Is WordPress.org The Right Choice – I Have Little Money

Have you finally decided that you want to create a blog but are not sure which blogging software to use? Let me explain why choosing WordPress.org, a self-hosting software, is the best choice. If you have heard that it could be expensive to start a blog, you are mostly correct; however, I am going to walk you through how to avoid breaking the bank when starting a blog. Keep in mind you will need a domain and web hosting.

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For buying a domain, I recommend using Godaddy in which I have 4 domains I bought with them.

For web hosting, this can be tricky as there are a lot of cheap web hosts online. There are a few cheap web hosts that I will recommend because they have a proven track record of being a great web host for WordPress.

They are as follows:

• BlueHost – for the shared web hosting, the “plus” package is the best deal.
• SiteGround – The startup package is a good deal. You can always upgrade if your blog has a lot of traffic.
• HostGator – The starter plan is a good plan for new bloggers. You can upgrade easily by email support when that time comes.

If you prefer to spend a good amount of money starting your blog, then consider reading my blog post on how to Start A WordPress Blog On The Genesis Framework.

WordPress.org Awesome Benefits

Don’t worry, I am trying to make sure I keep the costs down for you when starting a blog. Check out the benefits below of using WordPress.org

• You have unlimited ways to fully customize the theme you are using. With the help of plugins, you don’t have to hire programmers to code features that you want. Get the features for free, plus they get updated with improvements and security fixes. For some nice plugins, check out our WordPress plugins category. Look in the Genesis Tutorials category for coding tips for the framework.

• You can buy the domain that you actually want and won’t have a name.wordpress.com blog URL that doesn’t look professional. All you need to do is renew the domain once a year and it’s under $13 typically. This is a small investment to get the coolest domain that fits your blog’s niche perfectly. Believe it or not, the domain URL does help with the SEO rankings.

• I mentioned earlier that you can customize self-hosted version of wordpress with free plugins. WordPress.org has a huge database of FREE premium themes to choose from in addition to plugins. You can even edit the theme template files to add banner images, test links, or anything you want. There are lots of tutorials online on how to add features manually and they are free. Visit the official support forum to get free help.

• Monetizing – With the wordpress.com version you really can not add your own advertisement’s because of strict rules and such. Use the self-hosted version because you can add any revenue stream you want to the blog with no limits. Add affiliate links to blog posts, sell ad spots on the blog, or use 3rd party ad networks such as Google AdSense. You have total freedom to add any revenue method you want and not lose your account.

Seeking Advice & Support

Don’t even pay to get wordpress support. You can get free support on the official WordPress forum or through webmaster forums. Starting a blog for the first time can be a bit stressful. If you have any questions, just ask for help on forums. It won’t take you long to learn a lot about WordPress and soon you will be customizing your blog without any help.

Here is a guide on Different Ways To Get WordPress Support.

I prefer complete control on my blog and that is why choosing the self hosted version was the best choice.

Do you have any questions? I will try to answer all questions or direct you to places that will resolve the issue that you are having if I am unable to help you in the comment section.