Every Blogging Task You Need to Do (In Order!) to Build A Profitable Blog
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The Best Blog Host for Serious Bloggers
*This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my affiliate disclosure here.
You're ready to get serious and set up your blog.
Congratulations, you are doing an AWESOME job!
I know these things may seem complicated at first, but it's going to be worth it. (Promise!)
Today we're going to get into the real nitty gritty of pro blogging, and that starts with hosting.
What the heck is hosting??
Let me break it down for you.
There are two types of bloggers in this world:
- Bloggers who just want to blog as a hobby and nothing more, and
- Bloggers who want to turn their blog into a profitable side hustle or full time business
Here's what separates the two.
Pro bloggers ALWAYS self host their blogs.
Here's what I mean.
There are websites out there who provide free hosting for you when you set up your blog with them. Think sites like:
- Blogger
- Weebly
- Wix
- WordPress.com (NOT WordPress.org, it's different!)
Choosing one of these free hosting blog sites is a REALLY bad idea if you are serious about blogging and want to make money with your blog in the future.
Here are a few reasons why I feel so strongly about this:
- Free hosting sites have very limited bandwidth and slow site speed (you get what you pay for!)
- Their functionality is super limited (forget plugins and other business essentials)
- Many of them come with ads that they install on your blog (they have to make money somehow!)
- Little to no tech support- if something goes wrong, you likely won't be able to get help
- They own your content and can take it down without warning at any time (good luck running a business you don't own)
- No domain name- you'll get something along the lines of misspoppyseed.blogspot.com. (Not professional!)
So hopefully I've shown you that going with free blogger sites is a bad idea for launching your blog.
We're going to talk about which blog host to use a bit further down, but first you're probably wondering...
Related posts-
How do you actually BUILD your blog?
Here's how it works.
Think of your blog as a beautiful house that you can't wait to build!
Your hosting package is the land. It is the space you purchase that allows you to build upon it.
Your platform is the foundation of the house itself. It is the basic structure where the walls and roof are actually built.
So let's talk about platforms...
WordPress.org is absolutely the best platform to pair with your blog host.
If your goal of building a blog is to create one that is PROFITABLE, like an actual business, WordPress is the way to go.
(Let me put it this way, I would never let my best friend go with Squarespace or any of the others!)
Also, did I mention WordPress COMES WITH your blog host? Yeah, it won't cost you anything! So take advantage of it.
Here's the big reason smart bloggers go with WordPress.org...
WordPress is CRAZY powerful.
The capability and functionality of WordPress is insane. It's got allll the bells and whistles!
And here's the thing...
WordPress is definitely a bit of a time investment to learn upfront. It isn't horribly complicated, but it WILL definitely take you a few weeks to get used to it and learn where everything is.
BUT.
As you get further along in your business and your blog starts to make money, you're going to need certain functionalities to keep moving forward.
There will be lots of plugins, features, and 3rd party extensions you NEED to have to make progress.
For example... I can't tell you how many people I've heard from who built their sites on Squarespace or Weebly, and then went to create a Pinterest account to get free traffic... only to find out that Squarespace and Wix don't integrate with the Pinterest verification tool.
That's a BIG problem.
Pinterest is the #1 way for new bloggers to get traffic to their blogs quickly, and if you can't do that from the very start you're pretty much dead in the water.
(Unless you've got a big ad budget. I certainly don't.)
Why Siteground beats its competition, and how they saved me from a near blogging disaster.
I use Siteground to host this blog and I honestly believe it is the best.
Full disclosure- When I first started this blog, I started it with Bluehost. I soon learned what a terrible mistake that was...
Let's start with why Siteground is AH-MAZING!
#1. Siteground saved my bacon.
I started this blog with Bluehost, and everything was fine in the beginning.
Then one day, I realized a ton of my content was MISSING.
Blog posts I'd spent hours writing, editing, and uploading- just vanished.
If you've been a reader for a while, you might even remember that my blog was completely gone for two weeks while I worked endlessly with support to bring everything back. It was a nightmare.
On top of that, Bluehost support just wasn't good enough to save my blog.
Every time I contacted them, they responded slowly. Sometimes a minute or two would go by between every single piece of information I gave them before they would get back to me.
They also never seemed to keep a record of the last person I talked to, so when I got a new support person each time, we always had to start over.
Ask my poor husband, and he will tell you that I was frustrated, tired, and really scared. I didn't know if that content was ever coming back.
Then I got ahold of Siteground, and their support absolutely saved me.
Their support staff are fast, knowledgeable, and they are fluent English speakers. They don't mess around! These guys and gals were able to get my blog straightened out within just a few days, and I'm forever grateful.
And what's even better, Siteground has been able to provide fast and accurate support every single time there has been a back-end issue with my blog.
Related Post- How to Start A Blog: Siteground + WordPress Tutorial
#2. Siteground provides WordPress support too.
This one is HUGE.
So here's the deal... WordPress doesn't actually come with it's own support staff. They have some "support forums", but it's mostly a bunch of newbies asking questions without enough experts to go around.
Siteground staff, however, are trained for WordPress and will provide support for it at any time!
This is a really big deal because most blog hosts are only interested in providing support for their own products.
And since WordPress.org comes with your Siteground package at no extra cost, it all becomes even easier. Which brings me to my next point...
#3. Siteground integrates with WordPress seamlessly.
No need to worry about complicated integration processes. Siteground offers one-click WordPress installation AND they install your SSL certificate automatically.
That's a big deal for me because I used to have to install my own SSL certificates and it was a pain. in. my. butt!
#4. They make it easy to create your own domain email address.
Want to have one of those super professional name@yourdomain.com email addresses? Yup, Siteground will give you that too!
They'll also let you create as many of them as you want, which is important for being able to separate your mail.
What Do I Do Next?
If you need help setting up your blog host and platform, I highly recommend checking out this post- How to Start A Blog: Siteground + WordPress tutorial.
It will show you the exact steps you need to take to get your new blog off the ground.
I hope this post helped you understand exactly why you need a professional blog host and platform.
I know it may seem like a lot to understand all at once, but if you're serious about blogging it is absolutely worth investing in your foundation from the very beginning.
So what's next?
Make sure to grab my Profitable Blogging Blueprint below!
This clickable document is super comprehensive and will show you exactly how to build your blog, step by step. (And it's free, so yeah, don't miss it!)
Ready to start stocking your pantry full of your own preserves? Grab these editable canning jar lids as a perk of becoming a subscriber, and you'll have shelves of beautifully labelled jars in no time.
