So, you're looking to start up a blog. Whether a personal blog so family can keep in touch or a business blog to share important news related to your business or industry overall, how do you start?
Obviously, you'll want to choose a blogging platform. WordPress is a great option. It's free, offers thousands of plugins, and provides excellent support. But what will starting up a WordPress blog require? Just as with a website, you'll need to choose a host, domain, and theme.
Here are some WordPress hosting tips to help you through the process.
Resources
You'll want to think about expected traffic, and where you want your blog to go. If you expect a large amount of traffic, either immediately or in the near future, find yourself a company that provides unlimited resources. Yes, I know they aren't truly unlimited, but you won't need to worry about bandwidth or storage. Basically, unlimited means “there is so much space available to you, you'll never fill it all up.”
There are variety of Word Press hosting companies that offer unlimited bandwidth and storage, but there are also companies that will charge you too much for too little. Beware, and be sure to research all options available to you.
Price
Shared hosting is a good place to start, but of course you'll want to rethink this choice as your blog grows.
Shared hosting is affordable, and will allow your site to receive 15,000-20,000 visits each day. There are many sites that offer shared hosting for WordPress, typically under $10/month. Some hosting companies will offer risk-free trials. Through WordPress directly, you can receive a discount if you sign up for one of their packages. Explore all of your options before you make a decision to assure you are getting the best value.
Support
Although WordPress is a leader in the world of blogging platforms, there are some drawbacks. Sometimes, there will be things you want to fix, but you don't have the technical knowledge to do so (it uses MySQL.) If you don't possess the proper technical skills, you'll want to go with hosting company that offers some form of live support. Do your homework prior to choosing a Word Press hosting solution to find the best service possible.
cPanel Hosting
The majority of the reputable WordPress hosting companies will offer cPanel. It is among the best scripts for WordPress hosting. You'll find companies offering cPanel hosting include custom WordPress installer or Fantastico, which aids you when installing WordPress.
WordPress Hosting 101: Additional Tips
There are plenty of other things to consider when choosing a Word Press host.
- Stay away from free hosting entirely. The old adage “You get what you pay for” totally applies here.
- Watch bandwidth and storage limits, and try to avoid them if at all possible.
- Choose Linux hosting rather than Windows hosting, if at all possible.
- Look for a hosting option that allows multiple databases.
- Find a hosting company that will give you the power to host multiple domains rather than just one.
- Check to see the hosting company is offering the latest versions of Phpmyadmin and MySQL.
Follow these handy Word Press hosting tips to assure your blog runs smoothly. Your visitors will thank you!
