How to start a blog and find your first readers (part 3)

Choose the right foundation: where to start

In the previous post, we installed WordPress from Hostinger’s hPanel. Now we need the framework for your content. WordPress includes a large library of free themes and reusable patterns you can start from, then customise to fit your needs.

Create your WordPress site on Hostinger

• In hPanel, go to Websites → Websites List → and click on “+ Add Website”.
• Choose WordPress.
• Enter your admin email and a strong password, then continue.
• When asked how you’d like to build your website, select “Pre-built websites and themes”.

Note: Hostinger can scaffold your site with AI and demo content. But here, we want to keep full control while we cover themes and templates.

• Click Next. You’ll see a gallery of pre-built website templates.

We want a theme, not a pre-built website. At the bottom of the screen, click “Use a theme instead”. You’ll then be asked to choose from a list of themes:

Why a theme and not a pre‑built site

A pre-built site typically pulls in full-page designs, demo content (pages and posts), menus, and often several helper plugins from that vendor. It may also impose its own settings. All of that can make switching or simplifying harder later.

With a theme, you start light and add only what you need. You set global styles once, then reuse patterns for sections like hero, FAQ, CTA, and footer, so your design stays consistent.

A pre‑built site can make sense if you’re building a small brochure site that will rarely change. It is also tempting to start from a layout you like and customise it, which is what I did with DawsonDecoded. But for most beginners, starting with a theme is the better approach.

Which theme to chose?

Block themes (like Twenty Twenty‑Five), use the Site Editor and patterns for almost everything.

Optimized themes with block support (like Kadence or Astra), keep a friendly Customizer panel with clear settings for typography, colours, header and footer, while still working well with the block editor.

If you are a beginner, optimised themes often feel more structured and easier to grasp.

Here’s a popularity snapshot (installs per theme as of Oct. 2025):

• Twenty Twenty-Five: 1+ million (default theme).
• Astra: 1+ million
• GeneratePress: 500,000+
• OceanWP: 500,000+
• Kadence: 400,000+
• Blocksy: 200,000+
• Neve: 200,000+

You cannot go wrong with any of these. For this site, I use the free version of Kadence.

How to choose in 30 seconds:

• Pure block editing and OK with a learning curve → Twenty Twenty-Five
• Maximum compatibility and huge ecosystem → Astra
• Blog + flexible layout controls → Kadence
• Performance and minimalism → GeneratePress
• Modern controls + rich patterns → Blocksy
• Straightforward, no-fuss setup → Neve
• Ecommerce from day one → Storefront (WooCommerce’s reference theme, only if your site is primarily a shop from day one).

For bilingual sites like this one (with Polylang), Kadence, Astra, GeneratePress, Blocksy and Neve all work well.

The Jewelry Shop template in the Kadence Starter Templates library. Each template has a live preview, so you can quickly assess whether the look, layout, and navigation fit your site.

This website (DawsonDecoded) is built using the Kadence theme. Kadence gave me an complete framework, even on the free tier, whereas page builders like Elementor felt too limited. While exploring Kadence’s Starter Templates, the Jewelry Shop layout matched the look I wanted: clear primary menus with logo on the left, a tidy blog layout, and an e-commerce header with a cart, which I needed for selling eBooks. I imported the demo, customized the styles to my taste, then removed the parts I did not need.

Above for comparison: side-by-side screenshots of Astra and Kadence Customizer panels, and below, a Twenty Twenty-Five Site Editor view showing the Styles panel and block settings.

Recommended starter themes for beginners

Kadence and Astra are safe, fast starting points. If you want guardrails and a professional look, pick one of these. Both are free, with optional pro add-ons.

• You’ll likely see a “Recommended plugins” step during the Hostinger setup. Skip it for now to keep things lean. You can add plugins later from the WordPress dashboard.
• Domain step:
  Enter your domain name. Hostinger will assign it to your site. If you don’t have one yet, choose “Use temporary domain” at the bottom of the screen. You can switch to your real domain later from hPanel without rebuilding the site.

This is where you apply the name you chose in Part 1 (for example, “myblogname.com”).