The first thing that you want to do is register your domain name. There are many websites that you can do that with. You can also check website names on many other different sites. Make sure that you set up your web hosting separately from your domain.
The second thing that you want to do is set up your hosting account. Hostgator for WordPress
I use HostGator to host my WordPress blogs because they make it easy to install, and they have great online & phone support. They are also very inexpensive at less than $10/month for unlimited domains, sites and/or blogs on that one account.
Make sure that you use the cupon code ‘wordpress’ and you will get our first month of hoasting for a penny. It may take up to 72 hours for all the paperwork and things that need to get done and set up.
Install WordPress
You don’t have to download WordPress and then try to manually install it yourself – that’s doing things the hard way. Instead, go back to your HostGator welcome message and find the link to your control panel. You will have to use the temporary IP Address link since your domain hasn’t propagated yet. Log in to your control panel with the username and password in that same email.Once you log in, scroll down and look for the Fantastico button. It’s towards the bottom, under Software/Services. Under the navigation on the left, choose WordPress and follow the instructions to install your WordPress blog.
Choose a WordPress Theme
While you’re waiting for the domain to propagate, do a search for “free wordpress themes”. Pick one (or pick a few) and download the zip files. Unzip or extract the files.Next you’ll need to upload your new theme to your hosting account. I prefer FTP, but you can also upload files from within the control panel. Upload the entire theme folder to the wp-content/themes directory in your account. If you need help, see this 6 1/2 minute video: How To Change, Edit, or Install a WordPress Theme.
Still Waiting?
At this point you are probably still waiting for your domain name to propagate (meaning the nameserver update hasn’t taken effect yet so you still can’t see your new WordPress blog when you type your domain name into a browser).There isn’t much you can do at this point since most of your links – including your WordPress admin login – depend on the domain name. So while you are waiting, decide what your first few blog posts will be about. This is a good time to do some keyword research. I use Free WordTracker – just put in words related to your topic to get some about me page and edit or add categories. Finally the most important thing that you want to do is install the comment spam plugin. This will help you because you will most likely get spam posted to your website and you do not want your customers to see those comments. good 2-3 word phrases to start with.
Now open Notepad and write a few blog posts, based on the keyword phrases you selected. It’s a great starting point because you know people are searching those phrases, and are specifically interested in those topics. Save your notepad file and go have dinner.
Once the domain is working log into the WordPress Dashboard. Type yourdomain.wp-amin/. Once the site is loaded use the username in and password that you choose when you installed WordPress. Then you want to activate your theme, edit/delete the default post and delete the test comment. Then you should fill out the about me page and edit or add categories. Finally the most important thing that you want to do is install the comment spam plugin. This will help you because you will most likely get spam posted to your website and you do not want your customers to see those comments.
John Botch
laserburnmedia.com
john@laserburnmedia.com
