is a blog?

A blog is basically a website. Well then, you might ask, "What's the difference between a blog and a website?"

Actually, not a whole lot. It mainly boils down to the nature of your content and how it's structured.

Blog vs. Website

When you publish content on a blog, it's called a blog post. Blog posts are published in chronological order with a time and date stamp, like journal entries in a diary. When you publish content on a traditional website, it's called a page, and pages are not presented sequentially like they are on a blog. Pages are just standalone, static pieces of content without any time or date stamp and they typically provide core information about your business such as your about page, your contact us page or your privacy policy page.
Blog posts allow for interactivity with readers via comments, whereas standard web pages normally do not have a commenting section.
Blog posts are usually less formal and have a more casual and conversational tone. Web pages on the other hand, are usually a little more formal because they often contain just straight, factual information.
Structurally, a blog can be part of a traditional website or a blog can be a standalone entity all by itself. For example, the site you're at right now (markbrinker.com), has standard web pages (i.e. homepage, about page, contact page, services page, etc.) but it also contains a blog as part of the overall website with dozens of blog posts on all kinds of topics relating to website design, digital marketing, etc.

How do you actually create a blog?

There are tons of different platforms for creating a blog, but if it were me, I would narrow it down to the following 3 options:

1. Wix or Squarespace. If you want to get up and running quickly with a respectable looking blog and or website, Wix or Squarespace would be good choices.

PROS:

They offer a wide selection of pre-made templates, so you do not have to be a professional web designer.
They offer a user-friendly drag and drop editor, so no coding is necessary, which is great for beginners or do-it-yourselfers.

CONS:

You have limited customization because you're building your blog on their proprietary platform.
If you want to transfer your blog somewhere else at some point in the future (because maybe you feel you've outgrown their platform), there's no magic button you can press to export or transfer your site to a new platform. You basically have to rebuild your blog from scratch, which could take a lot of work

2. Medium.com or Blogger.com. If you just want to write and share your content with the world and you're fine with just a simple minimalistic design. Medium or Blogger would be good choices.

PROS:

They're simple and easy to use. No setup is required.
With Medium, you have a built-in audience, which could potentially increase the visibility of your blog posts. With Blogger, it's owned by Google, so it's reliable (just like Gmail, also owned by Google) and it's completely free.

CONS:

They have very limited customization, so the appearance of your blog posts will look very much like everyone else's on these platforms.
They both have limited monetization options. Medium has a program where you can earn money based on engagement with Medium's paying members . Blogger allows monetization through Google AdSense. You probably won't get rich using Medium or Blogger, but they could be good choices if you're only looking to build your online presence or enhance your writing portfolio.

3. A Self-Hosted WordPress Site. This is the option I've used since the mid-2000s.

PROS:

Freedom. I have the freedom to design and customize my website and blog however I want. I can implement any marketing or monetization strategy without any platform restrictions. If I ever want to move my website and blog to a different web host, or even if I want to sell my website and blog, I can do that without too much difficulty because I built everything from the ground up on my own plot of land, so to speak, rather than spending years building everything on someone else's property and platform.
There's power in numbers. WordPress is currently used by an estimated 800 million websites and blogs, which is about 43% of all websites on planet Earth. The closest competitor is Shopify at about 3.9%. That means there's a huge WordPress ecosystem containing tons of themes and tens of thousands of plugins allowing you to customize your site any way you want. If you ever get stuck, there are plenty of experience WordPress experts available for hire.

CONS:

You will have to host and maintain your website and/or blog on your own (or hire someone to do it for you).
There's also a bit of a learning curve. Although WordPress is fairly user-friendly, it can be overwhelming for beginners or people that are not super tech-savvy.

The mechanics of setting up a self-hosted WordPress site and/or blog

First, you'll need a domain name. My recommended domain registrar is Namecheap.

Next, you're going to need a place to host your website or blog. I've been using Hostgator since 2010 and they've been great.

For your blogging platform, you'll need WordPress (obviously), which is free open source software.

WordPress by itself though, is just a content management system. To make WordPress look like a website or blog, you're going to need a theme. There are lots of WordPress themes available, both free and paid.

Then to format and edit your blog post, you'll need a page editor or page builder. WordPress comes with a free built-in page editor, which will get the job done, but it's pretty basic.

If you want something with more bells and whistles so you can create more modern and sophisticated pages, you're going to need a page builder. I use a page builder called Thrive Architect from a company called Thrive Themes. I've been using their stuff since 2015, and they're a great company with great products.

A common question I get ...

One of the most common questions I've been asked for years is, "Mark, how do you get traffic to your website or blog?" To answer that question, I recently created a FREE mini-course that walks you through the step-by-step blueprint I use. (People that have taken this free course seem to really like it!)

Conclusion

There are multiple ways to create a blog.

Whether you're leaning towards the simplicity of Wix or Squarespace, the community and simplicity of Medium or Blogger, or wanting the complete control a self-hosted WordPress site offers, there's a path for every type of blogger.

So, dive in, pick the platform that resonates with your vision, and start sharing your stories with the world.

Happy blogging!

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About the Author

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Mark Brinker

Mark Brinker is president of Mark Brinker & Associates — a business website design and development firm in Sterling Heights, MI. He's the author of "The Modern Website Makeover", which you can download free here. You're also invited to Mark's NEW (and FREE!) "Boost Your Brand" video challenge and you can sign up here.