1. Getting Your Website Online
I need three things to run this website:
- A Domain, this is what you call your website, for me it’s IncomeDiary.com, for you it could be MyBlogName.com
- Web Hosting, this is required to host your website on the internet so that people can visit it.
- WordPress, this is what will help you run your website, this free software will allow you to add, edit and delete pages on your website. You also have a choice from over 100,000 different blog designs and 1000’s of free plugins that will allow your website to do different things.
1. Registering a Domain
Before you do anything, you must decide on a name for your website and purchase your .Com (or .co.uk. .org .net etc). I have a lot of domains, how I come up with the domains is simple. They are descriptive of what the site is about, so for example, ExpertPhotography.com is about how to become an expert at photography.
When my friend approached me to help him come up with a domain for an outsourcing site, I asked him, whats the goals of your blog? He told me it was to save entrepreneurs time by outsourcing. I recommended he named his site SaveTimeOutsource.com and that is what he went with. Personally, I would only go for a .Com (it’s the most popular & easiest to remember) and I would also keep the name as short as possible.
To register your domain, go to a website called GoDaddy, if you live in the US you will probably have seen their Superbowl adverts and already know who they are. A domain will set you back less then $10 a year and is one of the most important things to get right.
2. Here’s How to Host Your Website on the Internet
Your on my website right now, to do this, I have to host it on a server so that people can come and visit it. It’s quite simple, you rent some space on a server for around $5 a month and can put all your files on it and thousands of people can come and visit it without any hassle.
I personally use HostGator and I highly recommend them because they have 24/7 live support with agents who will always be happy to help you with any issue you may have.
One of the main reasons why I recommend hosting with HostGator, is because they have a program in their user control panel called QuickInstall which allows you to install WordPress (blogging software) with one click. Click on to Hostgator to host your website!
They don’t charge any additional price for this but if you went with any other company, you would be likely to pay an extra $10 or so a month which is more then the hosting in the first place.
3. Connecting your Domain & Hosting Together
Now that you have a domain and web hosting, you have to let them know you want to use the two together. You do this with nameservers.
When you purchase your hosting from HostGator, they will email you two nameservers. You then login to GoDaddy, edit your domain settings and type in your nameserver address. Then they will be connected.
4. Installing WordPress onto your Hosting
Back in the day when I started, this would be a nightmare, you would have to upload thousands of files and learn lot’s of technical stuff which no one wants to do.
However, now all you need to do is login to your hosting controle panel and click QuickInstall >> Install WordPress, less then 60 seconds later your blog is installed, you have a website on the internet and you can start publishing content.
Here is a video I recorded taking you through the whole thing in under 10 minutes.
2. Customizing Your Website / Blog Design
At this point, your website should look something similar to this. (The designs can very depending on which free design WordPress are offering pre-installed at the time.)
1. Finding a Design for your Website
By using WordPress, you are now able to use over 100,000 already created blog design themes. Some free and some much better that come at a small cost.
All the blogs that I have started since creating IncomeDiary, have used blog themes from Woothemes, which says a lot about the quality of their designs.
Go to Woothemes.com and and look through all the themes. They have themes that can be used as a portfolio, business website, magazine, and of course a blog.
Once you chose and purchased your blog theme, you need to log into your WordPress admin area. Then click Appearance on the left side, then click Themes. Click upload, find your theme and once installed, active it.
For my Wedding blog, I used Currents theme. This is what it now looks like:
2. How To Customize Your Blog Design
With every Wootheme, you get a custom dashboard to edit the look and feel of the theme. On the left hand side of your WordPress admin area, click the blue button with the name of your theme on it. In here you can edit almost everything, it’s all very self explanatory, go through it and make the changes you want.
Next, click on Appearance >> Widgets on the sidebar.
Here you can play around, adding, editing and removing widgets on your blog.
A widget is like a gadget or an attachment. Something not required for the site to function but can be used to improve it in some way.
Now you have set up your website, it’s time to learn and implement the things that will drive traffic to your website and make you money.
Publishing Content That Drives Traffic
Content is why someone visits your website, creating great content will mean more people will visit your website. Would you still be reading this website if it wasn’t for the great content? NO! Write well and people will come.
incomediary.com
Watch video on traffic: beautyhealthclick.com
Read on:
How To Create Multiple Internet Income Streams
Top 10 Best Free Web Hosting Providers 2016
