Having a blog is a great thing because you can share anything you want (…and if you are wise you can also earn a decent income from your blog).
- (Read: My AdSense Earnings for 5 Years)
Here at ShoutMeLoud, I have written about many blogging platforms that you can use to create a blog for yourself. I usually suggest creating a blog using your own domain and hosting, and creating your blog via WordPress(.org).
We have talked a lot about self-hosted WordPress blogs in previous posts, and there is no doubt that this presents a better blogging platform when compared to free blogging platforms like BlogSpot.com and WordPress.com.
Also see:
- How to start a blog for making money
- How to make money blogging (Earn up to $40000/month)
However, many newbies who want to start blogging don’t want to make an initial investment of funds to create a blog. This is completely reasonable.
There are many blogging platforms which offer users the ability to create free blogs. If you are looking for a simple free blog, my suggestion would be to start blogging with WordPress.com or BlogSpot.com.
Once you have some blogging experience, you can advance and become more professional with a self-hosted WordPress blog.
BlogSpot allows you to create a free blog, but it does have limitations.
However, as I mentioned above, for a beginner it is a great way to learn how to create a blog and begin the blogging process.
This post is dedicated to the “beginners” who are new to blogging and would like to get started by learning the basics involved in the process.
Before I begin the complete tutorial, there are a couple of things you should know:
- Firstly, BlogSpot is a blogging platform powered by Google. It offers you an opportunity to start a blog, but all your images will be hosted by Picasa (also part of Google). BlogSpot, in this sense, is a Google-centric blogging platform.
- Secondly, if the goal of your blog is to make money and to have a blog that is professional in appearance, I would recommend that you create your blog using WordPress. It’s easy, and with the help of our exclusive free WordPress guide, you can create your blog in the next 60 minutes.
Step-by-step Guide to Creating a Free Blog on BlogSpot:
To create your free BlogSpot blog site, head over to BlogSpot.com and login using your Google account. If you don’t have a Google (gmail) account, you can create one for free.
For a first time user, you will see an option to use the identity from your Google Plus profile, or you can use your limited BlogSpot profile. I recommend using your Google Plus profile.
Once you are logged in, click on “new blog” or click on this link to directly go there: Create a free blog
Name your blog:
The first thing you need to do is add a name and select your domain. I suggest you read “How To Select a Domain Name” for additional information.
Avoid using your personal name as the domain name, and instead use some generic domain name that you can brand later with a custom domain.
You can then select a blog template (you can change it anytime), and click on “Create Blog”.
Now your blog is created, but you are not done yet!
There are a few settings that you need to set on your newly created BlogSpot blog to make it easy to use.
You are now on the BlogSpot dashboard where you will see your blog’s backend. From here you can go to “Settings” and make changes to improve your blog’s visibility.
Here is a screenshot of what you should be seeing:
From here you can click on “Posts” > “New post” and start writing your very first blog post!
But before you write your first post, I would recommend that you go to “Pages” and create at least one “About” page describing who you are and what your blog is about.
- You can read my post on why you need an “About” page for your blog.
Most importantly, you should change your blog’s template as the default one is generic and boring (in my opinion).
Here I have compiled a list of free BlogSpot templates that you can download and install on your blog. Alternatively, you can go to “Settings” > “Template” and change the template from there.
On this page, you can also add a logo to the header of your BlogSpot blog, and add or remove various other features.
Once you have a few blog posts up and running, you can go to “Settings” > “Earnings” and enable AdSense for your blog. This will allow you to earn money from your free BlogSpot blog.
- Read my earlier guide on how to sign up for an AdSense account.
So your blog is almost ready and you can start writing posts. There are just a few more things I suggest you do.
I cover these things in the video tutorial below.
Video Tutorial to Create a Free BlogSpot Blog:
Note: This post is meant for every reader out there who does not already have a blog and is looking for an easy way to create a free blog.
I started my blogging journey with BlogSpot, and I later advanced to WordPress. If you want to take the more professional route right from the beginning, you can always refer to my WordPress Beginner guide.
- Also read: BlogSpot SEO tips
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I would not recommend Blogspot to anyone.
Not only do Google shut down thousands of blogs a month on Blogspot but, if you get kicked off, you have to start again and lose all the traffic you had already worked hard to get.
Worst blogging platform on the Internet, with so many people having problems with them.
Hi harsh i was searching for blog creation in blogspot and after reading your article now i am going to create a blog in blogger. Really awesome information.
Hi Harsh, This is great to see, your blog still publishes the very basic articles of blogging. I remember I also published this article as a first post of my blog 5 years back. This is actually a very helpful article for new bloggers who just started and want to do some experiment with different topics without any investment. I have server blogs in BlogSpot and frankly speaking does not look like BlogSpot blogs. Cause I am using custom domain for my BlogSpot blogs. So, there is not .BlogSpot.com part in my domain name. I have used some customized template and installed it in BlogSpot which has made the blog look more professional. I have got AdSense in my blog and generating income. Advertising the ad spaces in Fiverr which generates some sell as well. So, without any investment I am earning from those blogpsot blogs. Isn’t it cool? Thanks for publishing your article anyway.
Amazing article.
But I want to know that how to get Adsense approval on Blogger blog.
Hi, HARSH AGRAWAL
I am not able to set up Google Adsense to my blogspot site. Please help me.
Hi Latiful Mousom,
Follow these guidelines and then re-apply for Adsense to improve your chances.
1- Your blog design should be simple, professional and good looking.
2- Write at least 10 unique posts on your blog.
3- Write About us, Contact us, and Privacy Policy pages on your blog.
4- Properly index your blog on webmasters.
5- Set up google analytics for the blog.
Best of luck.
sir i have also used your procedure but i have one question that when i have purchased a custom domain from godaddy i got the domain setup my domain name with my blogspot blog everything is working perfectly fine but when i and my friends search for my blog via url if we don’t use http with the url my site does not oepned and but when i open my blog followed by http my blog will open perfectly can you explain what can i do so that my blog will open without typing http
thanks in advance hope you will answer my querry
Thanks Harsh bro for the article always wanted such article to share with my brother so that he can know about blogging.. thanku surely will help newbies
thanks harsh it has helped me a lot to build blog and now i have migrated from blogspot to wordpress as ur guide
Nicely explained post around Blogspot. But I would recommend all new users or beginners to start of professionally on WordPress with a custom domain name. This will save from a lot of hassle in the future.
Nowadays, total cost on any particular website won’t cost you more than $250-$300.
I am too working on my own domain, but should I start my work on blogger too? would it be helpful to me? btw thank you for this amazing blog.
Hi Harsh,
As a WordPress user it is difficult for me to explain to new bloggers how to use BlogSpot, especially those who want to create one for free. Thank you so much for this article. I have several people in mind that can take action on this information.
You know I will be shouting this out!
-Donna
Hi Harsh!
I also started my blogging journey with a free blog on blogspot!
I do like their interface and simple features. But it wasn’t until I learned more about blogging and other platforms that I got very serious with everything.
I do highly recommend a new blogger to invest in their own domain and hosting plan. It will make all of the difference in the long run. I do understand that you might not have a big budget for this, in that case you should just start with what you can afford.
Great guide!
Thank you for sharing it man!
Cheers! 🙂
Hey Harsh,
Yes you are right it is a free platform for blogging. But it can provide a earnings from our blogs please tell me?
Nice to read you harsh i have a question what would be best wordpress or blogspot & can i take custom theme in blogspot..
thanks in advance
Thanks for this wonderful post, i was searching some site where i can create my blog without paying any penny, this is really helpful for me thanks again
this is really valuable post .i really like it step by step.thanks
Can I host my custom domain in blogger.
I mean I will use my own domain and I need free hosting .is there any free hosting
yes you can host a custom domain name just sign in to your blogger account under setting tab you can find the custom domain name or 3rd party url.
I have a plan to create blog in blogger. Will google approve my adsense application with custom domain blog….
If your content is high then why not. For get fast approve through google i suggest you to create a channel on youtube then apply google adsense to monetize your google. Big Chance to get approve just in one hour.
Thanks Harsh that helps a lot. I had created 2 blogs for myself after reading your post. Thanks for sharing and motivating. Thumps Up
New bloggers should select a platform that is user-friendly and easy to navigate. Many new bloggers have selected the WordPress platform because it is a supportive environment for new users.
Personally i like WordPress because easy to any customization. WordPress is the best blogging platform than others. It is seo and user friendly.
Thanks for this great post. Blogging is a very intricate world for beginners.
Really impressed! Your tutorial is very detailed. thanks for sharing. looking forward to more!.
Hey Harsh Thank you for article it helps me alot again thank you very much