I am asked quite often, how to start a blog and how to make money from home blogging.
It’s actually really simple and you’d be surprised how easy and quick you can set up a blog! Originally I started on Blogger and I wish I would have just done WordPress and Self Hosted from the beginning. Wordpress is much easier and you own everything.
DOMAIN NAME:
First things first, you need to buy a domain name. We chose Netfirms, as they have 24/7 LIVE support. I’ve had my fair share of issues blogging and I don’t want to wait hours for someone in chat or worse, email. I want live help and I want it right away. The prices are comparable to other domain name sites and we’ve been happy with them for over 5 years now.
When you’re picking a domain name, make sure it’s something you like and will like in a few years too. While I like Courtney’s Sweets, I wish I would have picked something different. Plus you’ll also want to make sure that your domain name is available on all social media platforms. I wouldn’t want CSweets on instagram, instead I’m CourtneysSweets on ALL social channels. You can always rebrand, but the headache of redirecting, rebranding and all the confusion with PR has stopped me from changing. We also like to keep our personal information safe and we purchase the whois privacy for the extra charge. You’re putting yourself out there when you’re a blogger, make sure to keep your information safe!
HOSTING:
You’re going to want to own all your work.. with free hosting sites like blogger or wordpress.org you don’t own anything and all your work can go “poof gone” at any time. By hosting your blog on your own and having it on WordPress, YOU are in complete control. Plus you can customize to your hearts content with free or paid themes.
In the past year I’ve been with 3 different hosting companies. I started off with Dreamhost and noticed that my site was extremely slow or not loading at all. Due to high traffic Dreamhost would throttle my website AND even the backend while editing. I didn’t realize it until 6 months later that it was my hosting. I switched to RFE Hosting and unfortunately had some downtime, a month to be exact. After several emails between myself and RFE and despite them being extremely generous and wanting to make it up to me.. I had to switch yet again. I realized I needed support right away. Dreamhost had chat, RFE had chat and email but it took hours for a response and chat was mostly offline that I knew I needed more. I ended up switching to Wired Tree. While Wired Tree is the most expensive out of all three, they’re reliable and get the job done. I’ve had a few hiccups, but I’m able to pick up the phone and resolve the issue within the hour.
Wired Tree has sold to Liquid Web so now we’re with WPopt and very happy!
WORDPRESS:
Once you have your own domain name and hosting you can finally sign up for WordPress. Luckily I’ve always had my hosting set up my wordpress or my IT person. There’s a great tutorial if you’re just starting out with Bluehost.
Important Tip: Wordpress is pure freedom and completely customizable. We all love to use plugins, but just be cautious about the amount and the plugins you use. Read the reviews and try to use ones that are pretty current with the updates. Plugins can go rogue and completely shut down your entire site. Always update plugins when there’s an update available.
DECORATE:
Now it’s finally time to make your site the way you want it. You can do this by purchasing themes or even using free themes supplied by WordPress. We love The Genesis Framework paired with a Child Theme. You can find plenty of child themes over at StudioPress Themes. If you’re wanting to go all custom, we highly recommend Debbie from Lagniappe Media. LLC. Not only does Debbie create beautiful websites, she knows how to fix something that’s gone wrong and all the backend stuff that can be confusing for even me!
PROTECTION:
There’s a lot of hackers out there, never think you’re untouchable. There are great programs to not only backup your blog, but also security to prevent hackers from hacking and destroying everything you’ve built. Backing up and good security is essential. We highly recommend and use Sucuri.
Make sure to put some ads on there to monetize:
Google AdSense is a great way to earn a little money when just starting out. Learn more ways on how to make money blogging here
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