Create and Get Started Blogging Online: Part 6 – Choosing a CMS

Welcome to Part 6 of my awesome blogging series. We have covered a lot of ground, and encourage all of you to go back and read other sections before going forward. Today, we’ll be jumping into the actual setup of your blogging site, and explore the various options you have available. At one point, you would have to code your entire website, however, now, you can install a content management platform to get you set up right away. For example, I have set up an entire website in under 4 minutes, and have a tutorial to prove it to you. Even when you have to customize your website, you can now install plug-ins to get the job done for you. This is why so many new websites are popping up every day because they are so easy to publish.

Let’s jump right in and look at the various options you have available when choosing your blogging platform. I’ll go over some cool features of each.

Part 6 – Choosing a CMS

In my experience, you have 3-4 solid options when choosing a CMS provider, and they all bring something unique to the table. I have worked with many and have been able to use them for different types of sites. Instead of me recommending you choose all of them, depending on your purpose, why not have “1” that does it all for you…right? With that said,

Let’s explore some of the awesome options you have available when choosing your CMS provider. Keep in mind, some have partnerships with hosting providers so can be installed with a click of a mouse whereas others, you’ll have to download, unzip, and install using FTP. I’ll go in order from the MOST popular to least in my experience.

Let’s get started…

WordPress –

The ultimate blogging platform, and has built its popularity by providing the best plugins, interface, security, and more. I use WordPress for all my designing because of the simplicity it provides to all my projects. I can use this CMS when building an eCommerce site, general blog, directory, etc. Over the years, their popularity has led to enormous development in themes and plugins, which give you complete customization control. Even after Google rolled out their mobile update, WordPress was the first to introduce responsive themes that can be installed from the backend of your admin panel. Next,

You can buy, and own, premium themes from sites like Themeforest.net. They have mastered theme creation and selling, allowing others to upload to their marketplace. Finally, they have just gone into the hosting avenue, which is proving to be very lucrative for them.

Weebly.com –

This is my favorite drag & drop builder because everything is so easy. It’s perfect for those who don’t want to learn a new interface, and don’t need anything too sophisticated. If you need a simple 5-6 page website, then Weebly.com should be your choice. I love it because they offer all the main features like video, text, headlines, themes, and contact forms, which can be added with drag & drop.

Drupal –

I don’t have too much experience with Drupal, however, there are some avid users. These people have stated Drupal is an awesome CMS, however, I find it to be very limited. If you are looking for a variety of themes and plugins, then I would stick to WordPress. Because I don’t have experience with Drupal, I can’t really discuss their interface, plugins, security, etc.; however, from the reviews I’ve read, I would stick to WordPress as your all-in-one solution.

Joomla –

This is another CMS platform that is similar to WordPress and Drupal. It offers a solid interface and plugins, however, reviews say WordPress is much better in getting the job done. I would encourage you to test it out for yourself before making your final choice. If you head over to Google, and do a quick search using “Joomla + reviews”, you’ll be able to get authentic reviews from users who have experience with every different CMS platform.

Final Thoughts

Each person is different and you should try each one before making your final choice. You might find one CMS platform works better for you compared to the others, however, you’ll only know after you play with the interface. I know you’ll find WordPress your number one choice because the ease at which it can be used. You can also head over to Google and do a quick search to read reviews on all of these platforms.

In the next section, we’ll be going over WordPress and installing the platform on your hosting. You have two ways that this can be done: 1-click through hosting or by downloading the application.

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Bad Food Court Food at Aberdeen Centre

Aberdeen Centre is a shopping mall in Richmond, British Columbia. It is the first truly Asian style mall in North America. It’s a cool place to visit if you can find parking. Also, the bubble tea at the food court leaves a lot to be desired.

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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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