How to Create a ‘Blogger’ Blog

Formerly known as Blogspot, Blogger is Google’s own self-blogging platform. Much like WordPress.com, it allows individuals and business owners to blog without the need for a third-party hosting service. All files and data are stored are Google’s servers, eliminating the need for a domain name and web host. If you are thinking about creating a Blogger blog, however, there are a few things you should know.

Getting Started

In order to create a Blogger blog, you’ll need a Google account. This can be the same account used to access Gmail or other Google services. If you don’t have one already, visit Google.com and create one.

After creating a Google account, visit the Blogger.com homepage and sign in by entering your Google username and password. You will then be asked to enter a display name and read/accept the platform’s terms of service. Don’t worry too much about the display name, as you can go back and change it later. Click the Create a Blog button to begin the setup process.

Next, you’ll need to choose a URL address and a title for your blog. Keep in mind that Blogger uses subdomains by default, meaning your blog will likely have a URL structure along the lines of www.yourblog.blogger.com. You can set up your blog with a dedicated domain name, but beginners should stick with the default format for the sake of simplicity. Besides, you can always go back and transition your blog to a dedicated domain name later.

For your blog title, choose a name that’s relevant to your blog’s niche/topic. I know this probably sounds like common sense, but you would be surprised to see some of the unusual titles given to blogs. When you are finished, choose a template for your blog. This is essentially the layout for your blog, dictating the color scheme, design, navigation and other elements. Blogger has a pretty large selection of templates that are free to use, so take the time to choose the one that’s best suited for your blogging needs.

The Dashboard

By now you should have already created your blog. Assuming you followed the steps outlined above, you can log into your blog by entering your Google username and password, and then click on your blog (you can have multiple Blogger blogs). This will take you to the dashboard, where you can perform dozens of tasks and commands. Familiarizing yourself with the dashboard will give you a better understanding of the Blogger platform and how best to use it.

To write a new post, click on the orange-colored pencil at the top right corner of your Blogger dashboard. Doing so will bring up a visual what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editor, at which point you can enter text, video and other content into the post. Clicking on the drop-down menu to the right of this button will bring up a list of other options, including Overview, Posts, Pages, Comments, Stats and more.

Do you use Google’s Blogger? Let us know in the comments section below!