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Starting your own blog always seems like a big step for anyone unfamiliar with social media, online communities, and the internet in general. A number of users may wonder why anyone would want to read what they have to say. It’s one thing to carry a conversation with a friend because friends are typically interested to hear about your ideas, thoughts, concerns, and fears. Online there are millions of unknown eyes that can read your content is it worth it?

I can assure you that if you’re going into blogging, and you even have the slightest interest in making money, I highly recommend hosting your own blog. Now if you go the free route with sites like Blogger, Movable Type, or Wordpress.com, then templates and hosting are taken care of. There are portability possibilities if you do choose to go with a free blog site, but it’s typically a hassle to make sure everything ports over seamlessly.

What does hosting require?

Hosting your own site will require a small investment on your end. The first step is to think of a name for your blog. A name that is catchy and easy to remember usually works best. Stay away from hyphens, periods, slashes and commonly misspelled words. I typically purchase my domain names from GoDaddy and key to purchases is making you

choose an affordable long term plan because ranking is also based on the longevity of the URL.

Once you’ve gotten your name, you will need to point it where you want it hosted. There are just as many places to find hosting as there are to purchase domain names. Two things to be aware of:

1. Make sure it’s affordable for you and something you’re comfortable with, it’ll be with you for the long haul.
2. Review what you’re getting with the service, plans that allow you to grow are always good, but plans that lock you down with little to no wiggle room should be avoided. You can’t predict how much traffic will come to your site at first, or how much bandwidth you’ll need, but picking a good middle of the road plan is always a good option.

Now you’ve got your domain name, you’ve got your hosting, now it’s a matter of finding the right templates, or designing your own. There are thousands of links offering help to get your site off the ground. I will go into this on another post, but explore, find the right design for you, or design one on your own. The aesthetics to your site is what will initially attract the eye, the content is what will make them stay.

What’s the benefit of my own self hosted blog?

When you go out and purchase something, whether it’s food, an actual product, or a car for example, do you go into the transaction expecting to have to share your purchase with another partial owner? The answer is “no.” You make the investment because you plan on it being yours for the long term to do with as you wish.

The same thought process should be attributed to your blog. By going to a free blogging site, you are not in full control of your content, and you’re relying on the Terms and Conditions of the service to keep your site up. When you choose to go it on your own, the site and content are entirely yours, and you have full control over what is posted, what is removed, and what is appropriate.

It’s never a fun thing to not have control over what you’ve created. But having the ability to change design, add widgets, and all kinds of other useful information and tools to your site is also a benefit to having your own self hosted blog. While some of the free blog networks allow you to add things to the site, the level of creative control is limited.

The lesson? When venturing out into the blogosphere, try to have a plan of attack for your site. What are your goals? What is your intention? Once you’ve answered these questions the road map to your goals is easier to follow and you can purchase accordingly based on your needs