Interested in Starting Your Own Food Blog? We’d love to help! Read on for step-by-step instruction on choosing a hosting company, securing your domain name, & getting started on setting up your site.
Step 1: Choose a Hosting Company
I have to say, SiteGround gets my recommendation for a startup site. Here at The Nourished Family, we’ve had an excellent experience with this web hosting company. Their service is user-friendly, offers all the extras you might need, and, best of all, their support staff is exceptionally fast, friendly and efficient. I’ve had a taste of hosting elsewhere, and SiteGround’s customer service team easily tops everything else I’ve tried thus far.
SiteGround offers a number of web hosting plans, from light-weight plans for startups to heavy-duty versions for large websites with lots of traffic. Their best-seller called “StartUp” is affordable and excellent for getting your site up and running quickly. SiteGround offers WordPress hosting along with a gallery of free WordPress themes to choose from. You can also choose to install another theme framework, such as Genesis Framework from StudioPress, which is used to power The Nourished Family site you’re viewing now.
Step 2: Choose A Domain Name
If you’re interested in starting your own food blog, the first thing you’ll want to consider is its name. It’s usually best to pick a domain name that fits your niche, is catchy, not too long, and easy to remember. Have fun with it! After you decide on a name, check to see if it’s available.
To do this, simply click the “get started” link under the hosting plan of your choice on SiteGround’s website and you’ll be taken to “Step 2. Choose Domain.” Type in the domain name you’re requesting and hit “proceed.”
Presto! You find out if the name you’ve requested is available, and, if so, in what format.
As you can see, the domain name requested in this illustration was not available as a .com, but there were other options to choose from. At this point, you could select a .net or something else, or you could come up with another name altogether and check its availability.
After selecting a domain name, you’ll be directed to “Step 3. Review & Complete.” In this step, you’ll fill out the usual account, client, payment, and purchase information data. If you want to keep your personal information private, you’ll want to add “Domain Privacy” to your purchase as an extra service.
Perhaps you’d like to compare prices for domain name registration? In that case, you might want to check out NameCheap. If you register a domain name there, you can easily point it to your SiteGround hosting server. Additionally, NameCheap offers web hosting, email services, SSL certificates and more.
Step 3: Set Up Your New Site
Now it’s time to set up your new site. SiteGround makes this a simple process with their “Setup Wizard.” Go here to read a step-by-step tutorial. You can also choose a WordPress theme, if that’s what you prefer, or use their user-friendly SiteBuilder to construct your website.
If WordPress is your choice, go here for a complete and easy to follow WordPress installation tutorial. On this same page, SiteGround offers a number of video tutorials.
Although the process of getting your own blog up and running may seem intimidating, it’s really just a matter of following a few simple steps. If you get stuck, SiteGround’s tech team is available on live chat, via support ticket, or by phone. Remember, take your time and HAVE FUN!
Looking for more help getting started? Check out our post on Resources for Food Bloggers.
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