Starting a blog can be daunting especially because there are so many different companies to go with. I will speak to my personal experiences and the mistakes I made along the way. From website hosting, getting your domain, emails, and site security set up, I will walk you through it step my step!Where do I get my domain and hosting?BLUEHOST! When I first created my blog I started on Wordpress.com instead. Don't get me wrong it was okay for awhile but the more I wanted to do with it the more I could see I made the wrong choice. There are two different Wordpress sources Wordpress.com and .org. The .org partners with Bluehost for blogging and websites.When I started out on the WP.com I had to keep increasing my plan in order to have access to analytics, creative control, etc. I started looking into Bluehost and I am in love with not just my new site but their company/customer service! After I bought my domain on Bluehost I needed to transfer my site. It's supposed to be a easy process but I had MANY issues. Support worked with me for 2 days straight to transfer my site file by file until the issue was completely resolved.I have creative control over all of my website, can change any tools, plugins, Optimized for SEO (which is important), and so many other perks. I wish I started with Bluehost to begin with and things would have been smooth sailing.What is Hosting vs Domain?Hosting in simple terms means the media and content that you create on your site take up space. That needs to be stored somewhere. When you have a host you are renting space on the internet to store all of that data. This makes it run smoothly!Domains are your site identity or name in URL form. For example my site identity is Wanderling Travel and my domain is wanderlingtravel.netHow To Get StartedGo to Bluehost Website Here and select which plan you want. I would recommend starting with the Basic plan. Most people don't need more than that especially starting out and you can always upgrade your plan later if you feel you need more space or domains.With the Basic plan you get your one domain, 25 subdomains (which I don't know if anyone actually uses that many lol), and 5 emails plus storage. On most hosting and blogging sites you have to pay extra for email and storage.Once you are done choosing your plan enter either your new domain or one you already own. The site will then lead you to your payment information where I recommend you adding site security for .99/month. Next step will ask you to create a password for both Bluehost and Wordpress you will need to login.Setting Up Your Blog Once all of the technical steps are done now you get to choose your blog theme! Just know that the first theme you choose doesn't have to be the only one you have in the lifetime of your blog. I'm currently on my third theme. Your design will grow and evolve with the life of your blog so just picking one to start writing content is best. You can always go back and change it and edit anything you want. All of their themes are great and you can even search by category.There are many tools and plugins to use for your blog that will help to optimize it and get traffic to your site. One aspect of blogging is that you need to understand social media, your audience, and which platform they live on. For example my audience is on Pinterest and Instagram. I use Pinterest as my main source of traffic to get people to see my site and use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to make my site searchable!Learn To Use Social Media For Blogging eBook Get to know the ins and outs of each social media platform and which one best fits you and your blog. I put together an eBook for FREE to help guide you in the right direction. It can be overwhelming in the beginning and I was hungry for any information I could get. So take advantage and learn to use social media for your niche.Why Emails Are ImportantMake yourself a new professional email with Bluehost. Having a Gmail or Yahoo isn't the most professional or authoritative sign to readers and businesses you are potentially emailing. An email with your site identity not only looks more professional but is also trustworthy. In your Bluehost portal create up to 5 emails with the Basic Plan.You want to start collecting emails from the inception of your blog so that you can build a relationship with your audience. This is so important and not enough people focus on it from the beginning. I will go over my favorite email service in another post!After my experience with Bluehost I have become an affiliate and promote the products that I use. I have affiliate links in this post and would receive a percentage of sales made from a purchase.For more information about working online go to my blog resources and don't forget to enter your name and email to subscribe for all the details! I love sharing what I know with others in hopes that it helps them achieve their goals in return. Cheers!Cheers!
