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Make Money Your Way

Choose the way. Earn more. Start today.

How to start a website step 1: Name, domain and hosting

June 12, 2016

Good morning! Today we continue with our series about making money online. You can check the previous posts about. Starting your own website. My failed attempts at making money online I failed at making money online, then succeeded, with freelancing and starting my own website.

 

Starting a blog is very easy. Making money blogging is another thing. Before I offset my costs on Reach Financial Independence, I spent over three months blogging for free. It took another three months to start making over $2,000 consistently. And I know it was quick. Anyway, if you would like to start a blog, be warned that making money from this blog may take some time, if ever.

Name, domain and hosting

Choosing a theme for your blog or website

 

If you want to attract a loyal readership, unless you have the wit of The Bloggess that will allow you to talk about random stuff for a whole 1,500 word post, you will have to choose a theme. My other blog Reach Financial Independence is about personal finance, achieving your dreams, and a bit of travel. If I start talking about terminal care or puppies all day long (although I can fill up a whole post about raising chickens), my readers, who came for motivational posts about how they can live the life too, may get bored to death. No pun intended.

And if I weren’t able to talk about those topics for more than 20 posts, my blog would be extinct. So choose your topic carefully. Can you write 100 posts about that topic? Are there other people interested in that topic? Would you form a community around you of similar minded aficionados? It may be better to try to reach out to the 300 fans of that particular brand of classic cars from 1967 and write passionately about it, than to write the same advice everyone gives about the 1,000 uses of vinegar in a monotone.

Once you have chosen a niche, it is time to look for a name!

 

Choosing a name for your blog or website

 

There are two approaches here.

 

1. You can target a specific audience, and chose a name related to that, like HowToFixYourIphone5.com, ToyotaRav42003.com or 1001usesofvinegar.com.

2. You can choose a brand name, something fun or memorable that people will match with your site. For example, Gajizmo is a site about personal finance. Hrostoski is Mike Hrostoski’s personal site about self improvement and location independent living. Both are unique names that cannot be confused with anything else.

Hybrid approaches would include sites like Frugal Rules, you know it is a site about frugality, but it is not targeting a keyword like HowToLiveFrugally.com.

Including your name can also help you build your brand. PaulineTravels.com could be my personal travel site. It is less likely to be taken than general domains like TravelGirl.com.

 

Once you have chosen a name, you need to make sure no one has thought about that same name too.

 

Registering a domain for your blog or website

 

Like for hosting in the next step, you could start your blog with a WordPress address, making it look like yoursitename.wordpress.com. That is generally a bad idea if you plan on monetizing your blog down the road, because accepting most forms of advertising on your site would break the T&Cs of WordPress, and also because all the link building you will do while on WordPress will need to be redirected correctly later on. If people have put you on their blog roll, etc. this could be pretty complicated.

I use GoDaddy to check if the name is available. Most providers are the same, so unless there is a better offer elsewhere, that would be my go to site. Just enter the name and check out if it is still available.

YES!! Congratulations, go ahead and register the domain. I have registered Make Money Your Way for a year, but just renewed Reach Financial Independence for 9 years since I do not want this blog to go anywhere. At the end of the first year, you will have the option to renew for a year, but if you let it lapse other people can buy your domain.

NO 🙁 Sorry, but did you really think money.com would not be taken? If you really love your keywords, you will need a variation. MoneyTip, MoneyTips, FreeMoneyTips, BestMoneyTips, MyMoneyTips, MoneyTips101, and so on. Or if many of those are taken you may go back to step 1 and choose another domain altogether, and set your site apart.

 

 

 

Choosing hosting for your blog or website

 

If you are looking to monetize your blog or website, you should go straight to self hosting. You will not lose much if you decide to drop the project, at most it will cost you $100, but if you start your blog on WordPress or God forbid Blogger, you will have more complications the day you decide to move to self hosting.

 

I have chosen Hostgator for hosting, because I read a lot of good recommendations and they were competitive on the price. After a year, I have renewed my service for three years, and never had a problem with their customer service. They have a live chat and a huge database to help you with most problems webmaster face.

There are lots of other providers, such as BlueHost or GoDaddy. What you want to look for is their average downtime over the past year, giving you an idea of how long your site may be down next year. It should be under 1%. Will you be on a shared server with other websites, and if so how much space will be allocated to your site? How many sites can you run under that package, do they allow your domain to be parked?

On Hostgator, you can have several domains point to one website via a redirect. But if you want to run two websites, you will have to pay a package for multiple hosting.

 

 

That is it, you have a name, a domain, and a hosting package, you are almost ready to start blogging. See you next week for the next step!

 

This post was featured on the Eyes on the Dollar, Money Bulldog, Student Debt Survivor, thank you!

 

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Lovely comments

  1. Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies says

    July 26, 2013 at 4:31 am

    I’d be curious what people think about getting a .net or a .info website. I know .com is the most popular, but it’s also the hardest to come by and there are usually a lot of squatters on different .com addresses. Anyone have a .net that wishes they had gone .com or vice versa?
    Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…Does Anyone Care About YOUR Money As Much As YOU Do?My Profile

    • Savvy Scot says

      July 26, 2013 at 5:27 am

      Interesting question… I don’t think I would ever start a blog with a .net or .info domain if someone already had the .com – I would definitely buy them all and redirect though 🙂
      Savvy Scot recently posted…5 Fitness Mistakes to AvoidMy Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 26, 2013 at 10:45 am

      I wouldn’t mind having a .net on a great keyword, if the dotcom was inactive. Problem is if you are really successful the .com can ride on your success, either trying to sell you for too much money or creating a .com and relying on people mistakenly typing your site’s address.

      • Alex @ Searching for Happy says

        July 30, 2013 at 7:52 pm

        That’s the same issue I’ve heard. If someone else has the same address at the .com, you’re marketing for their biz as well as yours. It can work, but it can be tough.
        Alex @ Searching for Happy recently posted…Happy Thoughts List: Magnum Ice Cream and other Tasty TreatsMy Profile

  2. Thomas | Your Daily Finance says

    July 26, 2013 at 5:11 am

    I like the Branding method for domain names though some of the exact match domains(EMD) do tend to or use to help a lot with ranking for search as well. Making money isnt easy but its possible. Sometimes though its about who you know and what questions you ask. A lot of people don’t ask for help. Networking and helping will get people to know more about you. I agree that you need to write about something that you can write about for a long period of time. Find your target audience and that will pay dividends.

    @ Mrs. POP – I have used .net .org etc they really to make a difference its just preference really. Great content and target audience is key. I have seen many sites that are not .com be very successful.
    Thomas | Your Daily Finance recently posted…Lifestyle Changes That Can Improve Your FinancesMy Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 26, 2013 at 10:47 am

      you can succeed, bit.ly delicio.us are great example but I am sure many people mis-type and the guy from bitly.com or delicious.com gets extra traffic.

  3. Brian @ Luke1428 says

    July 26, 2013 at 5:19 am

    Making some money from my blog writing is something I’m interested in doing. So thanks for doing this series! The blog name is a crucial step to think through. Sometimes I feel as though I didn’t pick a name that intuitively says to people “hey, that site is about money.” I probably fall in the developing-a-brand category of blog names.
    Brian @ Luke1428 recently posted…Will You Still Love Me If I Blog For Money?My Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 26, 2013 at 1:31 pm

      It is more complicated to build a brand than piggybacking on a keyword, however you get to have a nice community around instead of random search engine visitors.

  4. Matt Becker says

    July 26, 2013 at 5:24 am

    It certainly would have been easier to start immediately with self-hosting, but I think there’s value to starting the free way. I was on blogger for a few months and while there was some hassle switching to self-hosting, it was pretty minimal and I think it can be worth it to figure out if the whole blogging thing is really for you. You can self-host for a low cost, so it’s not a huge deal to do it from the start, but I don’t think starting for free is terrible. I definitely agree that getting your own domain name and ditching the “.blogspot” or “.wordpress” is worth it right from the start though.
    Matt Becker recently posted…The Key to Your Investment SuccessMy Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 26, 2013 at 1:25 pm

      It is dangerous to start a popular blog .wordpress.com and realize 6 months later your .com is taken! As to whether or not spend the $60 in hosting it is not necessary, although if you monetize you need to.

  5. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    July 26, 2013 at 6:16 am

    Great write-up, Pauline. I’ve gone through this process a few times with websites I’ve started. Once you’ve gone through it once it’s super easy to get another site set up, and another, and another….haha just kidding, but it’s awesome you have two sites going now and hopefully you can get double the benefit from advertising deals.
    DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted…The Weekly Quick Hits RoundupMy Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 26, 2013 at 11:43 am

      I hope so haha. With the VA it is much easier, but requires more coordination.

  6. GamingYourFinances says

    July 26, 2013 at 8:02 am

    Great info! It’s been just under three months that I’ve been blogging. It was an entirely new concept for me and I’ve learned A LOT in the past few months. I was amazed by all the aspects of blogging that I never knew about or even considered. Very much looking forward to your future posts Pauline!
    GamingYourFinances recently posted…Monthly Challenge Update: Lower your fees!My Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 26, 2013 at 11:42 am

      thanks! it is overwhelming at first but it gets easier.

  7. Greg says

    July 26, 2013 at 9:17 am

    I was also going to ask the question about choosing a .net instead of a .com. My domain name is available as a .com but it says that it is a premium name and it’s over $1700. The .net is only about $10. This is on GoDaddy by the way.

    Suggestions?

    • Pauline says

      July 26, 2013 at 11:42 am

      Well your domain is not available, it is owned by someone trying to make a profit on it, and using Godaddy as a broker. If you go with .net and your site really grows to be something, it is likely that
      1. some confused readers will type .com intsead and benefit the other site
      2. the other site will become active to piggyback on your success.
      3. if it doesn’t, it will ask $10,000 from you to buy the .com once you are successful.

      You can consider it a starting cost if you are positive the name has a great potential, or try to find something related that is not taken.

  8. Jamie V says

    July 26, 2013 at 10:11 am

    I’d like to start blogging for some side income, but I am absolutely terrible at web design/doing anything website related. Does the host, like HostGator or BlueHost or GoDaddy provide a way to design and make the website look decent and easy to update? Or does one need to learn coding? Or, does that have nothing to do with a host at all? As a novice, I appreciate all the tips and suggestions provided on peoples websites as to how to go about getting ones own web page started, so thank you for this informative post!

    • Pauline says

      July 26, 2013 at 11:39 am

      Hi Jamie,
      I am terrible at design too, that is why I bought Genesis, that is a main framework, that comes with several set themes, called child themes. For $90, you have a lifelong access to their support team if you need to change some things, and they also do regular theme updates to make sure you stay current. If you don’t want to spend money you can browse the hundreds of free wordpress themes, but it is likely they won’t be as optimized (meaning helping your site to load fast), as a paid theme.
      Hostgator has a tutorial if I remember correctly on how to get started with your website but I would rather have a theme that is done than spend hours trying to learn. Then for small adjustments, you can either try to do it yourself with a tutorial, or pay $5 on Fiverr to have someone do it.

    • Kim@Eyesonthedollar says

      July 26, 2013 at 7:14 pm

      I knew nothing and, after a year, still know close to nothing about web design and coding. I chose a free theme called Weaver II, and it has been super easy to work with and you don’t need to code anything. You can also find a plug in for just about everything else. I am to a point where I will likely upgrade to a paid theme soon, but Weaver has served me well for the first year. I think the most important thing about getting started is to be consistent and try to make good connections. Fellow bloggers are usually very good about helping you out.
      Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted…My Almost Free Summer VacationMy Profile

      • Pauline says

        July 29, 2013 at 2:51 pm

        I would spend on hosting and a .com more than a theme at first, however you need to check that the theme is light (with pagespeed mainly) to ensure a good ranking and smooth loading for your readers. Premium themes are supposed to be optimized for that, but many free themes do the trick.

  9. Debt Roundup says

    July 26, 2013 at 11:07 am

    Good one Pauline. I would tell people that if they cannot get the .com, then don’t use that name. I have been doing this for years and the .net, .us, .info just don’t get the attention that .com does. They are like the step-child of domain extensions. Work you name around the availability of the domain. You will be glad that you did. It also forces you to be creative.
    Debt Roundup recently posted…Has The Economy Forced Us To Ditch Our Work/Life BalanceMy Profile

  10. Canadianbudgetbinder says

    July 26, 2013 at 11:08 am

    Thanks Pauline. I don’t think I anticipated how much work a blog was going to be but it’s become a huge part of my life after my full-time job. Taking the proper steps to set it all up is key and reading, do lots of reading. I read blogging for dummies, awesome book.
    Canadianbudgetbinder recently posted…Cash in with excellent customer service my wayMy Profile

  11. Tanya @ The Heavy Purse says

    July 26, 2013 at 11:34 am

    Great tips. The right domain is important. I remember that I struggled for a long time to find the right name for my personal blog (Eat Laugh Purr). All the ones I liked were taken! But I’m glad I took the time and found one that fit me perfectly. I think people overlook doing good research on a hosting service. Price definitely matters but it’s a bit of a pain to switch hosting companies so it’s worth doing some good due diligence in advance.
    Tanya @ The Heavy Purse recently posted…Confessions of a Reformed Mindless SpenderMy Profile

  12. Jane Savers @ Solving The Money Puzzle says

    July 26, 2013 at 7:23 pm

    I could write 1,500 words on how to blog the wrong way but it wasn’t until I started learning that there is more than interesting, pithy writing needed to be successful that my readership began to grow. I am working very hard to fix these mistakes, such as starting with Google Blogger, but I still have a lot to learn.
    Jane Savers @ Solving The Money Puzzle recently posted…World’s Most Eligible Bachelor, Broker Than Broke And Money Quickies For July 24, 2013My Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 29, 2013 at 2:50 pm

      I learn every day too, the initial mistakes you can make up for, it just takes a bit more time but the beauty of blogging is you don’t go bankrupt like you would your company with bad initial mistakes.

  13. Mark Ross says

    July 26, 2013 at 9:36 pm

    Did you really made $2000 dollars with just 3 months of blogging?Wow! You’re truly are an awesome and great blogger Pauline! Hope I can be just like you..
    Mark Ross recently posted…Investing In The Foreign Exchange Market: How Does Forex Trading Work?My Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 29, 2013 at 2:47 pm

      No, I did after 6 months, the first 3 months I spent blogging for myself and making other mistakes I’ll share here to save people some time!

      • Mark Ross says

        July 29, 2013 at 5:36 pm

        Ow..Is that so, I’m eager to hear those mistakes you have made and maybe I can learn from them too. 🙂
        Mark Ross recently posted…Investing In The Foreign Exchange Market: How Does Forex Trading Work?My Profile

  14. Budget for More says

    July 27, 2013 at 2:16 pm

    I just started blogging about a week ago. I really would like to generate income but I guess as someone who is working on paying off student loans I am also hesitant to spend the money on the blog. I try to tell myself- no risk, no reward!

    • Pauline says

      July 29, 2013 at 7:00 am

      It is a $60 investment between hosting and domain name, I would say one of the cheapest businesses you can start, and if you don’t succeed, you only lost $60.

  15. Budget and the Beach says

    July 28, 2013 at 12:12 pm

    This is great info I can pass on to friends who want to get started with a blog but don’t know how! Bookmarked!
    Budget and the Beach recently posted…Link Love/Week in Review 7/26/13My Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 29, 2013 at 2:48 pm

      thank you!

  16. Anne @ Unique Gifter says

    July 29, 2013 at 7:59 am

    Picking a name can be sooo difficult! I have some ideas going for more sites, but finding a name that I like, is brandable/memorable and available can be really tricky.
    Anne @ Unique Gifter recently posted…Part III of III – More Parent Thank You Gifts for WeddingsMy Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 29, 2013 at 12:19 pm

      I hate that people register thousands of names and try to make money out of it, leaving them parked for no one to use unless you pay them thousands. It should become available again if you haven’t started a site after some time.

  17. KK @ Student Debt Survivor says

    July 29, 2013 at 8:46 pm

    My first (non-pf) blog was a wordpress.com blog, moving everything over to self-hosting was a huge pain in the butt and I lost readers in the process. If I’ve learned anything out of all that, it’s start with self-hosting, even if you’re not trying to big a “big” blogger. It’s not that expensive to self-host and it’s well worth all the time and hassle of eventually switching over.
    KK @ Student Debt Survivor recently posted…Vet Expenses-Are Pets Worth it?My Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 30, 2013 at 7:22 am

      now you can do it for $5 on fiverr but it is still a pain, better spend $12 on a dot com straight away.

  18. femmefrugality says

    July 29, 2013 at 8:50 pm

    Thanks for writing this…excited for next week’s post as I’m really considering doing this myself!
    femmefrugality recently posted…Help us plan our wedding: iPod PlaylistMy Profile

    • Pauline says

      July 30, 2013 at 7:21 am

      thanks!

  19. Daisy @ Prairie Eco Thrifter says

    July 30, 2013 at 6:50 am

    I’m a big fan of self hosting. I started with my self hosted site in late 2011 (I blogged on it not self hosted for a year) and could never look back.
    Daisy @ Prairie Eco Thrifter recently posted…Reconnecting With Your PartnerMy Profile

  20. Anthony says

    September 7, 2013 at 3:07 pm

    Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective.
    A lot of times it’s hard to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and appearance.
    I must say that you’ve done a amazing job with
    this. In addition, the blog oads super quick for me onn Safari.
    Excellent Blog!

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