The software used to manage your blog is called a content management system (CMS) or a blogging platform or website platform. In the early days of the web, there were clear distinctions between the software used to manage a blog and the software used to manage an entire website. Those distinctions have disappeared over the years so that now, blogging software and website software are the same.
The SmallBusiness.com Guide to Starting a Blog is sponsored and provided by GoDaddy.
- Name your blog and register its domain name (web address).
- Choose a blog platform.
- Choose a web host.
- Connect your domain name to your blog.
- Design your blog.
- Publish your first post.
- Promote that post and publish your second post, etc.
Choosing a Platform or Content Management System
There are many different brands of blog platforms, but the most popular, by far, is WordPress, an open-source software. Depending on the way it is measured, WordPress is used by up to 60 percent of websites.
Other platforms| Joomla, Drupal, Blogger (Google), Magento, TYPO3, Bitrix, PrestaShop, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, and more
Why use the paid version of WordPress?
Free versions of WordPress, an open-source platform, are available, but remember: You get what you pay for. A paid version is not too expensive, and it probably includes some features you’ll need soon. The smartest thing to do is to invest a few dollars each month on using a paid theme hosted on a secure and reputable hosting platform like GoDaddy’s Managed WordPress solution (more on website hosting in Step 3).
The benefits of using WordPress themes, whether paid or free
- You can customize your blog by changing the background color with a click.
- You aren’t limited to just a few design themes and styles.
- WordPress offers hundreds of free themes and premium themes so you can fashion your blog exactly the way you want.
- WordPress offers community support in the form of forums and tutorials where you can get free how-to guides.
- The ability to easily and inexpensively add e-commerce capabilities to your blog using the WooCommerce plugin.
Need more help?
GoDaddy, the sponsor and provider of this guide, always has friendly helpers standing by who can chat online or talk on the phone 24/7 at: (480) 505-8877.
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Step 3 | Choose a blog host
The contents of this guide were developed and sponsored by GoDaddy.
It may include opinions other than those of SmallBusiness.com.
