Choosing a Host
There is such a wide variety of hosts to choose from that can be quite daunting to find a plan that fits your purposes. For most cases, I use Managed WordPress from GoDaddy. This plan will always keep your core files on the latest version, ensuring that your site is as secure as it can be at all times. Daily backups are made in case the worst happens. Lastly, caching is already baked into your site, guaranteeing that your site will run as fast as possible.
If your site utilizes a large number of plugins (15 or more active plugins) it may be a better idea to host your website of a Virtual Private Server or Dedicated Server depending on how much load your site generates on the server. However, this will mean that you will need to manage your backups, caching, and updates on your own.
Picking a Domain Name
It is important to choose a domain name case that is relevant to your business. To better understand this concept, pretend that you’re shopping online and you google “Arizona Cars.” The first result will be the site with the most relevant terms, in this case arizona.cars. This domain name has exactly both relevant search terms which gives the site an easy head start with their SEO.
Writing Your First Post
There are two routes that you can take for starting your first post. The first would be to click the “+ New” button at the top of the page and clock “Post.”
The second route will allow you to view previous posts by clicking “Posts” on the sidebar.
Then at the top of the page, you should see an “Add New” button which will take you to the editor.
From the editor, you will have everything you need to write and publish your first post.
Organizing Your Content into Categories
Again, there are multiple ways of creating new categories. The most direct way is from the sidebar by mousing over “Posts” and selecting “Categories.”
From here, you can name your category and set a slug. If you don’t want a custom slug, it will be automatically generated for you if left blank.
Tips For Setting a Schedule
It’s important to set a schedule for yourself. You don’t have to post every day, but you will get as much out of your blog as you put into it. Therefore, its important that you keep to a weekly or biweekly schedule at the least. Mark your calendar and do not dismiss your alerts until you’ve drafted something up.
