In the previous article I discussed the basic general steps on how to start a WordPress blog. In this article we are going to focus on item number two on that list. The first was find your idea…a great idea for your blog. This is the most important piece of the puzzle, but once you have the idea the second point will save you time and hassle in the long run.
Find the Best WordPress Hosting
This is the second step in starting your WordPress blog or WordPress website. I mentioned a few pionts on what to look for in that first post and I will go over them in more detail here.
1. Make sure they have a one-click install for WordPress blog software. This will save you time and more money later. Unless you have a very good understanding of programming languages and database management (or phpMyAdmin) – you should opt for a WordPress host that offers a “one-click” install. Do they really have a “one-click” install? NO. WordPress hosting companies will tell you that they offer this…but it simply isn’t true, but it’s very close. You’ll need to choose which domain to install WordPress on, the version, and you’ll need to define a few variables. This is a very simple process and won’t take long – under 5 minutes.
2. The WordPress web hosting should cost under $4/month for the initial term. This isn’t a hard task. There are plenty of WordPress web hosts that offer specials for under $4/mo. I can thing of about 10 off the top of my head. Don’t pay more for this on the initial term, but hosts will raise the rates on the renewal periods. Nearly all hosts do it. They don’t tell you that they are doing this, but you need to be aware of it. The initial term is just to get you in the door. One web host that I recommend charges $3.95/mo on the first 2 or 3 years. Then they charge 8.95 or 7.95 per year on the renewal period. Some hosts just want to charge you $10/month right out of the gate. Don’t fall for it. You can find the best WordPress hosting for less than $4 – this will save you $6/mo on a 36 month term…a lot of dough!
3. The best WordPress web hosting should offer a free domain name. A lot of web hosts will not offer this. As web space got bigger and bigger and prices keep coming down. They just have to start cutting back on the extras. If the web hosting company doesn’t offer a free domain name – they will usually charge about $10-15/year. You can find cheaper. I will tell you how to find a web host with all these qualities at the end of the post. If you find a great host you want to use and they don’t offer the free domain name – I would use GoDaddy. This is the best domain name registrar on the web. I’m not a fan of the flash GoDaddy Super Bowl ads, but they do know how to do domain names. That’s about all they do well (that and SSL certificates).
4. Cheap WordPress web hosting will offer unlimited add-on domain names. This means that they will allow you to add on as many domain names as you want to your account and host them there. So you could have hundreds of domains on one account without having to get a dedicated server for your WordPress website or blog. This is handy because if you decide to start another WordPress website or blog you can for as little as $10/year – the cost of the domain name. A lot of hosts such as GoDaddy will only allow a certain number of domains to be added on to the account. Our recommended web hosts will allow you to host as many domain names as you want!
5. The best WordPress web hosts offer U.S. based support 24/7. You don’t really want to call India or some other country where you can barely understand the support tech. The recommended WordPress web hosting services offer 24/7 support and it’s US based. You don’t want to be working on your WordPress website and then have an issue that gets you frustrated and then have to try to explain your WordPress blog issue with someone who has a language barrier.
Best WordPress Web Hosting Services:
1. BlueHost – $3.95/mo – CLICK HERE
2. HostMonster – $3.95/mo – CLICK HERE
3. JustHost – $3.45/mo – CLICK HERE