Before you do anything else, I want to explain one thing to you. What you are building from day one is worth something and you want to make sure you capture as much of that value as possible. The best way to get set up is to own your own domain. But, wait! I thought his post was about web hosting?! It is. Let me explain a little more below:
When you use a social media account, you have a license to use that platform. You don’t own it. The same goes for sites like wordpress.com, Tumbler, etc… If you just have a subdomain (ie: “yoursite”.wordpress.com), you don’t actually own your website. You have a license that can be revoked from you at any time. Then what? Sure, technically you own the copyright of your words and images, but if they aren’t up on a site, who cares!
The solution is very simple, start by getting web hosting, and then purchase a domain. In fact, these two things sort of happen together when you sign up. It will all make sense as I walk you through it below.
One goal of mine is to teach you not only how to start, but also monetize a blog. This link is an affiliate link, which means I earn commissions on people who sign up with them. I’ll talk more about how you can do that later in the series. I have used Bluehost.com since nearly the beginning and have stayed with them for years. Their support is wonderful, the products are great, and I highly recommend you start there too.
The rest of this article will show you how to sign up for your hosting today:
First, go to Bluehost.com. You can see this right on their front page. Click on the “get started now button”
If you are just starting, you probably will only have one website. Make sure you choose their basic plan shown below. It is very cheap, it includes a domain, plenty of storage for your site, and up to 5 emails. Personally, I find it easier to just use google gmails, but that is just a personal preference.
Now, you will be prompted to select a domain. If you have one, it will walk you through the steps of transferring it to your new Bluehost account. If you don’t have one, this is where you can pick your new domain! A domain YOU own, and one that I will show you how to make valuable.
After you select your domain, you will be brought to your account page. Here, you can enter in your personal information and purchase your new blog! Yay!!!!
You are officially started! Keep reading this series and I will show you how to go from here to earning money and hopefully making a living on your blog.
I have a daily stream of blogging and social media tips. Follow me on Periscope at @dan330msp, snapchat at chris.ashbach or see all of the daily streams here. If you aren’t familiar with these platforms, you can follow me and ask questions as I speak live on air. So please hop on and let’s do this blogging thing together!
