Many of you probably wonder how to make your start as a blogger. In the online world, where there are almost more blogs than websites, it’s hard to set yourself apart. Where to begin if you want to set up a website?
To make a start in the humongous world of online bloggers, some technical knowledge is required. So if you’re not a computer nerd who can code in three different languages, you might find this information useful:
FINDING THE RIGHT DOMAIN NAME
A domain name, for example www.chapterfriday.com, is an internet address that links directly to your blog. This domain name is quite important. Pick one that is simple and easy to remember - one that is similar to the name of your blog works best – this will make it easier for your readers to find you.
You have quite a few options when it comes to picking out a name. Firstly, you can choose an extension, like .net or .com. We suggest opting for .com, because it’s more common and worldly known. As an international blogger you probably don’t want a national extension: you want readers from all over the world to be able to find you quickly.
Now that the easy part is over with, it’s time for the hard(er) bit: finding a domain name that suits your blog. Keep in mind that it must be simple and easy to remember. If you go for a really long name, people might not remember it. Plus, it’s a lot easier to make spelling mistakes if the name consists of five words instead of two or three (domains with no more than three words have the greatest possibility to succeed - try spelling wereinsanelyinlovewithCHAPTERFRIDAY.com right every time…). For example Elle.com is a simple, short name and it makes sense that it refers to the website of ELLE magazine.
You’ve spent days pondering over the perfect name and now you’ve finally found it. Hurrr-ay! But then you discover that this superb, splendid name is already in use. No need to panic! Sometimes it is possible to opt for .net or .org instead. You can also decide to choose a name that is quite similar to your blog name, but not completely the same.
If the name of your choice is available, claim it as soon as you can. It’s important to buy your domain name, as it helps you secure an online identity. You can often easily purchase your domain through your web hosting service. We recommend investing some extra money in names that are similar to yours too. For example, thischicksgotstyle.com got often written as thischickgotstyle.com (without the s).
FINDING A BLOG HOSTING SERVICE THAT SUITS YOUR BLOG
A blog hosting service is a service that enables you to create a blog on the internet. Whether you’re just starting out as a blogger or simply finding a better service for your already existing blog, choosing the right blog hosting service is a tricky business. There are hundreds, if not thousands of services to choose from. Be aware: not all hosting services are easy to use. Thats why we’ve done some groundwork for you, so you will know where to start.
Unfortunately, there isn’t one hosting service that suits everyone. The trick is to find a hosting service that suits your blog. First you have to consider is what you expect from your host. Opting for a (reasonably) fast service seems like a logical choice, but you might be interested in customer service and technical support too. What’s important to keep in mind is that the choice of blog hosting service is depending for a large part on how much technical stuff you already know. For example, are you comfortable with HTML and CSS? And if not, are you willing to learn? For some blog hosting services, you need to know what these terms mean and how they work.
Blogspot…
For bloggers who are just starting out, Blogger is probably the easiest platform to use. It’s free – which is especially convenient for blogs who don’t make money yet. The only thing you have to invest money in, is your domain name. To get started, you can simply pick one of the ready-to-use templates and start writing articles. For those of you who want to adjust the standard templates a bit, there are customization options too. A small disadvantage is that your options to customize are limited, so it might not be the best choice for girls with HTML and CSS skills who know exactly what they want. Blogger also offers you the possibility to make money of your blog: you can easily earn money by using Google AdSense, or you can go for affiliate links instead.
… versus WordPress
Another easy-to-use platform that has slightly more options, is WordPress. WordPress is a platform that’s used around the world – our CHAPTER FRIDAY website runs on it – and offers endless possibilities for customization. If you want to use WordPress, the most important choice you’ll have to make is between WordPress.com (the not self-hosted service) and WordPress.org (the self-hosted service). The difference among the two is that the not self-hosted service is free, but restricts you from customizing your blog. The self-hosted service requires your blog to be hosted first (big surprise 
), which means you have to invest some money and pick a hosting service. This also requires a bit more technical skill. The upside is that WordPress.org enables you to advertise on your blog, so you can earn the money you spend on the hosting service back. How’s that for an incentive?
Do you have a blog? What were tough technical decisions you had to make?
Photo by Liselotte Fleur
Let's talk
31 comments
BY THIS CHICK'S GOT STYLE
Welcome to CHAPTER FRIDAY! Your online toolkit to an awesome and successful life, curated by Yara (and team of supergirls). Hopefully you are excited about this next chapter, and the natural transformation of fashion blog This chick's got style. Find out more about that process here.
follow
Yara as speaker
Yara Michels is a professional blogger, all-round business chick, award nominated marketing author and freelance ELLE writer. She hosts blogging masterclasses, takes on online cases for big companies and is an experienced speaker on online topics. Curious yet?
Hello there!
Me and my gal pals are planning to set up an online magazine but problem is we’re stuck on how to manage it (because it’s online) eg: when to post, do we make it a monthly/weekly/daily and etc. Would really love to get your advice on this
Thank you.
Can you move from easily from wordpress self hosted to WordPress.com if you wish to start customisation at a later date? Or dies that effect your domain name?
Just started on Weebly and am really enjoying the simplicity of it!
Ik heb mijn Blogger blog inmiddels alweer 7 jaar, en zit er nu aan te denken om over te stappen naar WordPress. Vind het wel heel spannend, maar ik ben wel toe aan een iets professionelere look… Goede tips!
Jules x
Ik ben ooit overgestapt van Blogger naar WordPress maar mijn blog reageerde hier niet 100% op dus ben ik weer terug gegaan naar Blogger. Gelukkig zit ik op een school met mensen die verstand hebben van websites bouwen e.d. en ik ga binnenkort een oud klasgenoot van me vragen of ie me wil helpen met WordPress, aangezien de reacties hier zo goed op zijn!
I love Wordpres!!
I’ve been using WordPress for 4 years now. I want to move to WordPress.org but I have so many doubts about how to move to a host server that I’m afraid I’ll mess it up. I’d love to have some quick guide to help me with the moving..
Thank you!
Alba
http://www.albabenitez.com
My blog currently runs on blogger, but I am thinking about switching it for wordpress!
xx
SASHA
Goede tips, WordPress is mijn voorkeur! Vooral door de apps, zo kun je je website steeds een beetje meer ontwikkelen! Heel gebruiksvriendelijk.
x
Momenteel werk ik met Blogger, als beginner is dit echt makkelijk! Nu heb ik wel een beetje spijt van mij keuze omdat well apps enkel ontworpen zijn voor wordpress. Mijn broertje studeert gelukkig ICT en tegen het einde van dit schooljaar zou hij me moeten kunnen helpen met het omzetten van mijn blog naar WordPress en dan ook een eigen domeinnaam.
Thank you for a great post!
I have a blog on WordPress, it is the not-self-hostet, and believe I am getting ready to move on to the self-hostet.org domain - but will love to get help, tips and feedback on my blog from all of you first.
If you have a moment, please vosit me on my domain You are a goddess too:
http://www.youareagoddesstoo.com
Thank you all in advance,
XO Anja
Great post! I Think the hardest decision was to come up with a great name.
My tips to you who’s thinking about making your own blog is: Take your time deciding on the name! When you think you’ve found the perfect one, let it sink in for a day or two and then see if you still love it as much!
xx Elle
New outfit post up on:
http://www.cherryblossomstreet.com -Swedish Fashion/Travel blogger and Model in Tokyo
I am a big WordPress fan and these tips are great!
xx Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
Wij zijn een paar maanden geleden begonnen met Cloud Nine Daily. Herkenbare post dit. We zaten eerst bij de gratis WordPress, maar zijn al snel overgestapt naar .org omdat we de mogelijkheden bij .com toch te beperkt vonden. Van HTML en CSS hebben we nog weinig verstand. Bij welke host zit Chapter Friday?
I use blogger and find it very easy, and I like the layout. I have learnt some html, but my designer really helped me make my blog look professional
Lauren x
Britton Loves | Lifestyle Food Fashion Beauty - http://www.brittonloves.blogspot.co.uk
Lovely post, handy for those thinking about starting a blog. Myself I started out on wordpress as a teenager. And I changed my blogging objectives too much. As I was still searching myself, my blog was a bit lost too.
It has been a year now since I have my domain. And since then I started to seriously concentrate on making my blog a great place to be. Have a look for yourself!
FreeCarnation
amazing post
http://thepocketstyle.blogspot.com/
As rather new to the blogesphere and one who little techno abilities, I chose WordPress and have been mostly pleased once I figured out some bugs. They have a superb community to answer questions and sharing of tips that I have found very helpful. The hard part about blogging can be when you encounter writer’s block. Thanks for being a inspiring influence for fashion, work life and blogging. I always look forward to reading your content with great enthusiasm.
That´s awesome, thanx so much for that!
x
http://www.incaseofneedblog.com
Ik ben ooit begonnen met blogger en ben eigenlijk nooit overgeschakeld naar wordpress. mijn blognaam is daar al bezet dus weiger ik over te stappen :p. Ik vind het dan wel weer jammer dat ik geen .com kon kiezen omdat die al opgekocht is door een hostingsite wat er belachelijk veel geld voor vraagt.
This is a brat post! I use blogger, since I have no idea hor to use HTML etc hahaha! Just now bought a domain, but I don’t know how to redirect it to my current blog without losing all the content. x http://justsavxnnah.blogspot.nl
Hey Chapter Friday crew! I already have a personal style blog. Yet I found your article very interesting and informative. Thank you! I have a WordPress blog which I’ve been superhappy with!
http://www.arcticvanilla.com/
These are really great tips! I use WordPress and I love it because it’s so easy to use.
http://www.thoughtsinstyle.com/
Ik heb ook Wordpres… maar ik vind Squarespace er anders ook very tempting uitzien. Arghhh, decisions!
Great blogpost and very useful.
Like your post! Very nice!
Xxx
Elisa.
My Fantabulous World
I used wordpress.com from day 1, and then switched to wordpress.org. I love wordpress! I’m totally inept at programming though- I can’t even make my bloglovin have pictures. Oh well…
Leuk artikel! Ik heb wel een self hosted wordpress site maar op een of andere manier staat er nog wel /wordpress/ achter mijn url
Binnenkort maar even met wat vrienden die er iets meer verstand van hebben naar kijken… ik was al blij dat het tot hier is gelukt!
Ik ben de laatste tijd een beetje aan het twijfelen over mijn blognaam (Fashion Food Fun Forever). Aan de ene kant is het wat lang maar wel herkenbaar enz door de 4 F’en. Soms vind ik het jammer niet een wat bredere naam heb gekozen…
X
Ik wil m’n blog al even laten veranderen naar een .com-adres, maar vind het eigenlijk moeilijk een geschikte (en betrouwbare) webhosting te vinden. Als iemand die niks begrijpt van al die technische dingen is dat best lastig
Wat een handige tips!
I love wordpress! (on my own domain) Likesandloves.com (about all the random things in life that I like and love)
Before this I had a free blog at web-log.nl (no longer exists) but yeah, this works for me and I have all the freedom to change and adjust my blog the way I want.
I use the hosting services of transip. Its awesome.