How to Create Self-Hosted WordPress Blog

How to Create a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog using top domain and top web hosting services.

If you want to be a professional blogger who make a living from his blogging activities, one thing for sure to start with: blog with top paid domain and paid hosting. Do not use the free one unless for training purpose only.

CONTENTS

1. Introduction: Why Self-Hosted?
2. Choose Web Hosting Services
   • How to Host in Hostgator
3. Intall WordPress for the First Time
4. Make Proper Settings inside WordPress

I. Introduction
You have been around in blogosophere using a free blogging services such as WordPress.com, Blogger.com / Blogspot and other free blog providers. Thanks to them all for giving you all the good times. Now you want to be more independent and freedom in more than one ways: (a) free from being account-disabled nightmare; (b) free to monetize; (c) free to accest the deepest root of your site. The solution is one: create a paid self-hosted blog using WordPress blogging platform like many other big bloggers do. To do this, there some steps to take.

II. Choosing Web Hosting Services
Before starting, you need to know that a website or blog is consist of two elements (i) domain and (ii) hosting. You may buy those two from the same or different services. If you are really a newbie, buying domain and hosting from the same company is recommended to make things easier.

First off, you need to buy a web hosting from a good web hosting services to host your blog. The right choice services is important or else you are going to get troubles (big and small) at the time when you should focus more on developing a good quality contents of your blog.

Among many top web hosting services that I have already tried, International and Indonesia, I only recommend you one web hosting that worth every penny you pay for: Hostgator. Take the shared hosting package first (Baby Plan, recommended). With Hostgator you may pay using credit card or PayPal. Also, you have the option to pay monthly or annually. I recommend you paying annually or Two Years.

Follow these step-by-step tutorial to buy a web hosting from Hostgator

1. Visit Hostgator website -> click View Web Hosting Plans
2. Choose Hatchling Plan (the cheapest) or Baby Plan -> choose 1 Year payment from scroll-down list
3. Click Order Now -> and continue the payment process (using PayPal or Credit Card)

III. Installing WordPress Blog Easily

1. After payment, you will get email from Hostgator about your username and password to access your CPanel (control panel). The login place located at yourwebsite.com/cpanel
2. After login -> scroll-down to Software / Services and click Fantastico De Luxe
3. Click WordPress on the left panel
4. Click New Installation
5. Fill out the box (see screenshot)
6. Click Install WordPress. Done. You have just created a self-hosted WordPress blog. Log-out from Cpanel. It’s time to login to WordPress admin.

IV. Making Proper Setting inside WordPress Admin Dashboard
This step is necessary to make your blog SEO friendly

1. Login to your WordPress blog using this url: websiteaddress.com/wp-login.php using your WP username and password (NOT your Cpanel username/password). Now, click the following links for more details:
2. Settings need to be done
3. Plugins need to be installed
4. Learn General SEO standard