Where & How to Buy Hosting For Your Blog
There is a difference between BUYING HOSTING and SETTING UP YOUR BLOGGING PLATFORM.
The blogging platform is the "car" that allows you to blog, but need to find a place to "park" your "car" (a place where your website can live.)
You buy hosting so you can "park" your own "car" there.
...Did I lose you with the car metaphor?
Hosting is just the shell that makes room for your blog on the internet.
The blogging platform is the software you use to actually create a website.
Make sense?
98% of websites you've ever accessed on the internet were hosted with a hosting provider.
You can use another site that will let you blog without buying hosting (for example, Wordpress has a free version and Tumblr is another)
....but you'll never be able to make any money from your blog as you don't technically "own" your site.
They do, so do yourself a favor and get hosting.
First, Let's Talk About Hosting.
There are many companies that provide hosting services for websites and bloggers.
- BlueHost
- GoDaddy
- HostGator
- WPEngine
- SiteGround
to name a few....
While some are better than others, I like to recommend HostGator to new bloggers because they offer decent service for a VERY affordable monthly price.
How to Buy Hosting with HostGator
If you use the link above, Beginner Blog Accelerator students can receive a special hosting package for just $2.95 per month. This is the lowest price you'll find it on the internet.
Disclaimer: This is just what I use and like to recommend, but for those who'd prefer to use BlueHost, I have linked a few tutorials in the following sections.
Don't forget to buy your domain name. Try and get the domain name matching the one you chose in the worksheets from Module 1.
So Here's What Comes Next
- So, first step is to purchase hosting with the provider of your choice.
- Keep your username and password handy.
Don't worry, I will show you how to do all of this in the next sections!
Now you have the important job of choosing the platform for which you want to run your blog
...But Let's Just Make This Simple
If you’re a writer/blogger you're going to want to install a Wordpress website.
Everyone loves Wordpress because it’s simple to use, intuitive, and it comes with great ecosystem of plugins you can install to create a powerful and interactive website.
Wordpress is the easiest blogging platform to use of them all, which makes it perfect for beginners to get started with and eventually master.