Author website: help on next steps

* Domain + Host

[Porkbun]) is my favorite, their prices are good and their dashboard is easy to navigate. Whoever you do decide on going with for your domain name, make sure they’re not forcing needless upsells down your throat (charging you for WHOIS/Privacy protection, etc) or charging you triple what the domain actually costs. Don’t go with Godaddy, just terrible.

Hosting is a more difficult topic, but what I can say is to avoid any hosting provider owned by [EIG or Newfold Digital]). They’re the worst. That includes Hostgator, Bluehost, among other big names. Also don’t go with Godaddy for hosting, either. They suck. Dreamhost used to be great but their service has been on the decline in recent years.

Personally, I’ve used [Crocweb]) and loved them. I’m at another host right now because my needs have changed, but they’re still pretty stellar. Not talked around here much because this bunch prefers either private servers or dedicated WordPRess hosting, which you don’t need either right now.

* WordPress

With any reputable host, (like Crocweb, not affiliate etc), they’ll have a backend dashboard you can log into once your account is setup. And from there, you can use a searchbar and type in WordPress, and it’ll give you the option / follow a wizard to install it automatically for you. No need to go to [Wordpress.org]) and don’t fall for the trap of [Wordpress.com]) either.

Remember to use a random / different Admin account username, and a random / different password from other sites that you use. I’m paranoid, so I use this [Lastpass Password Generator tool]) to generate me a 50-character username and 50-character password (yes, really). Use a password manager like Bitwarden (free) to save the login information, or write it down somewhere secure.

When you log into WordPress for the first time, you’ll want to go to Users > your profile, and scroll towards the bottom where it lists your username, nicknames, and display name. Give yourself a nickname that is what you would use on your site publicly, and choose that as your display name. That way your Admin username is not visibly listed on your blog posts or pages.

You’ll also want to go to Settings > Permalinks, and change the default to Post Name (or any other version that suits you, that’s not the default). If you want to have a special home page that’s not your blog posts, go to Pages and create a new page, name it Home and save it, and then go to Settings > Reading, and change “your homepage displays” to “static page” and select your custom Home page.

* Theme / builder

This wildly depends. If you want to go completely free, I’m really partial to the Blocksy theme. It has a lot of options for headers and footers, and colors, etc. It’s not as limited as other themes out there. It’s also updated often and it’s really fast. Comparing feature to feature and speed, it’s a really great theme.

A builder is only necessary if you want specific / intricate looks for your pages and blog posts, the content of your pages that goes between your header and footer. You can try working with the default builder included, Gutenberg. I would start with something free and easy to use, like Kadence blocks or Stackable WP, and see how you feel. These two plugins work alongside the default builder and might be enough for you.

Other builders, like Beaver builder, Oxygen, Elementor, replace the entire default builder. And if used incorrectly, can really slow your site down. So I don’t really suggest them for new people.

* **BACKUP YOUR SITE**

Can’t stress this enough. Doesn’t matter *who* your web host is, *how much you pay* per month, always always always **always keep your own backups**. You never know if your host has a datacenter fire, or whatever could happen. Don’t rely on your host for backups. You can use a free plugin like [WPvivid]) to automate backing up your site to your dropbox or google drive or whatever. This’ll also make it a lot easier to move hosts, if and when you decide to beat it.

Thank you for watching my TEDTalk.

1 Comment

thesilkywitch says:
August 19, 2023 at 10:32 pm
* Domain + Host
[Porkbun]) is my favorite, their prices are good and their dashboard is easy to navigate. Whoever you do decide on going with for your domain name, make sure they’re not forcing needless upsells down your throat (charging you for WHOIS/Privacy protection, etc) or charging you triple what the domain actually costs. Don’t go with Godaddy, just terrible.
Hosting is a more difficult topic, but what I can say is to avoid any hosting provider owned by [EIG or Newfold Digital]). They’re the worst. That includes Hostgator, Bluehost, among other big names. Also don’t go with Godaddy for hosting, either. They suck. Dreamhost used to be great but their service has been on the decline in recent years.
Personally, I’ve used [Crocweb]) and loved them. I’m at another host right now because my needs have changed, but they’re still pretty stellar. Not talked around here much because this bunch prefers either private servers or dedicated WordPRess hosting, which you don’t need either right now.
* WordPress
With any reputable host, (like Crocweb, not affiliate etc), they’ll have a backend dashboard you can log into once your account is setup. And from there, you can use a searchbar and type in WordPress, and it’ll give you the option / follow a wizard to install it automatically for you. No need to go to [Wordpress.org]) and don’t fall for the trap of [Wordpress.com]) either.
Remember to use a random / different Admin account username, and a random / different password from other sites that you use. I’m paranoid, so I use this [Lastpass Password Generator tool]) to generate me a 50-character username and 50-character password (yes, really). Use a password manager like Bitwarden (free) to save the login information, or write it down somewhere secure.
When you log into WordPress for the first time, you’ll want to go to Users > your profile, and scroll towards the bottom where it lists your username, nicknames, and display name. Give yourself a nickname that is what you would use on your site publicly, and choose that as your display name. That way your Admin username is not visibly listed on your blog posts or pages.
You’ll also want to go to Settings > Permalinks, and change the default to Post Name (or any other version that suits you, that’s not the default). If you want to have a special home page that’s not your blog posts, go to Pages and create a new page, name it Home and save it, and then go to Settings > Reading, and change “your homepage displays” to “static page” and select your custom Home page.
* Theme / builder
This wildly depends. If you want to go completely free, I’m really partial to the Blocksy theme. It has a lot of options for headers and footers, and colors, etc. It’s not as limited as other themes out there. It’s also updated often and it’s really fast. Comparing feature to feature and speed, it’s a really great theme.
A builder is only necessary if you want specific / intricate looks for your pages and blog posts, the content of your pages that goes between your header and footer. You can try working with the default builder included, Gutenberg. I would start with something free and easy to use, like Kadence blocks or Stackable WP, and see how you feel. These two plugins work alongside the default builder and might be enough for you.
Other builders, like Beaver builder, Oxygen, Elementor, replace the entire default builder. And if used incorrectly, can really slow your site down. So I don’t really suggest them for new people.
* **BACKUP YOUR SITE**
Can’t stress this enough. Doesn’t matter *who* your web host is, *how much you pay* per month, always always always **always keep your own backups**. You never know if your host has a datacenter fire, or whatever could happen. Don’t rely on your host for backups. You can use a free plugin like [WPvivid]) to automate backing up your site to your dropbox or google drive or whatever. This’ll also make it a lot easier to move hosts, if and when you decide to beat it.
Thank you for watching my TEDTalk.

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