Frank Viola | Beyond Evangelical

Official Blog of Author & Speaker Frank Viola. Digging below the surface and moving beyond the shallows in today's Christianity.

How to Start a Blog from Scratch

This post was written in 2013. Since that time, the blog world has changed remarkably and so the original post is no longer valid.

The good news is that the original article has been replaced by the SCRIBE online training, which contains an entire section for bloggers and the art of blogging that’s up-to-date and evergreen.

There’s a video in the training that shows you how to start a blog from scratch, and much more.

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Comments

  1. I am trying so hard to absorb all that I can. I am gleaning every thing I can hear read or try to get for info for the future. I really want to do blogging. Thank you so very much for all of your help and support to those of us who are just starting out.

  2. Hi Frank,

    I really love your blog; it’s useful and direct.

    I am thinking a lot at the moment about how to make a living being creative – through blogging, youtube and twitter. I need to decide what I want my message/content/tone to be.

    Do you know how I can add a twitter feed to the right hand bar of my blog?

  3. Frank,
    I am following your steps and feel really lost on the theme. I would like a StudioPress theme, but didn’t know if all of their themes work with WordPress. Do you know?

  4. Frank,
    What are your thoughts on the extra services offered through BluHost?
    Site Lock Domain Security
    Site Lock Pro
    Search Engine Jumpstart
    Domain Whois Privacy
    I guess I would like to know which ones are important to have and which ones aren’t…

    *the reason why I asked because I was charged an extra $100 through the extras and was a little overwhelmed!!!

    Thanks so much!
    Amber

  5. I had not heard of BlueHost until today. Sounds like a great hosting company. Great step by step instructions on using this service!

  6. I appreciate the tips so very much! Its great to learn more about blogging advantages. I had decided to be serious about my blogs. You know, I write blogs as personal hobby, I realized it can be a source of funds too? can you teach me more about this?

    Many thanks again 🙂

  7. Hi, I’m just curious why I would want to use blue host when there are so many free blog sites out there! Do the free blogs not allow you to make an income off advertisements? I’m looking into starting a blog. I’ve used posterous as well as WordPress before, but I eventually stopped updating both & never really understood the whole blog process anyway. I’m curious about how one goes about getting readers? I suppose the purpose of using blue host is to have your own domain and to be able to make an income off it? Thanks so much!

    • You’ll want your own domain name. So instead of andrea.blogspot.com or andrea.wordpress.com you’ll want it to be AndreaLastName.com – that’s one big reason. Then you can upgrade to WordPress.org and use plugins and a great Studio theme.

  10. Thanks so much for the encouragement. I have less of a nuts and bolts question, but wanted to share something I struggle with. I started a blog several years ago and love to creatively share words, art and music. Here is the dilemma: The creative process feels pure, but when it comes to sharing, I always feel the tug of “pleasing man” creep in, i.e. “is anyone reading this? does anyone like this?” etc. Blech.

    I’ve been reading God’s Favorite Place On Earth… I believe there, or somewhere in one of your other posts you referenced “to obey is better than sacrifice.” I just came across that verse in another spot this morning and really feel the Lord is speaking to me about writing and then letting it go. Not seeking the plunder, so to speak. I looked up the definition for “sacrifice” here and found that it denotes “the kind of a flesh sacrifice the offer ate after it was given to God.” My heart is to create and share with God’s people to His glory (that is the obedience part and I feel in union during this process), but when it comes to releasing the “product,” I can’t seem to shake the afterthoughts of hoping that someone out there is interested in what I’m sharing. I guess it’s a form of seeking community, but I don’t want to legitimize good ol’ fashion pride.

    So that’s a long way of asking if you’ve ever struggled with such a dilemma and/or whether you might offer any insights? I continue to pray through this with the Lord. Currently, I am squeamish about promoting any of the things I write or create because I don’t want to seek praise, but yet I don’t want to keep the light under a basket.

    Thank you, 🙂 anj

    • See my posts “An Audience of One” and “The Peril of Measuring Yourself Against Others” in the archives. They answer your concern.

    • Thank you Anj for being so ‘frank’ about this issue. I too, have just started blogging, and am experiencing this same sense of squirmishness. Thank you Frank, for your response to Anj’s comment. The Lord reminded me in the night, about the phrase ‘for an audience of one’. How great is our Lord 🙂

  11. Frank,

    Thanks for this post. Blogging has been a hit and miss (mostly miss) venture for me. I have a hard time sustaining the motivation to keep the thing active.
    I am an active duty chaplain and would like to have an active blog that could generate some side income.
    What is your best advice for finding your topic area niche and sustaining the content creation for a well received blog?

    Thanks,
    Greg

  12. Hi Frank. I subscribe to your blog using NewsRob. Or better … I tried. When I want to read the full article, I get a notice that I should turn on JavaScript on MobileSafari. However, I don’t even have Safari on my Android device, and Javascript i turned in my browser. This problem does not pop up with other blogs I read through NewsRob. Cheers, Gottardo

  13. Frank,

    I just clicked on the “Sign Up” button for Blue Hosting and it doesn’t work.

    Is it still $6.95 per month? My host is WordPress.com and I pay $17 per year. That’s for the cost of the domain and etc. How much would it be, for me?

    • Click here: and then click the “Sign Up Now” button when you get to the page. It works. It’s as low as $3.95 a month depending on how long you have the account for. But remember, you’ll be able to have your own domain name, etc. So it’s better than a free WordPress account.

    • Bluehost is the server that’s hosted. It’s more versatile. You can also use WordPress on it, which I recommend. It’s the choice of most bloggers. With Bluehost, you can get your own domain name: PamEnderby.com for example.

  15. Well, I took the plunge and after waffling for weeks, I started my blog this morning. Had a few technical issues, but I think they’re resolved. I truly appreciate all your advice and your blogs, podcasts and books. Thank you.

  16. Frank, I’ve been wrestling with the idea of blogging. I have what I think are two unique and engaging book ideas, but I feel that I may not have the credentials to be published (nor the time or money to sit in a library everyday and research the books and self-publish). I have heard that starting a blog can help in that area and the fact that you have presented an enthusiastic and clear view of how easy it is, you’ve definitely won me over.

    Not only that, but if I can get some income from it, then maybe I will have the ability to sit in the library a few days a week. So, I’m looking forward to that future post of yours.

    -Alex

    • You should totally start blogging – especially if you have to ideas for engaging books…what better way to find out if people are interested in reading it. I would recommend not even thinking about income in the beginning and worry about writing killer content until you build an audience.

  17. Frank, am I blind? I cannot find a search function on your blog. I need it. I really want to hear your perspective on tithing and I’m sure you would have written about it somewhere. If no search option – could you get one? Thanks.

  18. Great and easy to follow instruction on starting a blog that matters. Each step is clear enough. Thanks!

  19. Thanks so much. I have really been pondering the idea of blogging. This is very helpful. I haven’t quite pulled the trigger on it yet; I have a question. As indicated, it’s relatively expensive (in fact, right now 12 months is $6.95). However, there are several other costs that are optional, but all sound rather important – protection type things. To add each of these or even two really starts to jack up the price, as it appears each extra service has an extra cost. Have you found those extras necessary, or is they really not? Thoughts?

    • The privacy feature is only if you want to make sure no one can get your contact information. If you don’t care, just bypass that. Few if any will probably look for that anyway unless you’re a celebrity.

  20. Great simple advice. It is great to see Brother Frank sharing alot of these things to equip others to have good blogs. Over 50% of the new websites are blogs now or at least run by them.

  21. Nice and simple! Probably takes 5 minutes total! No excuses now not to start that blog you’ve been thinking about. 🙂

  22. Thanks Frank, very helpful.
    I appreciate most of your stuff.

    You wrote: “The Newsletter blasts to 21,000+ opt-in subscribers.”
    My Questions: What is the platform/method that you are using for sending out such a large number of emails (if I understand correctly)

  23. thank you for this helpful post. I have a question about BlueHost. Do you know (or does anybody know?) if it is a good host for Europe/Switzerland as well. Or if it is any better to look for a nearer one? It would be helpful to hear an opinion on this. thanks

  26. Frank,
    I appreciate this very much, thank you for your kindness. When you recommended the BlueHost web hosting service before, I went to the site to check it out, but I found it too confusing, for me anyway. I really needed this post, this step by step guidance, more than I can relate to you. It has come to my mind to improve my blog site in regard to appearance, and also in regard to my essential needs that I do not have with my current setup. I cannot afford very much. And too, I have been considering changing the name of my blog also, but I am still dwelling upon that possibility. Soon, I will be blogging regularly, every week. But my needs are more than what I currently have set up. I found that to start out with a simple form to begin with, and so now I have more of an understanding of what my needs are for my blog.

    Frank, I must admit, I am rather intimidated about the whole thing, because I really don’t know what I am doing, technically speaking. I only have the knowledge that is trial-and-error and hope-for-the-best kind of knowledge. I do have a question, though it may be silly, but I don’t have enough knowledge to judge that. I realize that I do need to change my theme also, so if I get the Genesis Theme that you suggest, how do I transfer all that is on my blog site now to this new theme?

    Thanks so much for the help that you give freely to new bloggers.Your kindness is appreciated!

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