Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blog

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Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blog (About Blogging Platforms and Web Hosting Plans)
One of the biggest hurdles for many new bloggers is choosing the right blogging platform and web hosting company. Here’s what I now know that I wish I’d known upfront.

6. WordPress is Almost Always the Best Option
Are you struggling to decide which blogging platform is best for you? Let me make it simple: if you want to make money blogging, go with WordPress.

It gets a little tricky here as there are two types of WordPress: WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

WordPress.com is the commercial wing of WordPress. It’s a self-hosted blogging solution that gives you basic WordPress software – but it’s not so flexible as WordPress.org, and you won’t have full control over your website.

That’s why I recommend using WordPress.org. It’s a tiny bit more involved to get set up (but it’s still only a 10 minute process!) and investing those few extra minutes gives you far more flexibility in the long-run.

7. Bluehost and Dreamhost Are the Best Web Hosting Providers for Beginners
The WordPress.org software itself is free – but to create a functioning website, australia phone number resource need a domain name and web hosting plan.

A domain name is the URL (often called the address) of your website. Mine is ryrob.com. If possible, you want to choose a domain name that ends in .com as that looks familiar and professional for your readers.

Your web hosting plan is the storage space for your site on the internet. Your web host makes your site available to readers 24/7, every day of the year, all around the world.

Choosing a web host can be tricky, though. Web hosting costs can vary a lot, and you might not be sure what’s a good deal and what’s an expensive rip-off. It’s also important to make sure your web host has an easy way to install WordPress on your website.

While there are lots of great web hosts out there, the two very best web hosts for beginners are Bluehost and Dreamhost.

You really can’t go wrong with either of these. Both will give you a completely free domain name (so long as you sign up for at least 12 months with your web hosting provider), too.

When it comes to choosing Bluehost vs Dreamhost, I’d recommend Bluehost for total beginners who aren’t very confident, as the tech support is superb and Dreamhost for anyone on a very tight budget, as it’s a little cheaper and also offers month by month payments.

As an aside, I know many new bloggers don’t have a budget to spend at all, and that’s ok! Check out my list of the best free blog sites you can use to spin up a free blog of your own (and worry about upgrading some of the functionality later on once you’ve found an audience).