How To Start A Blog And Make Money Part 1

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Estimated studying time: 8 minutes

So that you’re prepared to start out a weblog and earn cash…it ought to be straightforward, particularly lately with all of the promotions promising how straightforward it’s!

Proper?

Effectively…that relies upon.

There are just a few bits of information it is best to know earlier than leaping in.

And most significantly – these bits of information let you understand how to start out a weblog with out breaking the financial institution.

That is extremely vital for one essential cause: You may not need to weblog.

You may understand your weblog concept gained’t work, and also you’d as an alternative attempt one other.

Why make investments a lot cash into the concept if it may not work as you envision?

The excellent news is you could begin a weblog simply & shortly – and for little cash.

The bottom line is to know what you want for the weblog, what prices cash and what doesn’t must but, and learn how to keep away from pointless prices.

So let’s get began!

First Issues First – How To Begin A Weblog

To start out a weblog, you have to to buy the next:

A website identify (paid yearly)
A internet hosting account (paid month-to-month orannualy)

That’s it. No different prices are essential.

Ideally, you additionally know what you propose to weblog about, have a common concept of the content material you’ll create, and the way you need the weblog to look.

However you possibly can work on these issues as soon as the weblog is about up.

If you understand the identify you need it to have, seize the area & internet hosting, and you’re able to go.

Can’t I Use A Free Running a blog Service?

You may, however a weblog tackle at a free service (like blogger.com or wordpress.com) doesn’t have the identical impression or authority {that a} area name-based weblog has.

And whereas you will get a free weblog after which pay a bit so as to add a site identify to it, that setup will value extra, offer you much less management, and restrict what you are able to do with the location.

In case you have any concepts in any respect about rising your weblog, it’s greatest to start out originally along with your area identify and your internet hosting account.

What Is A Area Identify?

The area identify, the .com (or .web or .whatever-you-choose, though I’d say stick to .com), is what I all the time say is just like the “highway signal” you place out on the “highway” of the web to inform individuals the place you’re. (Stick to me – it will make extra sense after I clarify internet hosting.)

A website identify can value as little as a few bucks for the primary yr whenever you first join it, however it can value anyplace from $12-20 per yr thereafter.

NOTE —> You will have to resume, aka pay for, your area identify yearly.

TIP: WRITE DOWN YOUR DOMAIN RENEWAL DATE WHERE YOU WILL REMEMBER IT.

Keep in mind to resume your area identify yearly it’s due, or you can lose it.

Relying on the place you get it, in the event you miss your renewal date, you may get a small grace interval to resume nonetheless.

Nevertheless, Should you lose the area, you can have problem getting it again…generally area “squatters” will snap up expired domains and maintain on to them.

If you’d like it again, you could pay them giant quantities for it (I nonetheless miss my previous area from 15 years in the past…a squatter obtained it again then, they usually have by no means let it go!).

Can I get an electronic mail tackle utilizing my area identify?

Sure, the way you try this varies.

After you have a site identify, you possibly can arrange electronic mail accounts utilizing it ([email protected]).

These are sometimes arrange through your internet hosting account (see under about internet hosting), however there are different methods.

For instance, when you have an iCloud account with Apple units, you possibly can arrange domain-based electronic mail via iCloud (no further cost in your iCloud account – area electronic mail is included).

What’s a internet hosting account?

A internet hosting account is an area on a distant laptop (server) you hire month-to-month to carry your web site content material.

Consider it like renting workplace area: Your internet hosting account is the workplace area, and your area identify is the signal you place out on the highway.

You’ll pay month-to-month or yearly, relying in your internet hosting firm.

I strongly advocate beginning off paying month to month in order that in the event you resolve running a blog isn’t for you, you possibly can simply cancel as an alternative of being locked in for a full yr’s cost.

One advantage of a internet hosting account is the included electronic mail accounts; make sure you test that electronic mail is included whenever you join internet hosting.

Nevertheless, consider: Should you ever let your internet hosting account go, additionally, you will lose your electronic mail accounts & electronic mail messages. (This has occurred to my shoppers previously…they forgot to resume their internet hosting, and when it wasn’t paid, they misplaced their electronic mail.)

Should you lose your internet hosting, you’ll ALSO lose your web site and all its content material…so make sure you take backups of your weblog. I’ll clarify extra in a while within the sequence.

NOTE—> A internet hosting account can be about $8ish per thirty days, and you’ll pay for this every month or yearly.

Is there something I ought to contemplate when selecting a internet hosting account?

I counsel listening to three issues:

Free SSL certificates: These are what make your URL “https://“ as an alternative of “http://“ and SSL is required for all websites (it’s an additional layer of safety).

Virtually all internet hosting corporations embrace primary SSL without spending a dime of their internet hosting packages.

You do NOT must pay for SSL.

Tip: Keep away from internet hosting at Godaddy particularly as a result of they cost fairly a bit additional for SSL.

The power to pay month-to-month: Particularly when beginning, paying for internet hosting month to month is useful.

Sure, it can save you a couple of bucks by paying yearly upfront, however in the event you’re not 100% certain that the weblog will work out for you, paying month-to-month whenever you begin is the easiest way to go.

You possibly can all the time change to yearly a bit additional down the highway.

3. E mail accounts: Most internet hosting corporations embrace free electronic mail accounts, however test to make certain.

Ought to I fear about how a lot disk area or bandwidth they provide?

When simply beginning, no. Except you have got gigabytes of content material able to submit instantly, you gained’t want to fret about how a lot area you want for some time.

And you’ll all the time improve when you want extra space.

Is there something I ought to contemplate when shopping for a site identify?

Nothing apart from value.

Domains are the identical irrespective of who sells them, so the one benefit one firm has over one other is the price.

Often, you’ll find good offers for the primary yr, however then test how a lot the area will value when it’s renewed.

Typically, a brilliant low cost first-year value means the next value for yearly thereafter *cough*Godaddy*cough*.

Some registrars, like Namecheap, may not be as low cost firstly, however then annually, the value is decrease (normally, they run about $8-9ish for the primary yr after which about $13-14 per yr common value).

Tip: If you buy a site identify, you don’t want any extras they attempt to upsell you on (until you need them, after all…however none are essential).

What if my chosen internet hosting firm affords a free area identify?

They normally provide free domains in the event you pay for a yr of internet hosting upfront, so that’s your determination.

Nevertheless, in the event you resolve to vary hosts sooner or later, you’ll have just a few additional hoops to leap via.

You’ll both must switch the area or not, after which you’ll have to pay for the yearly area renewals there on the previous host, and people charges are normally larger (ask me how I do know).

I counsel shopping for your area identify individually, only for the convenience of conserving issues organized from the beginning.

The place do you counsel I purchase my area identify and internet hosting account?

Prime area accounts whenever you begin a weblog

For domains, I counsel any of those:

Finest internet hosting accounts whenever you begin a weblog

For internet hosting, I counsel any of those:

I’ve a site identify and a internet hosting account. Now, what do I do?

Okay, now it’s time to get your weblog arrange!

Within the subsequent How To Begin A Weblog submit of my three-part sequence, we’ll cowl these steps:

Tips on how to “level” your area to your internet hosting account (connect it to your internet hosting account)
Tips on how to set up WordPress in your internet hosting – and learn how to perceive the distinction between self-hosted WordPress at wordpress.org and the companies supplied at wordpress.com
Tips on how to log into your new WordPress website, get the lay of the land, and begin creating posts.

Contribution: Because of Sara, who runs Moonsteam Design and designed Canadian Price range Binder, for her experience on this three-part sequence.