When I decided to start blogging I did not know anything about WordPress, themes, etc. so, for all of you new bloggers out there I decided to write a tutorial which will show you how easy it is to set up your own blog.

Step 1: Find a Theme for Your Blog
Go on line and search for WordPress themes and find one that you really like. There’s a ton of free resources out there. I use a WordPress Theme called Fusion.

Other FREE sources can be found here: 100 Amazing Free Wordpress Themes for 2009

Download the files onto your hard drive and proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Establish a Domain Name for Your Blog
Establish a domain name for your new blog. You can use a variety of sources to research a new domain name , unless you already have one in mind. You can use justhost.com to see if the domain name is available. I would also recommend justhost.com for hosting your new blog. I use it and if you are wondering if this is reliable, let me assure you that they have some of the best service out there, and the prices are very good (they usually run a special for only $3.45 per month). I recommend selecting a “.com”.

Step 3: Setup Hosting and Wait for the Domain Name to Propagate

Once you signed up and already received your “welcome” email with all the necessary information, make a note of the FTP account settings and go ahead and follow the directions on how to set your WordPress theme with the hosting company.

Step 4: Install WordPress Theme on the Domain Name

Now we are going to add WordPress to your hosting account.

Open a window in your browser and type in “http://www.yourdomainname.com/cpanel”. The Control Panel will allow you to access your account. For example if your domain name is mynewblog.com, you will type www.mynewblog.com/cpanel into your browser. It will prompt you to log in so enter your user name and your password. For that you’ll need the login name and password furnished in the “Welcome” email you received from justhost.com.

If you get an error message saying that the domain cannot be found then you will need to wait for your domain name to finish propagating.

Once you’re into your Control Panel scroll down and look for the header called “Popular Choices” and select the icon called “WordPress”, like in the screen below:

On the next screen click on “New Installation” as indicated in the screen below:

On the next screen enter the following:

Install on domain – Select your domain name

1 – Install in directory - Leave Blank

2 – Administrator-username - Enter the username you want to use to login to your blog’s admin panel (I suggest you use “admin”).

3 – Password – Think of a password you want to use to login to your blog administration panel.

4 – Admin nickname - The name you want people to see on your blog whenever you post or reply. I suggest you maintain an administrator login name and then after the blog is installed you can add yourself as an editor.

Admin e-mail – You can replace what’s there with your own email address or as I did, leave it as is.

Site Name - Enter the name of your blog unless it’s already there

5 – Description - Enter a short description of your blog.

Once you’ve completed the above click on “Install WordPress.” And there you have it. Easy as pie.

Make sure and keep a copy of all the information you just added for future reference and that’s it!

Step 5: Log into Your Newly Created Blog

In order to log into your blog admin page, open a browser window and type “http://www.mynewblog.com/wp-admin“. You will be prompted for the login name and password you just established:

You can now start posting your new articles. Good luck!

Please feel free to look around this blog for tips and ideas on how to market your blog and how to make money with your blog. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact me  any time.

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 Claudiu Geanta is a successful online business owner and founder of Design by Satori Inc. & ProIncome Marketing, LLC. He teaches businesses how to build an optimum online presence. He is also and accomplished web designer and photographer. You can follow him on twitter.

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