Create and Get Started Blogging Online: Part 5 – Setting Up Hosting and Domain

We have covered the following:

• Create the right idea
• Choosing a domain
• Choosing a hosting provider

Today, we’ll be discussing how to select the right hosting plan, and setting up the fundamentals. For example, in the previous step, you went over 3-4 elements of hosting research and have narrowed down the MOST important elements. You can now make an informed decision about the hosting provider you would like to choose.

I would recommend HostGator from my experience. I prefer HostGator because they are continuously growing, with their plans getting better each year. They’re also the webhost of John Chow dot Com.

The easiest way to set up your blog and hosting is by using our free WordPress installation service. The service is really simple. We will install and set up a WordPress blog for you at no cost to you. Not only that, I will also install for free a bunch of really cool plugins to get your blog started on the right foot.

Final Thoughts

Now that we have taken care of the fundamentals, I’ll be outlining WordPress installation in the next section. GoDaddy.com and other hosting providers make it very easy for you to install the application using a 1-click interface system. Going forward, it’s all about setting up your website, customization, and layout. Later, we’ll be discussing writing content, marketing, and outreach.

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Testing The Sony A7 III at Terra Nova Adventure Playground

The Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment is a play experience unique to the Lower Mainland. It’s also a great place to test out the Sony A7 III full frame digital camera.

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Create and Get Started Blogging Online: Part 4 – Hosting Research and Narrowing Down

In Part 4, we’ll be discussing the importance of research when choosing the right hosting provider. It’s important you know what different types of packages you have available, and what options you should be looking for as a beginner or expert. The combination of hosting and domain are probably the most important in building your brand and allowing people to access your website. If you have a poor domain then people won’t remember, and won’t know what your niche is about. Next, with a poor hosting provider, your site won’t be accessible, and this slows down engagement. Both work hand in hand, which is why you know how to choose the right hosting provider.

Today, we’ll be going over some of the MOST important elements of choosing a hosting provider, and how to perform research. In the next part, we’ll be going over plan registration and domain setup.

Let’s get started…

Part 4 – Hosting Research

Researching the right hosting providers is NOT tough if you know what you are looking for. I also think it’s very important to know where to look, which will make it much easier for you in the end. I recommend the following areas when researching hosting providers.

Authority Blogs – One of the best ways to find out which hosting providers should be on your radar. Many influential people have been blogging for years, and have a handful of hosting providers they deal with. They have experience and know which ones provide what you need.

Google Search – Sometimes, doing a quick search in Google will provide you with the information you need to choose the right provider. For example, type in “top hosting providers”, and you’ll find a combination of reviews pointing you in the right direction.

Comments and Reviews – There are some directories that are dedicated to providing you with the right hosting providers and reviews. It’s amazing what directories are online that will give you all the information you need. For example, here’s a quick directory that provides you with the top hosting providers. You can also leave a review for others who will be visiting so they choose the right directory, too. Or you can just use HostGator, which host this blog.

Above, I have discussed the “3” most popular ways to find what hosting providers are credible and should have your focus going forward. However, you need to know what features matter so here’s a quick breakdown…

Hosting Features

I always recommend looking over 5-7 features when choosing the right hosting. These features determine how the company will perform while you are hosting with them. For example, you obviously want a hosting provider that is live 99.9% of the time, guaranteed…right? If the hosting keeps going down, then your site won’t be accessible, which is why I always look for uptime first. Let’s go through the others…

Uptime – Very important because this will guarantee how active your site stays most of the time. It protects you from your site going down when people are trying to visit.

Pricing – I like to keep an eye on this because things can get pretty steep sometimes, especially when starting out. Some hosting providers will charge you 1 year upfront, which is something that NOT everyone can afford.

Ad Coupons – Choose a provider that gives you free coupons for advertising. This will help you get a jumpstart after you have gone live with your blog. Some hosting providers offer Google, Bing, and even Fotolia image credits.

Email Accounts – With some hosting providers, you’ll get unlimited email accounts, which is important if you have a team. This way, you are NOT paying for additional accounts, but have them with your packages.

Applications – Very important because you want to streamline the application process during installation. For example, I can think of two hosting providers that have 1-click WordPress installation.

FTP Setup – I like to have access to easy FTP setup because there will come a time I need to upload files or even hire someone to do some work for me. FTP makes it easy for me to hire someone while providing them with limited access to my website.

cPanel – Very important because it streamlines and organizes your hosting control panel. This allows you to navigate through the interface, easily making use of all the elements.

Final Thoughts

In the next part, we’ll be going over how to choose the right hosting package and the setup. We’ll be going over setting up your domain, and what your DNS settings are.

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Lunch At Pearl Castle Richmond

On this episode of the Dot Com Lifestyle vlog, we go for lunch at Pearl Castle in Richmond. They are known for their fried chicken and milk tea. Like most Richmond restaurants, they take cash only.

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Create and Get Started Blogging Online: Part 3 – Choosing the Right Domain

Thanks again for joining us while we explore the complete step-by-step process in starting a blog that converts, and builds momentum quickly. So far, we’ve covered things like choosing your niche, and looked at factors like passion and demand. Now that you have a better idea of your niche, it’s important we start exploring domain names, and what makes a “name” special. There are certain rules you have to follow when choosing a domain name because this is the beginning of your brand. If you choose a name that is too long, it’ll be hard to remember, however, if it’s too short, then might NOT reflect your niche. In the end, you want to make sure your domain follows a solid criteria like:

• Identifies your brand
• Can be remembered
• Can be used if you expand
• Is available
• And has the right extension

Now that we have covered some of the important things, we can dig deeper, and look at ways to find the perfect domain. I will try and cover everything in “1” single part but will add a second if I feel you need more depth. Let’s get started.

Color signs with internet domain names isolated on white background

Part 3 – Choosing the Right Domain

I believe having the right type of domain is very important because this will represent your brand. You’ve probably noticed some of the top bloggers online have used their personal name to represent their company. This is a strategy because they are building their brand based around their personal name. The next time you hear their name, you’ll know the experience they add within the niche. I encourage you to think about two very important things right now…

• Will you be registering a domain based on your personal name?
• Do you prefer to have a domain based around your niche?

Both are great, but if you want to stand out, I would encourage you to build your brand around your personal name. Many others can be in the same niche, and this might make it difficult for you to stand out long-term….right?

Once you have answered the questions above, and decided what route you’ll be taking, then you can go to the next step.

Domain Name

This is actually NOT that tough because you would base it around your niche. However, make sure it’s around 6-8 characters and makes sense. For example, if you are involved in health & fitness, then these domains are great:

• yourweightloss.com
• nutrition.com
• weightloss4u.com

Keep in mind, you are focusing on a domain that makes sense, and that can be remembered at the same time. You want your audience to look at it once, and remember what it is when they want to come back.

Finding Domain Registrar

You need to find a registrar who has been in business for years because the last thing you want is a problem with your domain afterwards. You want to make sure you domain is registered with a credible provider so your site doesn’t run into any problems going forward. Remember, when people search your website, they’ll browse to www.example.com, and if the domain can’t be reached, then it’ll destroy your credibility, etc.

I recommend going with GoDaddy.com because they have been in charge of all my domains, and I have never had a problem with them.

Next,

Choosing the Right Extension

What do I mean by extension?

Your domain can be either: .com, .net, .org, .biz, .ca…..right?

You want to make sure you choose the right extension because statistically, many people tend to type one over the other. If you haven’t guess by now, then the MOST popular domain is .COM so try to register a domain with a .COM extension.

Statistically, visitors usually type .COM about 70% of the time when searching for a website they have heard of or are trying to get back to. This should always be your first choice. Head over to GoDaddy.com, then in the domain search, type in the domain names you have decided to go for. By now, you should have a list of names that are suitable for your business written on a piece of paper. Go through each one until you find the .COM available, then click “Register”.

The good news is domains are cheap, and can be registered for roughly $9.99/year with renewal afterwards being roughly $14.99/year. Follow through the registration wizard until you have gotten the domain name you want, and hold on to it until you purchase hosting, which you’ll learn in the next section.

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How To Keep Your Business Running When You’re On Vacation

In this video I show you to keep your blog and YouTube channel constantly updated even when you’re on vacation and don’t have access to the Internet. Because that’s what the Dot Com Lifestyle is all about!

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Create and Get Started Blogging Online: Part 2 – Niche Based Demand

In Part 1, I discussed how many people start their blog based on their passion. However, today, I’d like to discuss starting a blog based on demand, which is much harder because you are going against your niche. This method is simply based on the amount of money you can make within a specific niche, for example, a massive industry like health, love, wealth, etc. I know many of my clients have started a blog simply because they know if they keep pushing forward, then they’ll make enormous money because of the demand. As mentioned, this route tends to be much harder simply because if you see NO results in the beginning, you have a higher chance of simply giving up.

I get asked: If you were going to use this approach, what are the top niches you would focus on? I have mentioned this above, and speaking statistically, they would be: health, wealth, and romance. All “3” have a special connection with people and it’s much easier to sell a product when you can build an emotional connection with your audience. Let’s explore this route a bit further, and your feedback will be appreciated…

Part 2 – Niche Based Demand

To summarize…

This type of business focuses on demand, and what type of products people are looking for right now. You won’t necessarily have a passion for the niche, but are only in it because the demand is massive, which increases the conversion rate going forward. Remember, it’s much easier selling a product when there is massive demand because you have that much bigger audience.

Personally, with this option, you are floating in dangerous territory because unlike following your passion, you have no emotional connection to keep pushing you forward if all else fails. I’m going to be honest, making money online is very difficult, and seeing results early is very unlikely so the chances of failure have just increased. However, if you have self-control, then this might NOT be a bad route for you to take going forward.

Let’s explore some ways for you to find niches that have enormous demand.

Forums – Just like finding questions for a niche that is your passion, you can use forums to find popular niches. You’ll notice the MOST popular niches have a lot of communities. Head over to Google and type “health + forums”, and you’ll notice three pages full of popular busy forums. Take some time and do forum research by typing in keywords + forums then skimming through.

Google Trends – The cool thing about Google Trends is you’ll be able to go through categories if you’re unsure about specific keywords to type in. For example, head over to Google Trends right now and you’ll notice a drop-down labelled “All Categories”. From here, you can filter through looking for high demand niches, which you can then transform into blogs. I would recommend taking the keyword and performing further research to ensure you can come up with the right content ideas.

Google Search – This one’s pretty easy…

Start by typing in random keywords and checking what type of engagement some of the other blogs have within the niche. You’ll know if the blog is popular by checking out content, social shares, comments, etc.

Social Media – An amazing channel to find topics that are HOT. Many of these popular social media channels have tools that will allow you to filter #hashtags & searches. Find some of the online marketing tools then go through looking for the MOST popular search phrases. You can then filter them, and conduct even more research to ensure you have a niche that can be built into a business.

I would suggest starting with the three popular social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Google +.

What now…

After you have performed your research, start creating a list, looking for a pattern. Once you notice a pattern, you’ll be able to start being selective about the niche you’ll like to get into going forward. This will help you do further research into the niche, coming up with topic ideas for your content. Your business blog will depend heavily on the content and value you provide to your users.

Final Thoughts

Now that you have learned 2 awesome ways to come up with ideas for your blog, let’s explore choosing the right domain name. We’ll be discussing domain names in Part 3 of our awesome series and the importance of choosing the right extension. You’ll learn about EMD (exact match domains), and if they make a difference when ranking your website.

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