🛠 Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Set Up Your Blog on WordPress in 2025

This guide is tailored for beginners and aspiring bloggers in the Philippines (or anywhere), and it's fully optimized for your The Hustlers PH audience.

📌 What You'll Need Before You Start:

• A blog name or niche idea

• A working email (used for registrations)

• A credit/debit card or GCash for hosting payment

✅ Step 1: Choose a Domain Name

Your domain is your blog’s address (like thehustlersph.com).

Tips for choosing:

• Keep it short and easy to remember

• Avoid numbers or dashes

• Use a .com if available

• Make it match your blog niche if possible

👉 Use Namecheap, GoDaddy, or buy it directly from your hosting provider (often bundled free for the 1st year).

✅ Step 2: Get Web Hosting

Hosting is where your blog lives online. You can’t run a WordPress.org blog without it.

Top beginner-friendly hosts:

• Hostinger (cheap + fast + beginner-friendly)

• Bluehost (official WordPress partner)

• SiteGround (more premium, excellent support)

👉 Choose the Basic/Starter plan to begin. You can upgrade later.

During sign-up, most providers will:

• Let you register your domain

• Install WordPress automatically for you

• Set up SSL (makes your site “https”)

✅ Step 3: Log In to WordPress Dashboard

Once WordPress is installed, you can now access your blog via:

bash
yourdomain.com/wp-admin

Enter the username and password you created during setup. This takes you to your WordPress dashboard—the "control center" for your blog.

✅ Step 4: Choose a Theme (Your Blog’s Design)

Go to: Appearance > Themes > Add New

You can use free themes or paid ones. Good free themes:

• Astra (fast and flexible)

• Kadence (clean design)

• Neve (lightweight and beginner-friendly)

Install and Activate the theme you like.

✅ Step 5: Install Essential Plugins

Plugins add features to your blog. Start with these essentials:

Plugin	Purpose
Rank Math SEO	Helps your blog rank on Google
WPForms	Easy contact forms
UpdraftPlus	Backups for your blog
Site Kit by Google	Connects Analytics + Search Console
LiteSpeed Cache / W3 Total Cache	Speeds up your site
Akismet Anti-Spam	Filters spam comments

Go to: Plugins > Add New and search, then install + activate.

✅ Step 6: Set Up Basic Settings

Here are a few key things to adjust right away:

1. Change your site title & tagline

• Settings > General

2. Set your permalink structure

• Settings > Permalinks > Choose “Post name”

3. Delete default posts/pages

• Trash the “Hello World” post and sample page

4. Set your timezone

• Settings > General > Timezone: Asia/Manila

✅ Step 7: Create Essential Pages

Go to: Pages > Add New

At minimum, create these:

• Home

• About (who you are, why you blog)

• Contact (form + email)

• Blog (where your posts appear)

• Privacy Policy (for AdSense/SEO)

You can customize these later using Gutenberg or a builder like Elementor.

✅ Step 8: Write Your First Blog Post

Go to: Posts > Add New

Tips for your first post:

• Write like you're helping a friend

• Use headers (H1, H2, H3) to break content

• Include 1–2 images (free sites: Unsplash, Pexels)

• Optimize for a keyword (using Rank Math or Yoast)

• End with a call to action (comment, share, follow, etc.)

Then hit Publish. You’re officially a blogger!

✅ Step 9: Launch and Promote Your Blog

Now that your blog is live, let the world know!

Promote on:

• Facebook (your page or groups)

• Instagram or TikTok (short videos or reels)

• Pinterest (if you’re in a visual niche)

• Email list (start one early using MailerLite or ConvertKit)

Keep publishing valuable content. Google needs time to index and rank you.

✅ Step 10: Set Up for Monetization (Optional, But Recommended)

Once you’ve got a few posts up and steady traffic:

• Apply to Google AdSense for display ads

• Join affiliate networks (Involve Asia, Amazon, Shopee)

• Create a freebie to grow your email list (e.g., checklist, ebook)

Make sure your About, Contact, and Privacy Policy pages are up before applying for AdSense.

💡 Bonus Tips for Beginner Bloggers

• ✅ Use Canva to create custom blog graphics

• ✅ Track your traffic using Google Analytics

• ✅ Join Facebook groups for blogger support

• ✅ Learn SEO basics early—it pays off

• ✅ Don’t compare your growth to others. Go at your own pace.

Final Thoughts

Starting a blog in 2025 is easier than ever—but success still takes patience, strategy, and consistency. Set it up right, write helpful content, and promote it smartly. You don’t need to be a techie or a pro writer—just stay committed.

Follow The Hustlers PH for real-world blogging tips, growth hacks, and monetization strategies made for Pinoy creatives, freelancers, and side hustlers.