How to create a blog

Creating a blog is a fast way to publish content online. It is much like a website except a blog is run by a series of scripts that generally publish and organize the content by date and categories.

Blogs are typically easier to setup than websites because most blog platforms come with ready-to-use templates and there’s no software or FTP needed to publish your content to the Web.

I use WordPress for this blog, and the theme (design) I use is called Thesis.

The easiest way to setup a blog is to choose a web host that has a WordPress install script.  So all you have to do is sign up with hosting and install WordPress from the hosting control panel.

Instantly, you’re ready to begin blogging.

Blog or Static Website?

A static website is a series of pages that are manually put together using HTML and CSS. 2CreateAWebSite.com is a static site.

This is my main tutorial site and you may notice the content organization is more controlled and logical.  It’s not ordered by date or category like my content here.  It’s organized by steps so it’s easier to reference.  The content is also not updated as frequently.

If you use WordPress, you can create static content, but it’s important to learn how to edit your navigation/theme to make use of those static pages and create a more logical navigation.

This blog is more like a journal/magazine where I just publish random articles related to Internet marketing.   Since the articles are organized by category, it would be harder for people to follow if they wanted to learn how to build and promote a website.  That’s why I reserve my blog for “latest news” and use my static site for teaching.

Most people choose blogs today because they are easy, dynamic and universal.  I personally like having a static site as well because it’s easier for people to follow my tutorials.

You don’t need a static site and a blog, just make sure you organize your content in the most useful/logical way for delivering your content. Not every kind of site is best for a traditional blog format.
Many people tell me that blogs are difficult to navigate and find information.  That’s because most bloggers don’t make good use of static pages.  So their site just becomes a list of random posts in different categories, and the older content eventually gets buried.   While that may be fine for some sites, others may benefit from a more static organization.

If you are creating a tutorial/reference site, visitors may get lost and have trouble finding the information they are looking for. That can be rectified by making use of more static pages.  That’s really the key whether you accomplish this with a blog or static site.

How you customize your blog design with static content will depend on which blog theme you use.  For example, Thesis easily lets you add static pages to your main navigation without editing the code.  You can even create a drop-down navigation with ease. Free themes are often more difficult to customize unless you understand PHP and CSS.

Consider a Premium Theme

There are tons of wonderful free blog theme designs, but I am so glad I use a premium theme.  The code is usually cleaner (loads faster), the design is easier to customize, they are more search engine optimized and you typically receive free upgrades for life.
Many new bloggers gravitate toward the free themes at first, but often struggle with customization and later discover the benefits of having a paid theme.

Make Money With Google Ads

One way to make money from your site is to join the Google AdSense program and advertise other people's ads. You earn money every time someone clicks on your ad.

20 Ways to Make Money With a Website

There are so many ways to make money with a website these days. Once you have enough visitors to your site, the monetization options are endless.
From Google AdSense, selling your own product, doing sponsored reviews, to Clickbank, designing T-shirts, the opportunities are endless.
The key is having enough targeted traffic. Many people complain that making money online doesn't work, but usually these people don't have enough interested visitors to make any kind of profit.
I can assure you that it is possible to earn a nice income from your website with hard work, persistence and dedication.