If you’ve been wondering how to start a blog in 2026? Good call. As far as I’m concerned, blogging is still one of the most rewarding and flexible ways to share your ideas, build an audience, and create passive income.
In this guide, I’m breaking down how to start a blog the right way, no tech overwhelm, no long lectures, just the real steps that work in 2026 and beyond.
Let’s get started 
Note: At the end of this blog, I will share my most recommended hosting and blogging platform… with bonuses
Quick Steps: How To Start A Blog In 2026
- Pick a niche – Choose a topic you’re passionate about and people are searching for.
- Choose a blogging platform – Use something beginner-friendly like Wealthy Affiliate (includes hosting, training & keyword tools).
- Register a domain name – Keep it short, brandable, and relevant to your niche.
- Set up hosting – This is where your blog lives online (Wealthy Affiliate includes this).
- Design your blog – Pick a clean, simple theme and customize it to match your brand.
- Plan your first posts – Brainstorm 5–10 helpful blog topics your audience will love.
- Write & publish – Create your first post using SEO best practices (like using keywords naturally).
- Promote your blog – Share your content on social media, in forums, and via email.
- Monetize your content – Add affiliate links, run ads, offer digital products, or freelance.
- Stay consistent – Keep posting regularly and improving your content over time.
Step 1: Choosing Your Niche
Before you think about topics or niches, take 5 minutes to ask yourself: Why do I want to start a blog?
Are you trying to make money? Build a brand? Share your expertise? Grow a business?
Once you’re clear on that, it’s easier to pick a niche that actually aligns with your goals, and that you’ll stick with when the initial excitement fades.
Popular blog niches that still work in 2026:
- Online business & side hustles
- Health, wellness & fitness
- Personal development
- Food & cooking
- Parenting
- Tech tutorials
- Travel on a budget
- Sustainable living
- Digital marketing & SEO
Platforms like Wealthy Affiliate have tools to use that can help with niche research if you struggle to find ideas.
Pro Tip: Your niche needs to be narrowed down to what we call a micro niche. The more targeted we can be, the better. For example, the niche “Parenting” is too broad… “Parenting Kids Under 10” or “Parenting Troubled Teenagers” would be better. I would make sure these search term keywords also have a good amount of monthly traffic before finalizing and buying your domain name.
Step 2: Find Your Blog's Domain Name
Your domain is your blog’s address (like yourblogname.com). Ideally, your domain name will include your main niche keyword.
For example, if your niche was “Kids Jet Skis,” The best domain name for this would be “Kidsjetskis.com.” Next best would be “Bestkidsjetskis.com” or something similar. In any case, I would use a keyword research tool to make sure your domain keyword is getting a good amount of search volume/traffic.
Tips for choosing a domain name:
- Keep it short, simple, and memorable.
- Avoid numbers or hyphens.
- Use a name that reflects your niche or personality.
- Always try to get the .com version if possible.
Inside my recommended blogging and hosting platform, there are keyword research tools to use that will show you how much traffic your keyword is receiving, and show you whether the domain name is available or already registered.
Step 3: Register Your Domain Name and Get Hosting
Once you’ve got your niche and domain name sorted, you’ll need hosting. This is where your website and its information will be stored. It is extremely important to have reliable and secure hosting. This protects your website and allows for daily backups.
My most recommended hosting platform is through Wealthy Affiliate, which is also why I recommend it for bloggers.
Wealthy Affiliate gives you both domain registration and powerful hosting with security under one roof.
Everything’s managed from one dashboard, and setup only takes a few minutes…even if you’ve never built a blog website before.
Pro Tip: Don’t skimp on hosting. A reliable platform like Wealthy Affiliate makes sure your blog runs fast, stays secure, and is easy to manage from day one.
How Much Will a Domain Name and Hosting Cost To Start A Blog?
Typically, a .com domain name costs about $15 to $25 per year, and hosting can cost anywhere from $10 to $50 per month.
There are many hosting platforms available; however, as mentioned before, my top recommendation to purchase a domain and get hosting with website security and daily backups is the Wealthy Affiliate platform.
Insider’s Tip: If you join Wealthy Affiliate with the Premium+ membership, you will get a free .com domain name.
Step 4: Build Your Blog Website
Now, the fun part… making your blog look good.
Most platforms (including Wealthy Affiliate’s SiteBuilder) offer themes and templates you can customize..
The Wealthy Affiliate platform offers over 7000 website templates; however, I would suggest the website theme “Astra”. This is one of my personal favorites as it is lightweight, customizable, and I have used this theme for most of my websites.
If You Start A Blog, You Need To Think About:
- Your own logo
- Brand colors and fonts
- Clean layout for easy reading
Don’t go overboard here. A clean, simple layout with easy navigation beats a fancy, cluttered one every time.
Step 5: Write and Publish Your First Post
This is where a lot of people freeze, but don’t overthink it!
Your first blog post can be:
- A “Welcome to My Blog” post
- A personal story that relates to your niche
- A beginner’s guide or tutorial
Example: If your niche is “fitness for busy moms”, your first post could be “5 Quick Workouts You Can Do While the Baby Naps.”
Just get something up! You’ll improve with each post.
Pro Tip: Go to ChatGPT and type in the prompt: “I am building a brand online in the niche “YourChosenNiche. I need the 10 best and most popular categories for this niche, and for each category, I need 5 – 10 blog post ideas. “Please include a focus keyword for each blog”.
This will give you a good plan of attack for your website and SEO. You can always tweak or change anything that you don’t like.
Tips To Write A Good Blog Post:
- Always try to write helpful, useful content.
- Answer the who, what, when, where, and why questions people wnat to know.
- Always have or include a “focus keyword” for each blog.
- Include your focus keyword in the H1 title, 30% or more of your H2 or H3 titles.
- Include your focus keyword in your image alt attribute.
- Include one inbound and one outbound link.
- Make sure your post’s meta description and meta title include the keyword.
- The post permalink or URL should include the focus word.
6: Promote Your Blog
After publishing, it’s time to get eyes on your content. If you would like to get a few posts online before going live, that is ok; however, the faster you can get advertising, even with just one blog, the faster you will get traffic.
Free ways to promote your blog:
- Share your post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X (Twitter), and TikTok
- Join niche-related Facebook groups and contribute
- Answer questions on Quora or Reddit and link to your blog
- Start building an email list (even if it’s small at first)
- Also, don’t forget SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Use the right keywords so your posts show up in Google search. Wealthy Affiliate includes a keyword research tool (Jaaxy) to help with this
In all cases, I would recommend making a FB group/page or both with the same name as your brand or website, and do the same for YouTube, TikTok, X, Pinterest, and any other social media platform you wish.
This means you will own all the online real estate for your brand or niche… The last thing you want is someone nabbing your website name on other social media platforms.
Step 7: Stay Consistant With Your Posts
You don’t need to post every day, but you do need to show up regularly.
Try this schedule:
- 1–2 posts per week
- Batch-create posts and schedule them ahead of time
- Use an editorial calendar (Google Sheets works fine)
Pro Tip: Keep publishing. It builds authority, boosts SEO, and shows readers (and Google) you’re serious.
Join Affiliate Programs and Monetize Your Blog
Once you’re getting some traffic (even 50–100 visitors/month), you can start testing ways to earn income.
💰 6 Ways to Monetize a Blog:
- Affiliate marketing – recommend products and earn commissions
- Display ads – like Google AdSense
- Sponsored posts – work with brands to create paid content
- Digital products – sell eBooks, guides, templates
- Online courses – teach something you’re good at
- Freelance services – offer writing, coaching, or consulting
Affiliate marketing is where most new bloggers start, and Wealthy Affiliate teaches you exactly how to do it.
Final Thoughts: How To Start A Blog The Right Way
Here’s the thing: most people overcomplicate blogging. They think they need to have all the answers or a perfect brand before hitting publish.
The truth is, you just need to start, keep showing up, and keep learning.
Here’s your 3-step action plan to start a blog:
- Sign up with Wealthy Affiliate and launch your blog
- Write your first post (even if it’s not perfect)
- Keep learning, improving, and posting consistently
And remember, blogging isn’t just about traffic or money, it’s about sharing your voice, building a brand, and creating opportunities.
Get excited, build something you love, and monetize to bring in passive income.
Get Free Personalized Help and Support
Inside my Facebook group “The Online Blogger” I offer free personalized help and support. This can fast track your success and is a great way to connect with like-minded people.
You can join “The Online Blogger” Facebook group for free, and if you do, please drop a hello. I look forward to meeting you.