First, install WordPress.  This can be done manually by uploading the software to your server and following the instructions.  However, most web hosts also have available one click installation from their user menu or panel.  This is an easy option and should be used if available.  Once this is completed, you have a few more steps to complete.  Simply complete the following:

1. Enter your blog’s title in the space provided
2. Enter the email address you will use as the administrator of the blog
3. Log in to your WordPress blog using the provided admin password
4. Click on “Users” and change the password so that is something you can remember and is secure
5. Update your user information including the About, Contact and Name sections
6. If you have more than one contributor to your blog you can add users and authors and assign their permissions
7. Choose a catchy tagline for your blog to attract attention
8. Determine and set your membership requirements by deciding if you will allow posting from anyone or only subscribed users
9. Set your calendar format by allowing the default settings or changing the date and time
10. Check to ensure the reading and writing settings are as you want them or modify them to suit your purposes
11. Determine if you want to allow anyone to be able to comment on posts or to register before being able to comment
12. Change the Permalinks section to customize it with the name of your blog post instead of the default setting.  This will allow better search engine optimization (SEO) without as much effort.
13. In the Presentation tab, choose the theme you want for your WordPress blog.  You can use custom themes, pre set themes or user created themes.  Choose the one that best suits your personal style and taste.
14. If you did not customize your own theme, use the theme editor to customize it even further to suit your style and taste
15. Change your blog titles in the title format for cleaner code and more optimized search engine results
16. Edit Blogroll and About pages to make sure they suit your purposes
17. Add categories to your blog that will suit the theme and topic of your site.  You can always add more later.
18. Check the WordPress site for available plugins that you may find useful and install if necessary
19. Create and upload a favicon if you so choose.  (A favicon is a small icon that will show up in your tab and favorites as a symbol or image that denotes your site)
20. Test your blog to ensure everything is working properly, write some test posts and use the site to ensure everything works smoothly.

After you have uploaded and installed the software, gone through the checklist and tested everything you are then ready to get started.  Upload your regular posts and start marketing your blog to the masses.  Make sure to encourage others to contribute to your blog so it is an interactive and regularly updated site with useful information.

Related posts:

1. Top Ten WordPress Plugins to Optimize your WordPress Blog
2. Enhancing WordPress Pagination
3. WordPress Maintenance: Keep WordPress Versions Updated