How to Start a Blog
From WebHostingBuzz Wiki
How to Start a Blog
Do you have a product or service you would like to promote and you’d like to show your expertise to attract customers? Are you passionate about a certain topic and would like to get your knowledge out to the world?
It’s time for you to start a blog.
Blogging is a way for you to express the ideas you have about a particular topic. Previously you would have had to speak somewhere or find an in to a magazine. These are both expensive propositions compared to blogging. However, if you know a lot about a topic but not a lot about the web, this can be very intimidating. What steps should you take to get started?
1.) Pick a topic. Having a blog about a certain topic allows readers to know what they should expect from you, making it easier to decide if they want to subscribe to your blog.
2.) Get familiar with other blogs with the same subject. Understanding what is already being written in your field will better help you carve a niche. Since blogging is a social form of writing due to the linked nature of the web, you will have other posts to reference and can post comments on those blogs to demonstrate your expertise. Eventually, you will be able to do this and potentially drop your blog’s domain in the comment to encourage others to check it out.
3.) Obtain a domain name. A domain name is the URL for your website. You can either go to a domain registrar such as NameCheap, or it is possible that a hosting company such as WebHostingBuzz will provide a domain name to you free of charge.
4.) Get web hosting. Essentially, the information you post to your blog has to be stored somewhere. A hosting company that uses cPanel is ideal.
5.) Once you purchase web hosting, your hosting company will give you information to log in. If you are using cPanel hosting, you will see something called Fantastico in your cPanel interface, which is an autoinstaller. You will be able to set up WordPress, which is the most popular blogging software in the world. WordPress is open source, meaning you can donate to the project but you don’t have to pay for it.
6.) If you bought a domain name separately from your hosting, you will have to contact that domain registrar and have them change what are called the DNS settings. The DNS settings reflect the location of the servers where that domain should show up. Your web host should give you these DNS settings in a welcome email.
7.) WordPress allows you to easily create categories, posts, and tags for your blog. You will also be able to change your template to better match the look and feel you are looking for. Learn how to install WordPress.
Once you have a topic, a domain name, web hosting, and WordPress installed, you can now start getting your ideas out on the web.
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