In just 2 weeks, the ITB will take place in Berlin, and it’s so exciting!
In my mind, the ITB is one of the best places to go to if you’re a travel blogger, and for me that is where all the magic happened and I met a real-life blogger for the very first time!
Mind you, not all of them were nice, and one person in particular was pretty awful, but this is where I found out how useful my blog was, and where I received my first press trip. A mere five (5) months after my blog came into existence!
I’ve been very lucky!
I’ve also been at the right place at the right time. And where’s that maestro?
Why, Berlin of course!
Berlin is hip and trendy!
Mind you, it really helps if you can speak German, so go ahead, and book a class, and tell them that I sent you!
The other day, I went to a bloggers get-together, and I met a fellow who couldn’t understand how a blog could be made. He thought it was really difficult.
It really isn’t!
©Pascale Scerbo Sarro
Having said that, if you’re going to survive in this business, it helps if you can write really well, or you have some other skill….
Now, I can’t help you with that, but I can show you how to start a blog for yourself.
Here goes!
HOW TO START A BLOG IN JUST A MERE 10 MINUTES: A SIMPLE GUIDE!
For many, when they think of WordPress, they think blog.
WHAT THE HELL IS WORDPRESS?
WordPress is web publishing software you can use to create your own website, blog, or app. Since it was released in 2003, WordPress has become one of the world’s largest and most popular web publishing platforms. Today it powers more than 70 million websites!
WordPress is much more just a blogging tool. It’s also a highly flexible content management system (CMS) that enables you to build and manage your own full-featured website using just your web browser. Best of all, it’s completely FREE!
And it’s free of charge because WordPress is an Open Source project beause hundreds of volunteers from all around the world constantly create and improve the code for the WordPress software. And, there are thousands of plugins, widgets, and themes that enable you to build just about any type of website you can imagine!
This post will show you how easy it is to get your blog, or website, up and running quickly.
CHOOSE A WEB HOST:
There are hundreds of thousands of web hosts out there, and choosing one from the crowd can be confusing. Depending on the country that you live in, choose whichever you are comfortable with.
If you don’t need the flexibility of a full web host, you may consider getting a free blog on WordPress.com. which is how I first started. And there’s perfectly nothing wrong with doing that!
However, I also mixed and blended as I went along mapping my free blog with my premium paid host which is why you either see my blog as this or this and if I leave a comment on your website (if you haven’t got one, all the better to be reading this post!), you’ll see my blog as this!
Having said that, if you’re looking for a popular well known host, and a host that won’t suddenly go bankrupt, then Bluehost should definitely be at the top of anyone’s list because Bluehost is one of the only hosting services officially recommended by WordPress and has been the top recommended hosting service for their platform for almost 10 years!
There are many reasons why Bluehost is so highly recommended, but here are just a few:
- Premium customer service, reliability and usability
- Easy-to-use control panel
- Custom-built servers to provide the most stable and reliable hosting environment
- Quickly get started with a one-click WordPress install, provided by MOJO Marketplace
- Expert, in-house technical support provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Unlimited websites, email accounts, and domains – all on one account, at an affordable price
- No gimmicks, no contracts so that you can enjoy the comfort of a 30-day money back guarantee and the option to cancel at any time.
And to sweeten the deal even more, if you sign up through this tutorial, you’ll get a special offer of shared hosting at $3.95/month for 36 months, as well as a free domain name for a year!
To set up your hosting account with Bluehost, follow the steps below.
HOW TO SET UP YOUR HOSTING ACCOUNT:
- Firstly, go to Bluehost’s home page. where you will see the image below!
Once you do so, the next page will see select your plan.
- Click Get started now and choose which hosting package you want for a special introductory offer and a 30-day money-back guarantee!
- On this page you will see three (3) different plan options: Basic, Plus, and Prime. I recommend the basic option at the beginning, and then as your traffic begins to grow and your blog expands, you could always consider upgrading to Plus or Prime.
- If you’re still not sure, go for the free hosting package on WordPress.com but if you’re ready to get professional or at least look professional from the start, then go for self-hosting instead. Bluehost has great rates and they’ll also give you your domain name for free if you decide to host with them!
- The next page will direct you to the Sign Up Now page.
- If you already own a domain name, you can enter it here, and you will just have to go through a few extra steps to make sure you get your DNS pointed to Bluehost.
- If you don’t already have a domain name, you can purchase one from right in the sign up process, and the best part is, it comes free with your new WordPress hosting account purchase.
So for this you need to choose a domain name for your site:
Choosing a blog name is extremely difficult! You need a name that’s going to stick, something that’s catchy and memorable, but also something that you can grow with and that won’t make you look like a Silly Billy five (5) years down the line!
Really think about it!
If you make your domain name destination specific, what happens when you move? If you make your domain name age specific, what happens when you grow up? If you make your domain name budget specific, what happens when you start to become successful and can afford much more than a budget of $10.00 a day?
There is a reason that my blog is called The British Berliner.
Before this here blog ever existed, I lived in Berlin, and have always called myself The British Berliner. It used to be a running joke but when you think about it, it fits the label and is what it says on the tin!
I have lived in Berlin for over 15 years. I’m married, have a husband, and a teen. I’m pretty settled, and not likely to move anywhere else.
At least I don’t think so lol!
@Visit England – Rich J Jones
I’m also British. And regardless of that awful situation of Brexit, I love my country, and that won’t ever go away.
So think carefully about your domain name.
- Once you’ve entered a domain name, the next page will lead you to creating your account. This is where you should fill in your personal information.
This page will have a section where there’s:
Payment Information section.
- Account Information for putting in your personal details
- Package Information for choosing which package you want to purchase
- Payment Information for making payment via credit card or paypal
By the way, basic shared hosting is priced at 12, 24 and 36 month terms thus:
- A Basic 12 month package is $5.45 per month
- A Basic 24 month package is $4.95 per month
- A Basic 36 month package is $3.95 per month
To help save you money obviously, the longer the term you purchase, the lower the monthly rate will be. By choosing a 36-month hosting term, you can get the great introductory rate of $3.95 per month. And, because you’ve chosen to host with Bluehost, if you ever need more than a shared hosting account, Bluehost provides seamless upgrades to VPS or dedicated server hosting accounts from inside your control panel!
- After you’ve filled in your information and chosen your hosting package, click the Submit button to complete your purchase.
- You’ll then be asked to create a password for your account. You can use the Password Generator to create a strong and secure password, or create one yourself.
It is required to have both capital and lowercase letters, a number, and a special character (?!#, etc.) in order to have a strong enough password to protect your account.
Now that you are all signed up and are able to log into your account, you can get started installing WordPress!
HOW TO INSTALL WORDPRESS:
This may seem like the most complicated step, but Bluehost has worked hard to make this one of the easiest things for you to do by using the new MOJO Marketplace for installing WordPress and other applications.
- In your cPanel, scroll to the section titled MOJO Marketplace and choose the One-Click Installs button.
- This will take you to a page inside MOJO Marketplace called Scripts and Platforms. The blog section is at the very top, so all you have to do here is click on the WordPress icon.
- This will open the installation window.
- Click on the green Start button that will start the WordPress installation process. The next part is easy and only a few steps.
- Step 1: Choose where you want to install WordPress. This can be any domain on your account, a subdomain, or a folder for one of your domains.
- Next, click on Check Domain, which will make sure the domain is assigned and pointing to your account. You may get a warning that you are overwriting files, but as long as you don’t have another website built yet, you can check the box and continue. This is mostly to make sure that you really want to install in that location. If you do have other sites built, you will want to make sure you’re not overwriting something important.
- Step 2: Show Advanced Options. This section allows you to set up your own username and password for your WordPress install. It’s recommended to use a different username than admin and a very strong password.
- Make sure that the Automatically create a new database for this installation box is checked, unless you have a database already set up that you want to use.
- Step 3: After you’ve read the terms and conditions, check the box indicating that you’ve done so, then click Install Now.
Make sure to keep it in a safe place.
- Now you’ll see the progress page, which will show you how far along the installation is.
- Once WordPress is fully installed, it will provide you with your site URL, the admin login URL, your username, and password.
- You will get a copy of this information, except your password, in your email as well.
- Make sure to keep it in a safe place.
- Now you can log into your WordPress site by going to the admin login URL.
- Enter your username and password, then click Log In and you’re in!
Congratulations! You’ve just created your first website or blog!
- Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be taken to your WordPress dashboard. From here, you can control everything to do with your WordPress site, such as creating pages, writing posts, and changing the appearance.
- Then all you have to do next is to write something or add a picture, and when you’re ready, hit publish!
Keep it sweet and simple and you’ll be fine!
Wow!
Welcome to your first post and the virtual bloggers club, otherwise known as twitter!
Remember, if you sign up through this tutorial, you’ll receive a special offer of shared hosting at $3.95/month for 36 months, as well as a free domain name for a year!
I’m not an expert in the technical field, but if I can setup a WordPress blog all by myself, so can you!
If you have any additional questions, comments or simply need more help, just ask, and I’ll do my best to help!
*The promotional price is for the first term only and renews at the regular rate.
HOW TO START A BLOG IN JUST A MERE 10 MINUTES: A SIMPLE GUIDE!
This article is not sponsored and all opinions and brilliant thoughts, are my very own!
It’s almost March!
On 07.03.17, I’ll be at the Travel Massive ITB 2017 Opening Party!
On 08.03.17, I’ll be at the iambassador – Traveldudes – ITB Travel Tweet-Up event.
On 08.03.17 – 12.03.17, the world’s largest tourism trade fair – the ITB will be in action, and everyone who is anyone in the travel industry, will be here!
On 15.03.17, I’ll be at the Spring Reception for the British Community at the British Embassy in Berlin.
From 07.03.17 – 09.03.17, our friends – the British musical and comedy duo – Carrington Brown – will be performing Germany’s premiere of Carrington-Brown feat. The Swonderful Orchestra: Comedy meets Classics at Tipi!
And in March and April, I’ll be on the road again to Austria & Croatia!
If you’re not in Berlin in March, you’re positively dull!
Watch this space!
Please note that there is now a bluehost affiliate link (for the very first time) connected to this post. Please consider using the link, because every time some sort of website hosting is booked via my link I get a little percentage, but at no extra cost to yourself!
A win-win for all!
Thanks a million!
