Get a Domain & Hosting
“But, but, but... I don't have any money!”
Well, all right. You don't necessarily HAVE to buy
your own domain name. You can use a free blogging platform like Blogger (don't
use Wordpress.com, as they don't like advertising/marketing). There are many
popular, high-ranking, money-making Blogger blogs.
However, keep in mind that using a free blog platform
and having your own domain is like the difference between renting a place and
owning your own home. When you rent, your place isn't really yours.
You're just staying there.
You can't tear down a wall or remodel your kitchen or
even paint your walls a different color without permission. All of your rent
money goes into someone else's hands. And you can get kicked out for breaking
the rules or breaching contract.
But when you own your own home, you can do whatever
you want with it. It's all yours. You make your own rules. And eventually, your
home becomes an asset.
When you use Blogger, you're pretty much handing over
all control of your blog to them. They can delete it if they don't like it, and
then all of your hard work will be thrown out the window.
Okay, my lecture is over. Do whatever feels most
comfortable to you.
For registering a domain name, two of the most popular
companies seem to be GoDaddy and NameCheap.
For SEO purposes, I'd recommend you buy a .com. Google
seems to like .com's, and they sound the most professional. (although they are
more expensive than other TLDs, .info's are usually cheaper than a dollar, but
they also don't seem to rank well at all).
It's also important to choose a domain name that has
your main keyword phrase in the URL. For instance, www.bambooflyfishingrods.com.
If that domain name is taken (it is), I like to put a word at the end of it,
like bambooflyfishingrodsonline.com.
Or you could use dashes between two or more of the
words. However there seems to be some debate over whether or not that is a
smart idea. A domain name like bamboo-fly-fishing-rods-today.com
sounds spammy, and apparently Google doesn't like that sort of thing. Just use
your own discretion.
Next you'll have to buy hosting. Godaddy and Namecheap
also offer hosting. Some other popular web hosting companies are BlueHost,
Hostgator, DreamHost, Media Temple, and Just Host.
Follow the directions given to you by your domain name
provider and hosting company and you should be up and running in no time.
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