How to Start a Profitable Blog Course
DAY TWO · Choose a simple design
Hey there! Today is the fun part: making this little corner of the internet feel like yours. If you opened WordPress and immediately thought, “What am I looking at?”—you are in the right place. I remember being so frustrated that I couldn’t make my first blog look the way I pictured it.
We’re going to keep this manageable. By the end of today, you’ll have a simple design, your blog’s name on the page, and something you can look at and think, “I’m actually doing this.” A paid theme and a perfect logo can wait.
Still working on hosting? Return to Day One. Take the course at your own pace.
1. Open your WordPress dashboard
Sign in through your hosting account and open the WordPress site you created. Your host’s menus can vary. Once your domain is connected, your WordPress login is usually at yourdomain.com/wp-admin. Use your own domain and bookmark the correct login page.
2. Choose a maintained theme
A theme controls your site’s design. Start with the free theme already installed, or choose one from the official WordPress theme directory. Look for recent updates, compatibility with your WordPress version, clear documentation, and a readable mobile preview.
This course no longer requires the Edge theme shown in older lessons. Keep a theme you already like; changing themes is optional. Back up an existing site before changing its design.
3. Install only if you need a different theme
In WordPress, open Appearance → Themes → Add New. Preview a theme, then choose Install and Activate when you are ready. Activation changes your site’s appearance.
WordPress’s theme installation guide has the current interface details.
4. Find the right design editor
With a block theme, use Appearance → Editor for your site’s design. With a classic theme, look for Appearance → Customize. The options differ by theme, so it is normal if your screen looks different from an older tutorial.
Open the official Site Editor guide.
5. Make three useful changes
Set a clear site title that matches your blog’s name.
Choose readable body text and strong contrast between text and background.
Keep your header simple, leaving room for the navigation we’ll build on Day Three.
Skip sliders, animations, and extra paid design tools for now. Your reader should be able to find and read your content comfortably.
6. Add a logo only if you want one
Your blog’s name in text is a perfectly good starting point. If you create an image logo, use your own design or assets you are licensed to use. A simple text design in Canva’s free plan can be enough; you do not need a Pro trial just to launch.
Follow your theme’s recommended dimensions instead of forcing every logo to the same size. Upload it through your theme’s logo setting or Site Logo block.
7. Save and check the result
Save your design changes, then open your site on your phone and computer. Check the title, menu, text size, links, and spacing. Design changes may affect the live site, so review what you are saving.
A site icon is optional. Use a simple square image that stays recognizable when small, and follow the dimensions shown in WordPress’s Site Icon setting.
Your task for today
Finish with one active theme, a readable homepage, and a clear blog name. Give yourself a short design session, then move on. You can improve the design as you learn what your readers need.
You made it yours. That counts.
Even if your design is still a little rough around the edges, you have moved from imagining a blog to making decisions for your own. Give yourself credit for that.
Next, we’ll create the “rooms” of your blog: the pages that help readers get to know you and find their way around. Come back with your next email, or keep going if you have time today.