| Step 1 – Get a domain name for your blog | ||
| Step 2 – Get hosting for your blog | ||
| Step 3 – Install your blog |
It’s time to start blogging right now! Get your blog up and running in 3 easy steps!
Please put a fork in the excuses already. It is time to melt away that fear of change that has you frozen, and find out how blogging can enhance your life and even become your new career!
Why start blogging?
Because blogging is the easiest way for people to utilize the power of the Internet to make money. Blogging has evolved from what it was even a few years ago into the most effective way for individuals to gain a presence on the Internet. The inflexibility of past blogging platforms are morphing into full-fledged CMS platforms – blogs on steroids! (Here is a great post from SEOMoz.org on why you want a Website platform that has a CMS; such as WordPress).
If you are anything like me, then you know the frustrations of working in a dead-end job, spending 8 hrs a day doing uninspiring work for a company who really does not have your best interests in mind.
Stop doing that!
Yes, you CAN start blogging for a living. Yes you CAN make money blogging. You are only limited by your imagination and work ethic!
One of the best aspects to starting a blog is that it can be done while you continue to work at your current job. Starting a traditional brick-and-mortar business would make doing this extremely difficult. Think about it. Your new blog business can be constructed and created wherever there is an Internet connection. Ahh…the power of the Internet.
Who can benefit from blogging?
Entrepreneurs, Marketers, Painters, Musicians, Creative-types, Soccer fanatics, Basketball junkies, Stay-at-home moms, Dads with a million hobbies, People with a cause, Social butterflys, and people who genuinely have something to offer others.
Why you should use WordPress and NOT Blogger.com
The two most widely used blogging platforms are Blogger and WordPress, and I guarantee you have visited blogs that run on both of these platforms. When using Blogger.com, your blog will be hosted on their servers. This means that your blog is on a sub-folder of their domain instead of having your own personal domain name. By going this route, your domain name will look like this:
www.yourblogname.blogspot.com instead of www.yourblogname.com.
You are stuck with the annoying ‘blogspot’ in your URL. If you want to have more than just a simple journal-blog, and give yourself the best opportunity to make money blogging then you do NOT want to go this route. Although these blog formats are easy to set up, they are limited in their function; thus limiting your revenue potential. This is why you do NOT want to use Blogger.com!
Follow the 3-step video tutorials below to start blogging.
Step 2. Setup a web hosting account with HostGator and change name server | Cost: $4 – 15 bucks per month
Step 3. Install WordPress blog through Hostgator | Cost: your time
That’s it! You have now setup your new WordPress blog and are ready to get your blogging on!
Once your blog is up and running you will need to familiarize yourself with two areas: The WordPress Dashboard and cPanel at HostGator.
WordPress – These WordPress tutorial videos will help you navigate through WordPress including; uploading videos and pictures, writing and publishing a blog post, uploading plugins and widgets, and more.
HostGator – These HostGator tutorial videos will cover how to navigate through HostGator’s cPanel interface. cPanel is an easy-to-use web-based administration tool for bloggers and webmasters. In fact, any hosting provider worth a damn provides a cPanel interface. This is where you can manage your new blog. including uploading files, setting up an email account, 301 redirects, and more. HostGator has a very easy-to-use interface.
My two cents: Some people will run through this very easily, and others will not. For those who find this to be initially frustrating, do not give up. Yes you CAN set this up!
