Getting Rich Slowly

Get a Domain & Hosting

Okay, so you've chosen a niche and picked out some keywords. Now it's time to get your blog started, which generally means buying a domain name & hosting. A domain name costs around $10 (for a .com) and about $4 to $8 per month for 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.