How To Start A Blog For Your Side Gig - Curtis Tucker

EVERYONE NEEDS A WEBSITE

If I’ve said it once I’ll say it again, “Everyone needs a website!” Even those that don’t need a website, need a website. You’ll never make a good impression in the online world without a web presence.

I’ve also talked about getting started no matter what. You’ve got to eliminate excuses so you can just get going. Starting a blog or website is not as difficult as you might think. If you are not ready to start your side gig you still need to start the process and that entails setting up a website.

A website cannot be seen online without having a domain name and without being hosted on a server somewhere. Your domain name registrar and hosting service company do not need to be the same.

I highly recommend that you build your blog and website on the WordPress platform. WordPress itself is completely free and open source but it does require a paid hosting plan. WordPress hosting can cost as little as $2.95 per month. It’s the number one web building software on the Internet.

WHAT’S A BLOG

Don’t get confused between a website and a blog. A blog is a “web log” or journal that is an addition to a website. A website without a blog is very static and does not change much. Blogs are dynamic and change all of the time.

A website is made up of pages like home, about us, contact, sitemap, etc. A blog is made up of posts that are continuously updated and can be categorized by topics and easily searched for. WordPress is a website and blogging platform. If you don’t want to update a blog you can just turn it off.

Blogs have dated posts that can be grouped by months and years. Blog posts can really help with search engine ranking because they are fresh and topics can cover a large number long tail keywords.

Blogging has become very popular and blogs are a great way of making extra money on the side while working from home. Affiliate links and ads can be inserted into blog posts which generate advertising income.

FREE WEB PLATFORMS

If you are absolutely broke and plan on using that as an excuse I am going to include a few completely free options. You can get started and test things out with a free blog and not have any commitment. Once you’re ready to move to the next level you can switch to WordPress.

Free blogging platforms include Wix.com, Weebly.com, Blogger.com and Tumblr.com. Wix and Weebly are newer, Tumblr is a micro blogging platform and Blogger has been around the block a few times.

Wix and Weebly are pretty easy to use. Almost too easy. They allow you to choose from assorted templates and include a drag and drop system to build your site. Use these platforms to cut your teeth on. Set them up and just start typing. Nobody ever has to know they are online. Upload photos, try to add videos, test their limits.

Blogger and Tumblr are older but have their own communities. I was building HTML websites in 1999 and when I discovered blogs I used Blogger as the blog on my websites. It was 2003 and WordPress had just been created. I basically built websites and had a link called “blog”. When surfers clicked on the link they were taken to the Blogger website where they saw my blogs. Clunky but it worked. If I had known code I would have invented WordPress.

Tumblr is part micro blog, part social media network. It’s really easy to get started. Check it out if you just want to have a little fun and get something online in minutes. There are also many other free blogging platforms online.

The advantage to using these free blogging platforms is that they are simple to use, quick to setup and you don’t need to connect them with your domain name, although you can. These are for you get break the ice and get started.

The disadvantage to these free websites and blogs is that they have limits. They do not have the full capabilities of WordPress and they are proprietary, meaning you can only use them on the website/server they are associated with.

USING WORDPRESS

WordPress is the leading web building software on the Internet. Many of the largest websites and most popular blogs use WordPress. It is open source and completely free. You can move your WordPress website to any web hosting company. You’ll also find tens-of-thousands of themes, plugins and tutorials.

If you love to figure things out and you’re not afraid to try I would recommend you just start with WordPress and skip the other free platforms. I’ll eventually talk you into moving to WordPress down the road so avoid the nagging and start now!

Web design has become so much more simplified than back in the day. Websites these days are built on themes that can easily be switched with the click of a couple of buttons. There are thousands of themes for WordPress and the other web designing platforms. Do a few searches and you’ll find free and paid themes.

Free themes can be very cool. Unfortunately some of them come with no support and the author may stop updating them without warning. If the theme is not updated it could eventually stop working with the web designing platform like WordPress. Paid themes have more support and tend to get updated for much longer times.

About the only downfall I’ve found with WordPress is all of the updates. Luckily many hosting companies now update WordPress automatically which is fantastic. Be sure to check in your dashboard and see if your WordPress version needs an update. If your host does not update automatically you’ll need to click a few links to get it to update. Once updated you’ll also need to update plugins.

A theme or plugin that does not get updated can stop working correctly or develop a “back door” that a hacker could break into. Once you get used to this it doesn’t really take much time at all.

WEB HOSTING

Many web hosting companies now offer WordPress packages like HostGator.com. I use HostGator for almost all of my websites. A WordPress hosted account means the software is automatically installed for you so there’s no setup.

HostGator will migrate your website if it is currently hosted somewhere else. They also offer an SSL Certificate, Backups, Domain Name and more. They also have great deals when you first get started. Give them a try! If you sign up after clicking on my link I might even make a buck through an affiliate sale.

When choosing a web hosting company be sure to look into a few specific things. Does the hosting include free email accounts, SSL certificates and 24 hour support? Look for packages that include unlimited websites, unmetered storage, unlimited bandwidth, subdomains, backups and other bonuses.

If you’re building an eCommerce store there are many other things to look into. Shopify and other shopping cart websites might be the easier way to go. I’ll do a future episode on building an eCommerce website. But that shouldn’t stop you from starting on something now!

Subscribe/Review That Buzz Guy podcast on iTunes or your other favorite podcasting apps.