MyBlogConsult.com

Many people have asked me why I like WordPress so much. For me, the answer is simple: versatility and freedom.  WordPress is open source, so it’s affordable for everyone and with all of the configuration options and plugins available you can do just about anything with it.  The freedom you enjoy by having a blog installed and hosted on your own domain is unlike anything Blogger and the other free blogging platforms can provide you.  And in all honesty, setting up your own WordPress blog is really not as hard as you might think.

Here’s three easy steps to setting your own WordPress blog:

1. Register your own domain. The hardest part about registering your own domain is deciding what domain name you want. If you’ve got a company name or a brand you’re going for, then it’s pretty simple (assuming the domain is available.). As a general rule, going with a .com should always be your first choice. If you’ve just got to have the domain name and the .com isn’t available then .net or .org will do.  You may consider getting all three of those if you’re using your company name, just so no one else swipes them later. All of the other domain extensions are second class really (although the new .me ones are kind of cool). You may choose to go with a keyword rich domain name if SEO is your primary focus. A few very important points are: 1) your domain shouldn’t be too hard to spell, remember, or pronounce; and 2) Try not to use more than 3 words and use traditional spellings of the words or you risk losing potential visitors. I personally use Namecheap.com or Godaddy.com when I register my domains. And it should be noted that there is some SEO benefit to the length of time you register your domain (the longer the better).
2. Order Blog Hosting. There are several website hosting options out there and I highly recommend you do a little research before picking one. My first hosting company (who shall remain nameless) was a nightmare and my sites were always going down. This caused me huge headaches, not to mention a loss in revenue.  I’ve been using Hostgator for quite awhile now and cannot say enough good things about them. They have great packages that are truly affordable and their customer support is great.  I also had clients who used BlueHost and I found their service to be comparable to Hostgator.  Both choices are very solid.
3. Install WordPress on your domain. This is the hard part for many people, but if you take it one step at a time it’s really not as difficult as it may seem.  You will need to point your domain’s nameservers to your new blog host, install the WordPress software, and then use FTP to install your chosen WordPress theme and plugins.  Luckily, you can learn how to do this by watching these FREE WordPress video tutorials by Yaro Starak & Gideon Shalwick.  And if you still need help, contact me and I’ll take care of this step for you – all I ask is that you order your blog hosting through my link!