Choosing the Best Web Hosting and Writing Platform
We have already covered the writing process in great detail, but professional blogging requires a fairly unique skill set in a lot of different regards. Not only do you have to have solid writing skills and an inherent ability to entertain, but you also have to be tech savvy in order to become a professional blogger with a serious readership. Of course, there are ways around this if you are not as technologically literate as you would like to be, but it is still exceptionally important to at least have an understanding of your options with regard to web hosting and the writing platform you choose.
In order to become a professional blogger you have to have a web presence that hosts all of your work and simultaneously functions as a promotional tool for your career as a writer. If you want to be taken seriously as a blogger you will have to utilize a web host and a writing platform that reflects a high level of professionalism through the appearance of the site and the ease with which it is used. If you do not properly invest in the appearance and functionality of your site you will find that readers will not stay on your site no matter how great your content may be.
If you don’t have a lot of experience with the technological side of things, this may seem like a daunting task. It isn’t. You have to adopt a patient approach and be willing to ask for help when you need it. I was not the most technologically savvy individual before I began blogging professionally, but I found most of the answers to the questions I had with just a bit of research. When I couldn’t find the answer I was looking for, I turned to tech support for assistance. Now I feel comfortable with all of the varied aspects of web hosting and have a deep understanding of many of the various writing platforms that are available. With a bit of time and effort, you will too.
Account for Your Personal Experience
When it comes time to choose a web host and a writing platform you should consider a number of factors before arriving at a decision. While the total cost is likely to be at the forefront of your mind, you should understand that cutting corners now may cost you dearly in the future. If your website crashes due to its inability to handle increased traffic or your site is hacked due to inadequate protection, there will be untold costs that result. While you may not lose the work you have posted, you will likely lose a significant portion of all those hard-earned readers. Look at the cost of the web hosting as an investment in your blogging future and understand that a bit of extra investment will pay off in the long run.
While cost should not be a significant factor in determining the most ideal web host or writing platform, your personal experience absolutely should. The functionalities you choose to invest in should specifically relate to your ability to utilize them efficiently. If you have web design experience, then it makes perfect sense to invest in the ability to customize your site according to your preferences. If you are new to designing a website, then you will want to invest in a host that will streamline the process of setting up your site for you. Most of the available site templates provide users with the ability to customize their site to some degree, so don’t worry about using a popular site template; you will still be able to make it your own.
You have to be cautious when conducting research on web hosts, as one of the ways that blogs make money is through the use of affiliate marketing. That is, the blogger promotes a specific product and directs readers to buy the product in exchange for a cut of the profit. Most sites have a disclaimer, but some are less scrupulous; it is up to you to exercise proper caution when conducting research.
The best way to do this is by researching all of the various specifications of the site hosts for the purpose of comparison. Research and consider each of the following while making a decision:
Your individual needs as a blogger will determine how you prioritize the features each web host offers, but the preceding factors should be among the most important in determining which host is right for you.
Consult Other Professional Bloggers
Researching web hosts and platforms without assistance is a dicey proposition, so don’t hesitate to consult other professionals who have experience. Reach out to a blogger whose site is well-run and easy to use and ask about their web host and their writing platform and why they made those specific choices. Most professionals in the blogging community are more than willing to compare notes and will be quite helpful in steering you in the right direction. Just be forthright when you ask and disclose exactly why you are inquiring about web hosting and writing platforms.
Think Long-Term
It is perfectly all right to focus on modest goals when you are first starting out, but you do have to realize the importance of thinking long-term as well. If you want your blogging career to grow you have to give it room to do so. This does not mean that you have to invest in ridiculous storage space right from the beginning, but you should choose a host that will allow you to easily expand when the time comes to do so. If you create a site that is built for a small audience then that is what you will get. If you create a site built for a large audience with the right features to keep readers on the site for extended periods of time, eventually you will have a devoted group of readers who will do your promotional work for you.
Choose the Most Ideal Writing Platform
There are a lot of writing platforms out there for you to choose from, including easily recognizable platforms like WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace and Tumblr, along with smaller platforms that boast a more minimalist approach. If you are unfamiliar with the major platforms you should probably take some time to get used to them as you will likely encounter them over and over again throughout your writing career. An overwhelming majority of sites use WordPress (nearly every site I do freelance work for has used some iteration of WordPress), so if you have never used it before, I would recommend familiarizing yourself with it at some point.
While it is important to be familiar with the major platforms, the writing platform you choose is entirely up to you. As long as you are able to use the other platforms, it does not matter much what platform you use for your own professional blog. What does matter is that the platform suits you and allows you to accomplish precisely what you want to accomplish. If, for example, you like to include varying types of media in your post to supplement your writing, you will want to make sure that your platform can handle this. If you prefer a minimalist writing style and want your site to reflect that, there are plenty of platforms that are able to do so.
One of the great keys to succeeding as a professional blogger is to build a community that ensures readers stay on your site long after they have finished reading your post. Your post should be something that sparks a conversation and stimulates discussion among your readers, and that discussion should take place right on your site. When you choose a host and a writing platform, carefully consider the type of comment section that is compatible with the host and platform.
The commenting platform is more important than you may realize, as readers are quite picky when it comes to the type of comment section they use. They will not want to register a new username or wait for administrator approval, so opt for an established commenting platform that will allow users to login with an existing username so they can immediately comment on your site. A robust comment section is the easiest way to legitimatize a website, and it is important that you engage your readers through this platform as well if you wish to build a loyal readership.
Once you have your hosting and writing platform in place, you can begin the process of writing and staging your articles. There are “best practices” for staging, but I feel that it is more important to present your work in the way that feels best for you and best reflects your style and sensibilities. Readers tend to prefer familiarity, but when your work is consistently outstanding and unique, readers will flock to your site on a regular basis.