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Over the past four years I have blogged on every platform there is available. I have used hosted and non-hosted. What I learned from using the different platforms is hosted is definitely the way to go. On a non-hosted site every thing is “right out of the box”. Html is dealt with for you, themes are installed for you and errors are fixed with in their system.
While that does sound easy and fantastic there are HUGE downfalls.
1. They own your content. At any point in time they can seize your content for review for absolutely no reason. It happens. It happened to me. I lost a site for two months.
2. Server errors. Free hosts aren’t as interested in fixing outages as a paid server is. They get to it when they get to it. In my experience (according to them) it’s always user error. They hardly ever fix anything. This can be a huge problem when you run a site with time sensitive content like a giveaway site.
A paid server is the best route. Here are 5 tips to get you started.
1. Decide on a format for your site and choose a webhost. Formats: WordPress, Joomla, Concrete 5 etc. Find a server that specializes in quick installs for the format you choose. I recommend WordPress for a beginner. It’s easy to set up with out knowing a lot of code.
2. Decide whether you want shared hosting or dedicated hosting. A shared server is exactly what it sounds like. You are on a server with other sites and you split the cost. A dedicated server is normally a rented service from the webhost. The user usually rents the server, the software and internet service from the host. This a good option if you are in it for long term and want total control of your site and it’s software.
3. Get to know your server before launching your site. Most servers are different. Their control panels are all different. Some use cPanel, some us FTP, some use Plesk. It will look like Japanese at first but if you spend time it will slowly be understandable. Some WordPress themes allow you to upload headers via the WordPress dashboard. Others like Genesis (the theme for this blog) you have to use your FTP to upload graphics.
4. Carefully choose your theme. No two themes are alike. There are fixed themes (unchangable) and fluid themes (customizable). Decide how much control you want.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are a paying customer and any good webhost will offer support for free. Look on the internet for tutorials and if all else fails, hire a designer.
I am participating in a blogger campaign in behalf of The Small Business Authority, which provides dedicated hosting. I received compensation to facilitate this post. However, the views and opinions, as always, are my own.
