How to set up a website/blog (self hosted) in 4 easy steps

How to set up a website/blog (self hosted) in 4 easy steps

This is a beginner guide shows you how to set up a blog (or website).This guide shows you to get a proper blog with a .com domain name. Setting up your own WordPress blog in a the cheapest way!

Why self hosted?

- You can have your own domain name .com (yourcompany.com, yourresearch.com, yourchildren.com..:)

- If your blog is at the center of your business, don’t trust it to a free (or ultra-cheap) hosting service… Get a decent hosting and use self-hosted WordPress which will give you more control and peace of mind.

- You can get a free blog anywhere, but until you pay, your site will be at http://www.mainwebsite.com/yourblog, and you’ll be stuck with a very basic layout and/or ads on your blog. Or they may stop services anytime such as Yahoo!360..

- If you get quote a website from a web designer, it could be around $1000 or more..

Step 1. Choose a domain name

A domain name is the internet address of a website or blog (like your home address). Your domain name should be simple, obvious, and as short as possible. If the domain you like is not available, try to put a word before or after it. Dot com domain is the best and I like Go Daddy. Only less then 12$/year (1$/month), sometimes you may have it with half price.

Step 2. Hosting your blog

Web hosting is where your website (or blog) actually sits, on a computer, in a building somewhere, when you put it on the internet (like your house/land). You’ll need web hosting to put your site on.

There are quite a few web hosting out there, and many dishonest “review” sites which saying this one is the best and the others is crap and other way around!..:))

After several research and asking aroung, I think Just Host hosting company is most reasonable, $2.95/month special promotion now (normal price $6.95/month) with Unlimited GB’s of Space, Unlimited Domain Hosting and a FREE Domain Name . It supports WordPress blogging system therefore installation a new website just a few clicks!

Click here for more detail of Just Host and register domain names. It’s only take a few minutes.

Step 3. Setting up a WordPress website

WordPress is one of the best blog software and very popular completely-online system that lets you build a professional-looking website and/or blog without any technical know-how. It’s ideal for people who know absolutely nothing about web design. You go to a “Dashboard” page on your website, and from there, you can create pages and make changes to your site.

Login to Just Host website, and click on Control Panel, Click WordPress, New Installation. Click to chose your domain and install, that’s it!Write down that username and password.

Step 4. Customise your new website

Go to yourdomainname.com/wp-admin to log in. You are now in Dashboard, you can play with every tab on the left now, this is some simple first:

Click Settings, General: Change the Site Title and Tagline.

Click Appearance, Header: Change the header picture, Click Browse, and choose a picture on your computer.

Click Appearance, Themes: Click Install Themes, at the top. You may have to try a few themes before you find one that’s suitable for your site.

Click Plugins section, then Add New: Pluginsare very powerful tool to modify and customise your blog

Click Post section, then Add New: Now you can put whatever you want for your site and Publish!

Congratulations! You are online now!

NB: - If the host company still offer a free domain now, you may skip the first step (and save $$). If you want to make a second blog, then you need the first step.

- Things you need to learn more: Link your blog to Facebook or others, monitor traffic to your blog, Adsense, use FireFTP (Firefox add-on) to up load to your host, this is your online store now. And master everthings on the Dashboard!