Why Should I Trust You To Teach Me Blogging?
We run some of the biggest websites for webmasters in the world. In addition to Blogging.com, we also run HTML.com, Digital.com, and many more.
In fact, our sites have become so popular that they’ve been featured in newspapers, magazines, and websites like:
Our carefully crafted guides – just like this! – are read by many millions of readers every month in hundreds of countries around the world.
Finally, we’ve been doing it since way back in 2006 (a whole century in internet years)!
Before We Learn How To Start A Blog…
How we keep the lights on: While we teach you how to start your blog, some of the services we recommend pay us a “referral fee” if you buy their service.
This doesn’t cost you a penny – in fact, you will often save money with some special deals we’ve negotiated.
What Is A Blog, Exactly?
Blogs are, in many ways, the Swiss Army knives of the internet.
Starting out as online diaries in the 90s, blogging has grown into a massive, endlessly varied form of communication.
Blogs can be short story collections, recipe hubs, role-playing games, or records of UFO sightings. They can help businesses advertise, educate customers, inform shareholders, or inspire community interactions.
Chances are if you can imagine it, there is a blog about it somewhere. Probably hundreds of them!
Blogs are one of the last level playing fields on the web. What are you waiting for?
How Is It Different From Blogging?
Blogging is simply the act of starting and writing a blog!
Blogs are so ubiquitous because anyone who’s able to put type can become a blogger. You don’t need to know how to type fast; you don’t need to be able to see or hear. You can’t be too old or too young to blog. You don’t even need to know anything about computers or the internet!
Blogs Vs Websites: What’s The Difference?
Blogs are a type of website. So what makes a blog? Blogs are typically:-
- Updated regularly
- Display the most recent post first
- Usually (but not always) allow readers to add comments
Why Do People Blog?
People blog for many reasons. Blogging can help you become a better writer, can make you some money on the side, or give you a platform for sharing your ideas.
Some of the most common reasons people start a blog include:
- As a way to network with people sharing a common interest.
- To market or advertise a business.
- To make a difference by sharing political and social issues.
- As a resume for highlighting expertise.
- As a way to express creative ideas.
- To share knowledge with others that want to learn a new skill.
- To make money as a side hustle – or even as a career.
What Topics Do People Blog About?
Sometimes figuring out what to blog about is the hardest part. Luckily, we have some great ideas to get you started:
- Fashion – makeup, clothing, hair, and beauty products.
- Travel – vacations, best places to visit, your own travels, restaurants, entertainment or even RVs.
- Technology – software, programming, web development, web design, and startups.
- Business – industry updates, real estate, expert tips, and best practices.
- Content marketing – how to market your business, SEO best practices, email campaigns.
- Food – recipe sharing, restaurants, kitchen equipment.
- Finance – industry happenings, ways to make and save money, budgeting.
- Health and Fitness – sports equipment, nutrition, exercise, dieting, fashion.
- Lifestyle – gardening, home improvement, organization, travel, survival.
- Personal Development – time management, health awareness, mindfulness.
- Parenting – child development, product reviews, tips for age stages.
- Professional & Academic – colleagues and peers discuss their fields of expertise, like CPAs
- Instructional – tutoring, how-to’s, guides.
- Entertainment – humor, memes, video, music, podcasts.
What to expect from our guide: You’ll need about 20 minutes or so to get started. We suggest building your blog in one session, if possible.
Step #1 – Find Web Hosting
Web hosting is the service that puts your blog on the internet. That means good web hosting can make or break your blog.
You need to think about four things when it comes to web hosting:-
- Cost. What does it cost per month?
- Speed. Your blog needs to load fast. Speed is important as users move to mobile.
- Uptime. Every website goes offline sometimes. But a good web host will help minimize problems with downtime.
- Technical Support. Boring, but super-important.
What Type of Web Hosting Do I Need?
Shared hosting is the cheapest and most basic form of hosting available. You store your website on a server shared with other customers of the hosting company. You also share the resources – such as bandwidth and disk space – of the server as well.
You’ll also notice that some hosting companies have WordPress hosting. These plans typically run on shared servers but can also be offered as cloud and VPS-based hosting. WordPress hosting is optimized for running the platform and will give you the most seamless WordPress experience.
(There are many other types of hosting – like cloud, VPS or dedicated – but you can ignore them starting out)
But if you’re looking for the cheapest hosting possible, go with a basic shared hosting plan. Just make sure you can get a one-click WordPress install to make your life easier.
What Features Are Important For Blog Hosting?
Here are some of the most important features to look for when you are choosing which hosting provider to go with:
- Disk space and bandwidth depending on the amount of traffic your website gets
- Security features like malware scanning, daily backups, and 24/7 site monitoring.
- One-click installations.
- Uptime guarantees against server crashes and maintenance issues.
- Speed and performance so you know your site is always giving the best user experience.
- Support types such as email, support ticket, and live chat.
- Affordability – quality web hosting doesn’t come for free.
What’s The Best WordPress Hosting?
We recommend BlueHost as the perfect WordPress hosting service for new bloggers.
BlueHost has been recommended by Automattic – the team of geniuses behind WordPress – since 2005, and BlueHost’s parent company is one of the investors behind Automattic, so you know you’re in good hands.
As well as making it effortless to install WordPress, they also include a content delivery network (CDN) to provide faster website loading for people located geographically farther from their servers. And, all websites get a free SSL certificate to reassure your site visitors that their information is secure.
Bluehost’s WordPress-optimized plans may be more expensive than you’re willing to pay. They start at about $20/month. In that case, personal bloggers will have absolutely no problem with their cheaper shared hosting plans.
You’ll still get adequate resources for your new blog, and a free domain name!
Go and signup now at BlueHost.com before moving to the continue with the next step of the tutorial.
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