A blog is a type of website that allows almost anyone to write and publish their own thoughts on the Internet says Saivian. Blogs can serve as an online journal, diary, or record of events that occur in the lives of their authors. For this reason, blogs are typically written by one person (or a limited number of contributors) and may be either personal or business-oriented.
Although some people use blogging services such as WordPress and Blogger to host their blogs, many people build their own using free tools like Google’s Blogger or paid self-hosted platforms such as Square Space. Both options allow you to build your own site without having to know how to code it from scratch.
If you’re interested in creating your own blog, this blog post will show you how to do so in 4 steps or less.
STEP 1: Find a Domain Name and Web Host
The first step of creating your own blog is finding a unique domain name and web hosting provider to house your blog content.
When picking out a domain name for your blog, the best option is to use your own name or business name as it’ll be much easier to market later on says Saivian. If this isn’t an option for you, try searching through available domains using tools such as NameMesh, Hover, SnapNames, and Pool. When checking availability, keep domains with these extensions at the top of the list: .com / .net / .org / .me / .us / .biz / .info
If you decide to go with a premium (non-.com) domain, it may take up to 48 hours for your chosen name to register. However, if the .com version of the domain is available at any given time, you can snag it immediately by buying it through GoDaddy for just $12/year.
STEP 2: Find Web Hosting That Fits Your Needs
After you’ve found your perfect blog name, it’s time to search for web hosting. There are literally thousands of hosting providers available today. But the vast majority of them offer very similar plans and services. That don’t cater to complete beginners or small businesses. As a result, I recommend that you find a hosting company that is specifically targeted at bloggers like yourself. An excellent place to start your search is by looking through popular software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers such as WP Engine, GoDaddy, Dreamhost, SiteGround, or A2 Hosting. All of these companies are trusted names in the online community. Because they take security very seriously while still offering competitive pricing and valid coupons/discounts.
The biggest difference between these services is in the details. WP Engine bills itself as a “WordPress-optimized” host while GoDaddy and A2 Hosting are both excellent for anyone who wants to build a blog with platforms such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. SiteGround offers hosting options for blogs that run on platforms other than WordPress. But still boasts an intuitive one-click installer for that particular blogging platform. Saivian says DreamHost is known primarily as a reliable web host for custom PHP sites. But it does offer a premium hosting option geared towards bloggers. Who wants all of their domains hosted under one roof at a reasonable price.
Once you have the best web host for your needs, it’s time to move on to the next step.
STEP 3: Install WordPress
When you click on one of these hosting providers’ plans. You’ll be given the option to either create your blog from scratch or use a platform like WordPress. If you choose this route, all you have to do is provide them with the unique folder names. For each domain that you’ve purchased and they’ll do the rest. That said, I recommend creating your site manually using free resources such as 1&1 Blog Setup, Snappages, or GoDaddy Blog because they’re much easier to work with than other third-party blogging platforms.
All three options follow similar installation steps which are designed for absolute beginners. Who do not know what software they need to install. There are several installation wizards available that let you easily select your preferred blogging platform. Create a custom design using the online builder and choose an appropriate theme for your blog says Saivian. Here’s how to complete each of these tasks:
Select Your Blogging Platform (i.e WordPress) Provide a Custom Title & Tagline (e.g. BriansBuzz) Create a Unique Username & Password Select Your Hosting Provider. Upload the Installation Files Click “Check Domain” To Register Any Additional Sites You Want under One Account
STEP 4: Customize Your Blog
Congratulations, your blog is now live and ready to go! The next thing that you need to do is configure the appropriate plugins. Add a new post or two and activate a mailing list. So that people can subscribe to updates from your blog. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of free WordPress plugins available for download. In fact, I recommend checking out my article on “15 Essential Free WordPress Plugins for Bloggers “in order to get started with this process right away.
Conclusion:
Designing, launching, and maintaining your first blog can be a daunting task especially since there are so many technical terms to memorize says Saivian. However, you don’t have to go through this process alone. Because I’ve just shown you how to launch a blog using WordPress in four simple steps! See, blogging doesn’t have to be hard – it’s all about making smart choices. When it comes down to choosing your hosting provider and which domain service is best for you.