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1. Pick Your Website/Blog Topic
You should already have an idea of what you want your blog or website to be about. You should choose something that you are passionate about, have a talent or are developing a talent for.
You want to be specific because a blog about EVERYTHING attracts NOBODY!
2. Pick Your Domain Name
Domain name is what someone would type in to get to your website. So basically just your websites name.
Since you already know what your topics are going to be and what you want to write about choosing your name should be easy.
My top tips to pick a name are:
- Pick a name easy to remember
- Make it easy to spell
- Keep it short
- Pick a name that relates to you and what you want to write about
- Stay consistent with your other online and social profile names
You will also need to make sure your domain name is available and not registered with another website.
You can check if your domain is available here:
If you are struggling to find the perfect a name, which I can TOTALLY relate too, just start brainstorming some ideas. Think of words that have an emotion attached to them for you.
I wanted to make sure that I used something that everyone would be able to remember and associate with me. So I choose just to use my name WhitneyBingham.com. (Obviously I am emotionally attached to it as well 😉) If your name is available I recommend scooping it up, even if you don’t plan to have that be your main website domain.
Once you have chosen your domain name and checked that it is available, you need to register the right to use it.
TIP: If you end up using Bluehost as your hosting provider (see Step 4) you can get a FREE domain for the first year as long as you buy 12 months worth of web hosting!!!
3. Choose The Right Platform
So you are here to learn how to start a successful blog. In order to do that, you will need to set up a self-hosted WordPress site.
You are not going to be able to make money from a free blog. And you can’t point your url to any other places. It is basically stuck, forever!!
And these are the reasons:
- If you use a free service, you WILL NOT own your blog or your website content
- You will have limited options to customize your design and you will have limited support
- You will have restrictions to put ads on your website to be able to monetize it
- Some free platforms will put their own distracting ads on your website
- Your blog won’t look professional and you might not be able to get approval for some affiliate marketing programs
If you want to make money from your blog, your website will need to be self-hosted on a web server that allows you to be able to customize it.
WordPress.org is the most popular website platform in the world. It’s free and extremely flexible and it’s what I am using for WhitneyBingham.com
4. Buy Hosting For Your Blog
Although WordPress.org is free, you will need to host your files on a server. If you’re interested in making money from your blog or turning your blog into a business, then paying for hosting is a MUST.
This option comes at a cost, but you won’t be able to add ads to your website if you set up your blog the wrong way. I recommend using Bluehost web hosting. If you click through one of my links and make a purchase, I will receive a commission, which helps me keep my website up and running.
Reasons Why You Should Use Bluehost
- Its’ #1 recommended web hosting company by WordPress.org
- You get a FREE domain name when you buy a 12-month plan
- It’s the best affordable hosting for beginners if you are just starting out and you have limited resources to invest in your blog.
- You also get a FREE site security certificate, which can cost upwards of $75 on other hosting platforms.
You just need to click on the green button Get Started Now to chose your package.
You will be directed to a page where you can select the type of plan you want to purchase. I recommend choosing the Basic plan. It’s all you need to get started, and you can always upgrade later if you need to.
The longer your plan is, the cheaper it will be. I strongly suggest you purchase at least a 12-month hosting plan for these reasons:
- If you really want to give blogging a shot, you need to commit to it for at least a year. And having to put some money upfront will really make you take this step only when you are ready.
- You will receive a FREE domain for the first 12 months, included in the package.
- The monthly price will be much cheaper.
- If you only purchase a monthly plan, you might forget to renew your plan with the risk of bringing your website down and losing business.
If you want to get the best value for money, I recommend purchasing a 36-month plan. This is what I did when I started WhitneyBingham.com. It requires a slightly bigger investment upfront, but you end up saving quite a lot of money in the long run. Also you don’t have to worry about accidentally “losing” your site for 3 years!!!
If you want to keep your costs as low as possible, remember to uncheck any of the extra add-ons. I strongly advise paying for “Domain Privacy Protection”, which is only $0.99/month to keep your details private.
Already own a domain name?
If you already own a domain name that you bought before from a website like GoDaddy, you will need to connect it to your Bluehost account. Just choose the second option on the page instead of registering a new domain name as shown below.
You will then have to log in to your domain provider Account Manager page and follow the specific instructions to connect your domain to your Bluehost server. To get step by step details on how to do this check back for a future post or send me a message.
5. Install WordPress
Bluehost makes it very easy to create a WordPress blog and it’s FREE.
Bluehost will now automatically install WordPress for you. All you have to do is choose your password!
If you are unsure about what to do during any step, you can open Live Chat on Bluehost and their technical support will be able to help in no time. I have used the chat many times and they have always been great to work with!!
6. Select A Theme
You almost made it!
Now Bluehost will ask you to pick a theme.
What is a theme?
A theme is basically how your blog will look. It provides a template for the styling of your website.
Most themes will provide you with:
- page layout
- colors
- font styling
- widget locations
- navigation menus
There are lots of great free themes for 2019 available with WordPress here. Just chose one to begin and you can easily change it later.
Once you have selected a theme you are all done and ready to go!
Click on Start Building.
On the next screen, you can then choose “Business” or “Personal”. Or, you can click the “I don’t need help.”
🎉CONGRATS!🥂
YOU HAVE STARTED YOUR OWN SELF-HOSTED WORDPRESS BLOG!
Now, you probably need to take a break from all the set up you just did but can you even believe you now have your own website!!!
You can log into your WordPress dashboard and start your own first post! Be sure to check my other posts for helpful hints and more tutorials!!
Good luck on your new adventure!!
~Whitney
