I’ve watched blogging change lives. Namely, mine. But that’s a long story.
One of my great frustrations in life is running across awesome people with great stories and world-changing ideas who just aren’t quite willing to pull the trigger and launch an online presence.
Maybe it’s fear of failure. Or of the unknown.
Maybe it’s a lack of confidence.
Or maybe it’s just the mistaken notion that it’s too big and too complicated.
And that’s the myth I’m hoping to bust.
I’m throwing three options at you – a good way to start a blog, a better way, and what I think is the best way to start a blog, especially if you’ve never developed a blog before.
A Good Way to Start Blogging
(Don’t do this yet. Come back to it if you don’t like my other two ideas…)
A good way to start is to set up a free blog on WordPress.com. It’s fairly easy to do and there are plenty of great themes (templates, ready-to-go designs) to pick from.
You can walk through the six easy steps necessary to get your first blog going. It’s going to be as easy as clicking the button on the screen.
The Advantages of a WordPress.com Blog
- It’s quick and easy to set up.
- It’s free (unless you want some additional features or your own domain name).
- It’s fun.
The Disadvantages of a WordPress.com Blog
- You’re limited in what you can do with it in terms of both design and functionality.
- There’s still a learning curve after the initial setup and you’re on your own.
- It isn’t yours, exactly. You own the content, but your content will live on borrowed land.
There is a reason why pretty much no serious, professional, influential blogger uses WordPress.com. It isn’t that it isn’t good. It is good. It’s just limited.
Nonetheless, it’s a good option. But there’s a better option.
A Better Way to Start Blogging
Because WordPress is so stinkin’ awesome, they make their own blogging software available for free. You can download it from WordPress.org and then install it on a server. Then it’s yours.
I say this is a better option because once you install WordPress on your server, you can customize the look and feel of it with premium WordPress themes (I use and highly recommend the Divi Theme, plus the Bloom and Monarch plugins from Elegant Themes).
You’ll need a domain name and you’ll need reliable web hosting. That might sound complicated, but here’s how easy it is:
- Sign up for web hosting from SiteGround.
- Pick a domain name during the sign up process.
- After you’ve signed up, use the one-click tool to install WordPress easily.
The Advantages of Hosting Your Own WordPress Blog
- It’s yours. At least, as long as you pay the $3 or $4 per month hosting fee.
- It’s customizable with premium themes and plugins.
- It’s still inexpensive. Even with some premium tools, you can be up and running for $250 – $500.
The Disadvantages of Hosting Your Own WordPress Blog
- Occasionally something breaks when you’re upgrading it or when a hacker attacks the site and you have to communicate with tech support. It’s rarely fatal but always a nuisance.
- You’re still on your own. You can take a course, read some blogs, and figure it all out, but there’s a learning curve.
So, there’s another option. And if you’re a beginner or have been out of the blogging practice for a while, I’ve come to believe it’s the best way to launch a blog and get started.
The BEST Way to Start Blogging
I’ll sell you on the benefits of this final solution before I spill the beans…
- Hosting is built in so you don’t have to pay for any. And it’s good hosting.
- WordPress is installed within thirty seconds of getting started.
- Your new blog is secure and comes with an SSL certificate (trust me, that’s good).
So far, what WordPress.com and a self-hosted WordPress-powered blog would offer you are already covered. But then there’s more.
- You get a very large, active community of fellow bloggers who are always helping each other.
- You get education, built right in. There are training tracks for:
- Getting set up.
- Using WordPress.
- Writing great blog posts.
- Getting found in Google searches.
- Managing comments.
- Installing plugins.
And there’s more. Here’s the icing on the cake…
- You get training in how to monetize your blog from day one.
- How to add advertising to your blog.
- How to find and apply to affiliate networks.
- How to create affiliate links.
- How to build an email subscriber list.
- How to use video.
And way more.
So what’s the best way to launch a blog? Like, right now? Like, in the next 60 seconds or less?
It’s called the Wealthy Affiliate community, which includes the SiteRubix platform.
You can be a member for free and kick the tires, but if you want to use your own domain and access even more of the training and features available, you’ll go premium.
But for now, give this a try (there is literally NO cost or risk in taking this one step)… Click the button below, fill in the field, and watch a website form before your eyes. Here’s a screenshot of what you’ll see once you click the link below:
And by the way, yes, I’m a premium member. I host two different websites on the SiteRubix platform. I’m normally a skeptic, but as I wrote in my review of Wealthy Affiliate, I’m convinced!
Start a Website, for Free, In Less Than a Minute! »
By the way, once you’ve set up your account, you and I will be connected within the Wealthy Affiliate community and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and offer tips and suggestions along the way.
Remember, this free, no-risk, kick-the-tires way of getting started entitles you to a yourblogname.siterubix.com domain name. To have a yourblogname.com domain name (which is highly recommended) requires a premium account, but it’s comparable to the cost of purchasing hosting elsewhere anway.
So, start counting down from a minute, aaaaand…. GO!
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of SiteGround and Wealthy Affiliate. This doesn’t affect your price at all, but it does mean that if you click through these links and make a purchase, I would receive a commission. Just wanted you to know! And if you join Wealthy Affiliate, you’ll learn the same craft.
