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Do you want to start your own blog to share your thoughts and ideas with the world? Do you want to eventually make money from your blog? Do you want to be able to make your website exactly what YOU want it to be? Then you should be self-hosting your own website!
I started several blogs over the last 10 years, but never finished or committed to any of them because they didn’t feel like my own. Then one day I finally decided to do the research, figure out what I was doing wrong and how to make a website that I would truly love and be proud of.
In this article, I will explain my experience in setting up my own self-hosted website using Bluehost and then show you step-by-step directions to set up your own hosting, too! I know it can seem super daunting, but I hope you’ll feel more comfortable with the process after reading this.
| WHAT IS HOSTING
A host provides the space or servers where your site is stored, which allows it to be on the internet. A blog/website is either going to be hosted or self-hosted and, of course, there are pros and cons to each.
HOSTED
A hosted website is an all-in-one-stop shop. You will have your site stored and built with the same platform of your choosing, like WordPress.com or Blogger. (Please note there is a difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org)
PROS:
Fast, free and easy to set up, you can have your site going in minutes. You don’t have to worry about updates and security as that is taken care of by the host. You can also purchase your own domain name to use with a hosted site in upgraded versions. This is a great option for those that aren’t sure if blogging is for them quite yet or just want to keep a personal page to share with friends and family.
CONS:
You are given a limited amount of storage, theme and customization options and little to no ability to monetize your site. You cannot upload new themes, plugins or add any coding. Using the free versions also comes with having that platform’s ads on your page. The biggest downside, though, is since your site/blog is kept on and hosted by this platform, if that platform ever went out of business or just decided to terminate your account, you have absolutely no control over it happening and will lose everything.
SELF-HOSTED
A self-hosted site requires two different steps to make your website come to life. You will need to choose the place to build your site, like WordPress.org, and then a place to host your site, like Bluehost.com.
PROS:
You are completely in control of how your blog looks. You can download new themes and plugins, add your own coding and monetize. Also, if you are ever not happy with your hosting site, you can pick up and move without losing your entire website.
CONS:
This will take a little bit more work to set up your site and there will be a cost associated. You are responsible for all of the updates and security.
| WHY YOU SHOULD SELF-HOST
Back when I first started this blog, I did hours and hours of research, reading other peoples experiences with starting blogs and their trial-and-errors.
The No. 1 recommendation across the board was to make sure I was creating a self-hosted website for all those benefits that are listed above. I had no idea what that meant at the time and I’ll admit it discouraged me because I thought that was way too much tech for me to be able to do. Like I was a 24 year-old millennial and I still didn’t think I could figure out this website thing. So silly of me.
I continued to research and learn what self-hosting entailed and decided that this would actually be the best way to go since I wanted to eventually monetize and sell products on my site. So, I dove into the world of web hosting companies and found that Bluehost would be perfect for me.
Before I get into why I chose Bluehost, I wanted to show you a personal example of why you should self-host your site.
EXAMPLES
My husband has a sports blog that is hosted by WordPress.com. He pays $99 a year for a plan that includes domain name registration, additional storage space, some extra theme options and no WordPress ads (none of which is available with the free version).
He really likes that WordPress.com is very user friendly and super simple software to use, especially when he was starting out with little experience. On the other hand though, he doesn’t like the high price to have those extras, in addition to the limited ability to design his page how he wants. Since he is not interested in monetization or expanding his site anytime soon, he is content with using WordPress.com to host all his needs.
I, on the other hand, self-host and can do whatever the heck I want with my site. I paid $95 for three years of web hosting (pricing will fluctuate) and $12 a year for my domain name. So to break that down, I pay $44 to self-host my site each year. Not a huge investment when you have the limitless options of monetization and customization. I am very happy with choosing to go the self-hosting route!
| WHY I USE BLUEHOST
You are probably reading this because you are doing your own research on starting a blog, which is so great! I want to encourage you to choose what will be the best web hosting for you personally.
Originally, I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to write this post since there are A LOT of articles like this out there already. Sadly though, a good chunk of those articles are just people bashing other hosting companies to push their agenda, which is not fair to anyone. I think personal reviews are valuable and can be super helpful in your own decision making.
I am not here to persuade you into using any specific company, but rather share my experience. In turn, it might help you make the best decision for yourself — even if that’s not using the same host as me!
After comparing all of the available web host providers, reading reviews and reaching out to developers, I decided to work with Bluehost. I liked that they were the most user-friendly and offered what I felt was the best pricing, in addition to features like free SiteLock Security, excessive storage space and 24/7 customer service. They are also a top choice for users of all size blogs and websites.
All of those incentives were great, but I had a couple more things to think about.
I could only purchase hosting by year and had to pay in full up front. I also had to take into account that the intro rate I was offered was lower than their normal pricing, so after the initial amount of years I purchased expired, the monthly price would increase.
Again, I looked into all of my web-host options and found that the intro and renewal pricing of Bluehost was still one of the lowest out there. While they do not offer a month-to-month option (which I would likely not use at this point anyways) when I factored in the long-term savings, great features and constant ranking as a top web host provider, it was a no brainer for me to use Bluehost.
Big plus…Bluehost and WordPress.org go together like bread and butter. I wanted to use WordPress because I find it to be super straightforward and easy to navigate, so it just made sense to use a web host that is recommended by and works so well with the platform I wanted to build my site on. Also, when you set up your Bluehost account, it will automatically set up your WordPress account at the same time. Nice, right?
All of these great reasons allowed me to confidently invest my money into Bluehost to create my own blog. Again, this was all my own personal decision after doing my research and I can say I am still very happy years later!
Okay, so let’s finally get to the important part, how to set up your brand new site! If you want to skip that part and just get to it, click here to go to Bluehost!
| HOW TO SIGN UP AND SET UP YOUR WEBSITE
I will walk you through step-by-step the sign-up process. If you have questions, please contact Bluehost. Their customer service is unmatched. They are available 24/7, which is awesome. I’ve run into a couple of problems — mostly from still learning all the ins and outs — and they are so quick to solve my issue and are truly nice to talk to…or internet chat with for all of us introverts out there :).
Once you are ready to create your site, head straight to Bluehost.
LOOK AT PLANS AND COMPARE
Okay, so this process (registering for your hosting, not designing your website) isn’t really any more difficult or longer than half the things we sign up for on the internet. You can totally do this!
First thing is to choose the plan that best suits you and the length of that plan. I currently use the basic plan, which I think is perfect for my little blog. You can always upgrade later if you need to.
I chose 36 months when I signed up, which was a big commitment but made it a lot cheaper over the long run — though, you will have to pay the total upfront.
CHOSE A DOMAIN NAME
If you register your new account for at least one year, you will get a free domain name for your first year. I purchased my domain through Google Domains when I started out (not sure if they didn’t have this or I just completely missed it, which is very likely), so this deal is a great money saver!
Don’t worry if you already purchased a domain elsewhere like I did, you can still use it! Just enter it in the “I have a domain name” box. Easy peasy.
ENTER YOUR INFORMATION
CHOOSE PACKAGE LENGTH AND EXTRAS
On the same page as your account information, you will be able to specify how many months you want to register for and if you want to add any “package extras.”
Since I was just starting out, I didn’t choose any extras and figured I could add them on when I needed them.
ENTER PAYMENT INFORMATION
Enter payment information and read the terms of service.
CREATE A PASSWORD
Choose a complex and secure password. Save yourself the headache now, seriously.
CHOOSE A THEME
Now you get to pick a theme that speaks to you! Though, you don’t need to stress yourself out too much — you’ll be able to change it later and even use themes and templates from outside websites. Once you choose one, go ahead and start building your site!
START BUILDING
You can see that you have automatically been set up with WordPress too, just choose if you’ll be using this site for personal use or business.
You’ve made it to your Bluehost dashboard in WordPress. On the left side of the page you will find your menu. This is where you will find everything you need when working on your website like posts, pages, media, settings, plugins, etc.
At this point, your site is not launched. That means if someone goes to your website it will say something along the lines of “This website is coming soon.” You can take your time writing posts or customizing your theme before launching if you’d like. No rush! Once you are ready hit that “Launch” button.
LAUNCH YOUR SITE
Give your website a title and description and you are on your way! You have now created a self-hosted website for everyone to read!
YOUR BLUEHOST HOMEPAGE
This is going to be your home page once you log in on Bluehost. From here you can sign into your WordPress website (that you just created!), register new domains, get help and more.
When you select “My Sites” on the left menu, you will be taken to this page. This is a great section to see everything about your website. Manage users, themes and plugins, as well as check security, updates and performance.
Are you ready to create your website? Click here to get started with Bluehost!
CUSTOMIZING YOUR SITE
If I’m being completely honest, building and customizing your site is going to be the hardest and most time-consuming part. It’s easy to get discouraged with the process, but the worst thing you can do is give up and quit.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, utilize how-to articles, watch tutorial videos or even have a web developer build it for you. Personally, I learn best when I teach myself how to do things. I spent weeks playing around with all of the appearances and settings until I understood how things worked.
And there you have it — why I chose to self-host when creating this blog, who I chose as my hosting company and a step-by-step guide detailing the sign-up process. Remember, this is only the first step. The rest is up to you!
PIN IT FOR LATER!
