To set up your own WordPress site, visit my step-by-step tutorial

Step One – Decide on a domain name (web address)

The first step to setting up your blog is deciding what you want your web address to be. To find out if a name is available, go to the GoDaddy homepage and use their domain search. Don`t buy your domain on GoDaddy just yet though. You can get one domain for free when you set up your web hosting in step two.

Step Two – Get a web hosting account

I use FatCow for web hosting because their servers are fast, they have a quick install process for WordPress and they’re relatively cheap. You pay for hosting (currently $66 a year with FatCow and it includes your domain name) and they give you your own space on the internet where you can place your WordPress Blog. If you haven`t already, head on over to get your web hosting.

Step Three – Install WordPress

In your FatCow control panel, there is a section titled Scripting and Add-Ons in the centre near the bottom. In this section, you’ll find a link titled InstallCentral. Click on it. Once in the InstallCentral section, you will:

1. Click on the Blogs tab
2. Click on the WordPress button
3. Scroll to the bottom and click on the Begin Installation button
4. Fill in the install WordPress form. Leave the Installation Directory blank and let FatCow create a database for you automatically.
5. Once the form is complete, click on Install Now!

After the installation completes, you’ll be taken to a page that gives you a link to your WordPress admin portal. This is where you’ll create new blog posts and pages. Make sure to bookmark it so it’s easy to find when you need it.

Note: FatCow’s customer service has been, in my experience, fantastic. If any of these steps prove to be a challenge, give them a call on their toll free number listed on their site

Now that your blog is active,  you can change your theme and choose from all kinds of different plugins (mini applications that add functionality to your blog).

Step Four – Choose a theme for your WordPress blog

There is no shortage of both free and premium WordPress themes. Now that your blog is active, let’s pretty it up a little with a fresh new theme. To find themes, visit my blog post titled – Where to find quality WordPress Themes.

You can also find themes right from your WordPress Admin console. To do so, login to your new WordPress admin and click the Appearance tab in the left hand column. In that section, click on Add New Themes link. This takes you to a page where you can search for themes.

Step Five – Install your theme

There are two different ways to install a theme. the easiest way is to use the search option in the Add New Themes section mentioned above. Once you’ve found a theme in this section, you simply click the Install link listed below the theme thumbnail. After it has completed installing, click on the Activate link.

If you’ve found a theme that isn’t listed in the Add New Themes section, that’s ok too. To install a theme that isn’t located in the directory in your admin, you:

1. Download the theme to your desktop from the website where you found it (it will be saved in a .zip file)
2. Go to the Add New Themes section of your WordPress admin
3. Click on the Upload link at the top
4. Click the Browse button and look for the theme file on your desktop
5. Click the Install Now button
6. Once the theme has been installed, click Activate

Your new theme is now active. Depending on your theme, there may be some additional theme options that you can customize. If you see a link with your theme title listed in the left hand navigation after you complete your install, click on it for additional options.

Step Six – Select plugins for your site

Plugins are mini applications that can greatly increase the overall usability of your site. These tools can add social features, help optimize your site for search and much more. One word of caution, loading too many plugins will slow down your blog. Select a few options that will enhance your blog and be useful to your readers. I have a couple of blog posts that will help in selecting plugins – recommended plugins for WordPress & social media plugins for WordPress.

Step Seven – Install plugins

The easiest way to install plugins on your WordPress blog is through the WordPress admin. To do this:

1. Click the Plugins tab in the left hand column
2. Select  Add New
3. Type the plugin name into the search
4. Hit the search button and select the appropriate plugin from the results page
5. Click on the Install link
6. Click on the Activate link

Once activated, you’ll find a configuration panel in the left hand column of your blog under Tools or Settings. Some plugins will actually have their own section on the sidebar as well.

With these seven steps finished, you’ve completed your WordPress setup.

Now that you’re done, you might want to check out some of my other posts about using Google tools with WordPress – Add a WordPress site to Google Webmaster Tools & Adding Google Analytics to WordPress

Free WordPress Theme Resources

• WordPress free theme directory is the first place I go to look for themes. This extensive directory can be searched by keyword and filtered by tag. There is also a list of most popular and newest themes in the right hand column.

• Smashing Magazine is one of my favorite sources for WordPress themes. In particular, they have two posts I really like – 100 WordPress Themes and WordPress Themes for 2009

• Search on Google – By adding some specific keywords, you can find really targeted themes using Google. Try searching using specifics about your blog’s topic. For example, if you’re going to start a website about finances try searching on Google for “free finance WordPress themes.” If you run a charity, search “free WordPress charity themes.”

Premium WordPress Themes

If you are new to blogging, choosing to buy a professionally designed theme isn’t always a bad idea.  If you choose a free theme, you might have to pay to have it customized or learn how to make changes to your theme yourself. Sometimes paying for a theme can actually be cheaper than using a free template. If you can’t find a free template you like as is, here are some companies that sell professionally designed theme templates. Themes can start for as little as $20.

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of these theme design companies. I have chosen to become an affiliate of these particular companies because I believe in the quality of their work.

• Elegant Themes – ‘Each WordPress theme comes expertly coded in valid XHTML and CSS, and all are made compatible with the latest version of WordPress. I make sure that each template performs flawlessly in each of the most widely used browsers to ensure maximum functionality. Furthermore, all sidebars are made widget ready for your convenience.’

• Woo Themes – ‘Our themes are all built on a solid code framework which we have fine tuned over time. With a new backend to let you easily control the theme options and multiple theme styles to every theme, it won’t take you long to get up and running.’

• Studio Press – ‘StudioPress themes are a perfect solution for small businesses or individuals looking to establish their online presence with a WordPress blog or website.’

• Headway Themes – ‘Tired of WordPress themes promising to be easy to use, but never living up to that promise? We hear you. Headway fulfills that promise with visual layout tools that are as easy to use as desktop software. Headway is “everyone easy” not just “designer easy.”‘

• Thesis Theme – ‘The Thesis Theme for WordPress is a high-quality template system that you can use to improve your site immediately.’