Getting set up as a blogger on WordPress is this easy

There are countless free themes for Wordpress – some free and simple, other paid and fancy. Switching between them is easy. — Catherine Waibel/dpa

If you want to set up your own blog, there's pretty much no way around a content management system like WordPress, the most used publishing platform on the web. Here's what you should know before getting started.

The massive amount of personal websites and niche blogs online is thanks in large part to software like WordPress, a free publishing platform used by countless individuals and companies to quickly put content online.

WordPress was originally developed for bloggers, but in the past decade since, it has became a widely popular tool for online text and photo content. It's also been adopted by many professional news websites.

Just about anyone who wants to share their experience, thoughts or photos will certainly want to take a look at it, given how easy it is to set up, says media technology engineer and WordPress expert Florian Simeth.

Blogs are often successful if they provide people with specific information, Simeth says. "There is always someone somewhere in the world who has already had the same problem and has shared a solution online."

You're more likely to find that kind of niche expertise and practical information on a blog than on social media.

WordPress works with what are called themes. These designs define how the blog will look and there are thousands of free as well as fancier paid ones.

There are also additional plug-ins you can add to your blog for added functionality, for example for online payments.

WordPress comes in two variants: WordPress.org, which is free, and WordPress.com, which has to be paid for.

WordPress was originally launched as an open-source project and that survives as WordPress.org, which is maintained by volunteers such as Torsten Landsiedel.

WordPress.com, on the other hand, is a complete web hosting solution that you have to pay for.

Which variant you use depends on how much time, money, and technical understanding you have and also what you want to use the blog for.

"At WordPress.com, you're relieved of all technical challenges. You don't have to worry about backups, updates and the like," Landsiedel says. On the other hand, it's not as flexible as the free variety.

The free software from WordPress.org can be downloaded and installed on your own website or server.

There are no restrictions compared with the paid version, "but you now have to take care of everything yourself, provided the hoster does not do this," Landsiedel says.

So once you've decided on the software, what actually makes a successful blog? Werner Langfritz, who offers WordPress online seminars, has some tips. First of all, define your goals.

"Are you trying to establish yourself as an expert in your field? Are you trying to promote your business? Do you just want to blog for fun and exchange your ideas and opinions?"

The success of a blog depends not only on meeting the expectations of the target group, but also on networking and exchanging ideas with other bloggers.

"Your blog, in terms of its design and content, should consistently communicate a brand image and a message," Langfritz says.

It's also necessary to generate visibility, for example in social media or via search engine optimisation (SEO). Langfritz recommends using SEO plugins like Yoast SEO and making sure that your chosen theme is SEO-friendly.

In addition, you will likely also need some kind of data protection declaration if any data from blog visitors is being processed, Simeth says.

That kind of data processing happens, for example, if a YouTube video is integrated into the blog as they transmit data to parent company Google. – dpa