1. Create A Blog Name
This is the most important decision you’ll ever make Okay well… not the most important but it’s up there with dog, car, etc.
I started my blog back in 2006 called Kakers in Wonderland. Kakers was a nickname of mine via my inner circle. I used my blog more as a journal (back in the ancient times that what it was used for). My blog name was reflective of who I was as a person and the subject matter of which I wrote about. so come up with a name that reflects you and your goals of where you want to take your blog. Run off into you thinking chair and think or perhaps the noodle dance to get things going.
2. Purchase Domain & Hosting
Now that you have brainstormed a name for your blog it’s time to purchase a home for it.
I personally use Namecheap for all of my domain hosting needs. It is a very easy platform a bit outdated visually but nonetheless flawless when it comes to domain upkeep. Don’t forget you get free whois added to your order for each domain.
For hosting, I’m recommending Green Geeks because they’re a small company they’re independently owned and operated. There are no giant corporations behind the scenes ruining services, and products. They also use clean engery to charge up those servers.
How awesome are they? Let just say I have about 6 installations on my hosting plan as of right now and I have never submitted a support ticket.
Why do I separate my domain and hosting? Well, it’s very simple… security. Not often but it does happen, where accounts are hacked into. This means losing your site in it’s entire, possibly including email, and other digital products that you’ve purchased with that one company.
Case Study: I build a website for a client’s web series. Not long after installation their Gmail account was hacked and so was their GoDaddy account. They couldn’t get into either account and had to send in a bunch of info to prove that they owned account. Luckily they were able to get the Gmail account quickly but their website was deleted and so were most of their products. It took almost two weeks to get their GoDaddy account back, but their site and users were gone.
3. Installing WordPress
The first question I know you’re asking me while reading this is “Why WordPress?” That answer is very easy because one of the most powerful platforms that are self-hosted. It’s also very important to know that because it’s self-hosted you are the sole owner of your site unlike with other blogging/site platforms such as Squarespace and Blogger.
Installing WordPress at first though might seem like it’s this huge deal, but really it isn’t. you can literally install it with just a click of a button on your mouse. Let me show you how…
See how easy that was? There is nothing to be intimidated by WordPress, despite how powerful the platform is.
4. Purchase Genesis Framework + Child Theme
I know you know because it’s one of the loudest secrets in the blogging world. The Genesis Framework kicks ass. So much that I create all my client work and pre-made themes with it. It’s cleanly coded and jammed packed with awesomeness like built in SEO. There are tons of amazing developers that work with it so your theme options are there. Head on over to StudioPress and grab yourself the Framework and/or theme and while you’re at it check out my shop.
Install both the framework and theme, make it pretty and you got yourself a self-hosted blog!
Want to learn more on brand identity and customizing your site? Check out the Pimp Your Genesis Site.
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