Are you interested in starting up a self-hosted blog? Well, that’s really smart since when you are hosting your own blog you are benefited with absolute ownership & customization freedom- that is never viable in free hosted blogs. Moreover, in contrast to free hosting, self-hosted blogs are more professional and hence better pulling. Having a self hosted blog is akin to staying at your own apartment wherever no body can evict you and you will have the liberty to arrange it just the way you wish it to. Moreover, Google holds a special corner for self-hosted blogs and hence such an option would beget great SEO results for your blog.
The post entails a step by step guide on how to start a self-hosted blog.
Choose blog theme, name & URL/domain name
The theme of your blog must be interesting and intriguing as otherwise you would soon get bored with maintenance. So, choose a topic that excites & urges you to discover more information so that you are always happy to import them into your blog.
The name of the blog must relate to the theme of the blog. Don’t place irrelevant names as your target audience would be typing the theme name while searching for information on the concerned topic and if your blog name does not carry the hint- the audience is likely to end up with your contenders. So, say, you are planning a blog on fitness then the blog name can be “Fitness Corner” or something like “Fashion Hub” if you are interested in fashion.
The URL/domain should echo the same principle. Use keywords pertinent to your blog in the URL which ensures an effective pull of target audience to your site.
Choosing the right host
Be careful about choosing your blog host as quality of hosting is fundamental regarding the performance of your blog site. Make sure to settle with a reputed and seasoned one. Then, your chosen host should assure minimum 99 percent downtime. The company must promise adequate bandwidth, disk space, user-friendly control panel, secured servers and 24/7 client support. Your host will also help you with URL/domain name registration. Don’t forget to take to domain privacy provision from your web host as otherwise your contact information will go public on internet.
Working with control panel
Go to your host’s website to reach to its “Control Panel” section. Click on “Log In” button to log in.
Install WordPress
The master bloggers always stress on taking to WordPress as the blogging platform for a blog since it’s the easiest and the most premium to use- with more than 42,000,000 unique blogs, 25 bn blog views and 4 mn daily comments. Now, you should not install the free WP version but the paid or “installed version”. Go to your control panel’s “Site Builder” category & choose “SimpleScripts” program for 1-click WP installation. As you click on “install” you would be asked on the WP installation placement. You can place it under your main domain name if the site is solely a blog. But if the blog is an arm of your business site, you have to install it in a subfolder.
Some preference questions would be asked- offer right answers & hit on “complete”. As the software gets installed you will be provided a link carrying login data for the new site. Your self-hosted blog is ready for you!
Use the login data to enter your new self-hosted blog-site.
Choose theme
It’s advised that you choose the site theme (or template) from WordPress Theme Directory. Go to dashboard, turn left & choose “Appearance”, followed by “Themes” & “Install Themes”.
Working with Settings
Go to the “Settings” section from dashboard to fill in necessary information – like the blog name, URL, email address, size of post box, number if posts to be featured on front page, size limit of media, privacy options & permalink preference.
Plugins
Enrich your new self-hosted blogs with functional plugins which can be downloaded online. The plugins could be on sound files, video facilities or for social media incorporation. Go to “Plugins” from left sidebar of dashboard & choose “add new” to find new plugins.
Last but not the least, make sure to liven up your self-hosted blog with information-rich, well-presented authentic posts regularly.
