If you are looking to create your own blog, chances are that you might end up using the most popular options for web hosting services. It is also possible that you undertake rigorous research and find niche service providers.
A2 Hosting will definitely make an appearance on both search parameters. It stands out from its competition in the market, majorly because of its speed, its WordPress support, and customer service.
While creating and handling your own blog page, subscription to a hosting service is important, unless you are using Blogger to place your blogs on the internet. If you want to start a WordPress blog, it is imperative that you sign up for a service that is capable of catering to WordPress’s specific needs.
All in all, you can have a WordPress blog ready in about 10 minutes if you choose to take the help of A2 Hosting. Follow these simple steps to have your blog up and running with A2 Hosting –
1. Select a Plan for Hosting
Right before this step, you have to make a choice between ‘Shared WordPress’ and ‘Managed WordPress’. If this is your first blog, it would be prudent to choose the ‘Shared WordPress’ option.
Once you are done selecting the kind of WordPress support you need, choose a plan from A2 Hosting to start your blog. This will determine the kind of speed and services you enjoy. Prices are relative to the services they provide. Take a look at what A2-Hosting has to offer –
- Startup – This plan will provide you with services to host 1 website. It offers 100 GB of SSD storage. With free migration services and a money-back guarantee, it is perfect for new bloggers.
- Drive – This plan allows you to host multiple websites simultaneously. It provides you with unlimited SSD storage. Along with free migration services, this plan also houses an automatic data backup system.
- Turbo Boost – With up to 20 times faster speed, the Turbo Boost plan is one of the best that A2-Hosting has to offer. If you choose to subscribe to this, you will have access to unlimited NVMe data storage space. It has improved conversion rates, lower bounce rates, and can handle up to 9 times more traffic than the other two plans.
- Turbo Max – This is the fastest plan in A2-Hosting’s arsenal. It houses LiteSpeed speed enhanced web servers. It houses the Free Server Rewind Data Backup Protection. This plan is suitable for large scale business operations. Veterans of the game will find this plan very useful.
All of the plans include unlimited email accounts, unlimited transfers, a cPanel Control Panel, free SSL certificates as well as a free website builder. These features make up for basic needs while creating a blog online. Considering that is the case, for your first blog, I would advise you to go with the Startup plan. When you see your operations grow, you can upgrade accordingly.
Remember to select WordPress-A2 optimized in the list of auto installations. This will make the process of installing WordPress a smooth ride.
2. Choose A Domain Name For Your Blog
This should be the first thing on your mind while starting your own blog. A good domain name will always help in the quest for traffic on your blog. While coming up with a domain name, keep in mind your area and target audience.
Once you have decided on a domain name, check its availability with A2-Hosting. If it is not being used by someone, A2-Hosting will show the corresponding price beside the name. Simultaneously, they will also provide you with a list of available domain names that are similar to the one you chose. The prices are reasonable.
If you have already purchased a domain name, simply redirect it to A2-Hosting. You could also use the free transfer option provided by A2-Hosting. You could check out Namecheap to access domain names for low rates.
3. Select Hosting Features and Add-Ons
These are important features that you need to pay special attention to. Make sure that you read all of the options before beginning. Here are a few things that you absolutely cannot miss-
- Billing Cycle – Select a plan for your payment. Monthly payment options are desirable to decrease the initial cost.
- Server Location – Remember to choose an option that is geographically closest to your desired target audience.
- SSL certification – Use this feature to ensure that all communications are encrypted and your audience protected. A2 Hosting provides SSL certification for free.
Other features such as Barracuda Spam Firewall and Cloudflare subscriptions can be utilized once you are done settling in. You could sign up for the ID protection feature to ensure that your personal information is not collected and misused.
Review your cart and proceed to checkout.
4. Enter Your Details
Make sure that you enter accurate information –
- Name
- E-mail address
- Phone number
- Address
- City
- Postcode
- Country
- Password for your domain
- Select a security question and write the answer
- Method of payment and payment details
5. Begin With WordPress
A2-Hosting’s Softaculous feature speeds up the process of installing WordPress. To begin this process, follow the steps –
- Log in to your cPanel. You can do this by either accessing the customer portal or by directly going to your cPanel.
- Go to the Softaculous Apps Installer in your cPanel. Softaculous is an in house application installer for A2-Hosting. You can install WordPress with just a few clicks. Follow the prompts and you will have your blog up and running in a few minutes.
- Customize your WordPress-Before you can begin creating, curating, and publishing content on your WordPress blog, it is essential that you finish the basic customizations required.
- Themes – Selecting a theme is essential because it gives your blog with an authentic look and feel. Pick from over a thousand pre-designed themes for WordPress. Keep the aesthetic of your blog in mind while selecting. You could visit https://wordpress.org/themes and make your pick. Install the theme of your choice.
- Plug-ins – To optimize your functionality on WordPress, make sure that you install plug-ins. These plug-ins will also help you understand your audience better, enhance content creation and publishing. There are thousands of plug-ins available. Choose from a wide array of plug-ins for improving the site security, calculating site statistics, optimizing image resolution and many more.
You have your WordPress blog up and running now. Publish content to your heart’s desire.
6. Conclusion
A2-Hosting takes special care to ensure that you have ample space to curate and create content for your blog. These simple steps will make sure that you do not need to hire a techie to set up your own blog. The setup barely takes any time and premium hosting services are available at dirt cheap rates. If there are any problems you face while handling your blog, you can contact the customer support. A2-Hosting customer support is prompt when it comes to solving problems.
There are many other hosting services in the market. You should opt for A2-Hosting because of its ease of access and its customizable controls. Due to their superior servers, you do not have to worry about losing traffic on your blog. You can leave the optimization part to them while you finish updating your content.