Are You Aiming to Be One of the World’s Top Bloggers?
In the past few years, blogs have become one of the world’s most powerful media of communication. With their current and up-to-date content, it’s not a surprise that bloggers have captured the world’s attention and have satisfied their readership’s craving for something fresh and new. In fashion, for example, top bloggers like Bryanboy and Rumi Neely sit front row at major fashion shows around the world.
So if you’re thinking of becoming a blogger, it’s not too late to join the ranks of the world’s most successful blogger celebrities. All you have to do is to create a blog and get started.
Self-Hosted vs Free Blog/Site
There are several blogging platforms that let you create a blog for free. WordPress and Blogger (or Blogspot), for instance, are two of the world’s leading blogging platforms. Both of them have strengths and weaknesses, but many people prefer WordPress because it has more functionalities.
The only problem with these free platforms is that you don’t have to get your own domain name, and that you don’t have full control of your site’s content. For instance, if Google suspects your Blogger blog of spamming, it can easily shut it down in seconds. As for WordPress, you won’t have full control of all the available functionalities and widgets unless you pay for an upgrade.
This is the reason why serious bloggers opt for a self-hosted website. With a self-hosted site, not only can a blogger have full control of his content, but he can also establish his brand through a unique domain name. In addition to that, a blogger can easily customize his blog to the appearance that he prefers.
However, having a self-hosted blog comes with its own share of disadvantages. For instance, in order to maintain your domain name, you have to pay hosting services and domain registration fees on a regular basis.
How to Get a Self-Hosted Blog
There are three general steps to have your blog ready and live on the Internet. These steps are outlined below.
1. Register your domain name.
If you create a free blog, your URL (or the web address of your blog) carries the name of the blogging platform you registered with (e.g., yourwebsite.blogspot.com or yourwebsite.WordPress.com). But when you have a self-hosted blog, the “blogspot” or “WordPress” part will disappear. To achieve this, think of an easy-to-remember domain name, and register that name with a reputable registrar. Take note that domain registration is not free.
2. Buy web hosting services.
Having a domain name is not enough. You need to have a web host to store all your files and the content of your blog/website. So after registering your domain name, you need to buy hosting services from a reputable hosting company. You can buy hosting services from the same registrar or from another company.
3. Build your website.
Some web hosting companies offer free applications to help you start building your website. Some of these applications include WordPress and Joomla. Upon installation of any of these applications, you can start by choosing the best theme for your site, customizing it to the desired look and feel, and filling it in with unique and quality content.
