How fun is it to have your own blog and share whatever you like with the world? Well, it’s loads of fun! Millions of people are bloggers, and blogging can take so many different forms. You can blog and reach people through free platforms, but you can also pay for your own domain name and truly customize your site to your liking. The good news is, you don’t have to choose just one or the other. You can start free and eventually move onto paid website hosting, or if you want to start with a paid website first, you can do that too! It’s totally up to you.
Free Blogging
This is a good option for someone who isn’t entirely sure about the blogging world but wishes to at least try it out. Two of the most popular services are Blogger by Google and WordPress.com, both of which you can quickly get started and customize to varying degrees. The guide listed below will explain the pros/cons of each service and how they work.
📌 Blogger vs. WordPress.com and How to Get Started by Blogging Wizard
Paid Blogging
This is the kind of blogging where you’ll likely have the most fun! It involves more steps than free blogging, but you have the freedom to truly brand yourself and your message. Blessed Transgressions is a paid blogging website, and many of our contributors also pay for their own online space, but the cost, in my opinion, is quite affordable.
📌 Step #1: Hosting
A website host is the company you will pay to provide you with a customized domain name as well as the platform you will build your blog on. Blessed Transgressions is hosted by Bluehost, and our blogging platform is WordPress.org, which is the premium version of WordPress.com. WordPress.org can only be accessed if you have a paid website host, and Bluehost provides it for free.
*Please note that the following links are affiliate, which means I will make a commision per sale at no extra cost to you.
To get started, visit the Bluehost homepage and click WordPress hosting at the top.
On the next page, scroll down until you see these options. Click the one I have outlined, as it is likely to be the best suited for your needs. (You can always upgrade later at any time).
Afterward, you’ll need to choose a domain name! You can always choose the bottom option to set one up later if you’re unsure, that way you can still move forward with getting your account ready.
On the Create Your Account page, you’ll enter all the important information for billing and account duration. I suggest choosing only the options I have outlined in red below (if they are available) for the best price. Of course, you can always choose something else if it’s right for you.
Once you complete all the information on this page, it’s then time to create the password for your account!
Now, it’s finally time to login.
On the login page, type in your domain name and the password you chose.
Next, fill in the details of your website!
Selecting the first option will likely fit your purposes. Let Bluehost know your comfort creating websites, and then click the blue button below.
Now comes the fun part! Choose how your blog will look. If you’re not in love with any of these freebies, that’s okay. The theme can totally be changed later with no penalties.
Finally, you’ll be taken to your account center, or Bluehost cPanel. This is where you can handle billing and other site related needs. To view your website and/or login, click one of the two buttons at the top right.
If you click the WordPress button, you’ll be taken to admin dashboard of your website, where you can start writing posts and creating pages, as well as control many other tasks. If you need help understanding the WordPress dashboard, this guide will walk you through it.
📌 Step #2: Design
Now that your website is setup, it’s time to give it the right look. The first thing you’ll need is the Genesis Framework, which will protect the custom look of your website from WordPress updates. After you purchase and download it, you can easily install it via this method:
Browse for the file on your computer, and then click the option to Activate it once you have it uploaded. You can now choose a website design/theme from StudioPress, the makers of Genesis, or from Restored 316 Designs. (There are plenty of other small businesses that make themes for the Genesis Framework, but these two are my favorite).
Lauren from Restored 316 creates some of the most beautiful website themes there are, and Blessed Transgressions is currently using one of her designs! Click here to view Lauren’s collection.
🎉 Congrats!
What happens along the rest of your blogging journey is limitless, and if you decide to write about your faith, consider becoming a contributor! 🙂