How to Customize Your WordPress Blog for Beginners

1. Find the perfect theme. Themes are like website templates, and they give your blog the look you want it to have. Locate dozens of themes online, or have a custom theme designed.
2. Choose a theme that is widget-ready if possible. Widgets allow you to add, remove, and rearrange items in your sidebars quickly and easily, and that makes experimenting with different arrangements a breeze.

3. Install a theme, or several of them by uploading the theme folder and all of the files in it to the wp-content/themes directory. Change themes by logging in to your administration panel and clicking on the 'Presentation' tab.
4. Find plugins for your blog. Plugins can add a wide variety of functions to your blog. WordPress comes with a couple of basic plugins to get you started, but there are many of them available online.
5. Install and activate your plugins. The plugin file or folder should be uploaded to the wp-content/plugins directory. To activate a plugin, log in to your administration panel and click 'Plugins,' find the name of the plugin, and click the 'Activate' link.