Self-Hosting Your Blog Made Easy*

AKA - A lecture in making every mistake imaginable

Download the Presentation at...www.orlandowaterhole.com/forum2014

Ben Reed - OrlandoWaterHole.com

Subscribe on iTunes!

Q1. Why should you self host? www.yourname.com

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blueplaid.livejournal.com

blueplaid.blogspot.com

Your Blog

Why Self-Host?

• Professionalism & Credibility

• More Creativity

• Easier to Grow

• Measure Success

• Risky

• Cheap

Q2. How do you select a domain name?Not so fun fact: I own 11 domains.

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Tips for Choosing a Name

• Easy to Understand

bendotcom.comben.com.com

Tips for Choosing a Name

• Easy to Understand

• Topical

blueplaid.blogspot.com

Tips for Choosing a Name

• Easy to Understand

• Topical

• Creative

Tips for Choosing a Name

• Easy to Understand

• Topical

• Creative

• Social Media Networks Available

Tips for Choosing a Name

• Easy to Understand

• Topical

• Creative

• Social Media Networks Available

• Register it for Several Years

If Your Name is Taken

• Search Whois.com Database

• Contact the Owner

• ...or notate the expiration date and try again

• ...or go back to the drawing board

If You Have a Domain...

Hide Your Whois Info

Buy Some Variationsorlandowaterhole.com

orlandowateringhole.com

waterholeorlando.com

wateringholerorlando.com

Buy Your Name

benreed.name

Q3. Which social networks should you register with?

Tedious but necessary

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Q4. Who hosts your site and why?

Don’t be cheap. Pony up some cash.

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Hosting LingoDomains

Sub Domains

Disk Space

Transfer Bandwith

24x7 SupportMySQL Databases

Email Accounts

CPanel

Domain Whois Privacy

SSL Certificates

Shared Hosting

Dedicated Hosting

Backups

C++

Website Statistics

Hosting LingoDomains

Sub Domains

Disk Space

Transfer Bandwith

24x7 SupportMySQL Databases

Email Accounts

CPanel

Domain Whois Privacy

SSL Certificates

Shared Hosting

Dedicated Hosting

Backups

C++

Website Statistics

Host Comparisons*$5.56/mo

*Priced per month for 12 months for the basic plan. Features vary.*Go Daddy is currently on sale from $6.99/mo

$6.95/mo

$14.95/mo

$4.99/mo

Q5. What tips do you have for installing Wordpress?

WordPress.org... not WordPress.com

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You can’t fail if you follow the handy guide!

Don’t miss this step!

Q6. What’s important to you in choosing a

theme?Make your blog look pretty.

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Tips for Choosing a Theme

• Responsive Design

Tips for Choosing a Theme

• Responsive Design

• Highly Visual

• Search Engine Friendly*

• Customizable

Tips for Choosing a Theme

• Responsive Design

• Highly Visual

• Search Engine Friendly*

• Customizable

• Developer Support

Q7. What are your must-have plugins?

They’re like bling for your blog.

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The Essential Plugin ListAkismet

All in One SEO PackContact Form 7

Feedblitx FeedSmartGoogle Analyticator

Google XML SitemapsJetpack by

Wordpress.comPHP Code Widget

Semisecure Login ReimaginedSEO Slugs

W3 Total CacheWordpress Gravatars

WP-DBManagerWP-EmailWP-Print

WP Fluid ImagesWP Login Security 2

Self-Hosting Your Blog Made Easy

Download the Presentation at...www.orlandowaterhole.com/forum2014

Ben Reed - OrlandoWaterHole.com

Subscribe on iTunes!Garbage photo used with permission from: http://twosevens.com/several-thing-i-learned-from-preparing-to-house-dump