When I got interested to blogging, I always looked for ways to build a blog for free. I was satisfied with Wordpress.com and the free Blogger platform.
However, when I eventually learned about SEO and how sub-domain blogs struggle to make it to the search results page, I was determined to start paying for a top-level domain (TLD) and hosting.
Godaddy was my first host. I built a Wordpress blog and hosted my site with them for 3 years. I can't complain about their services but renewal gets a little expensive. At first I paid $12 but the next years, I have to renew hosting and domain services for about $70 a year, plus I also wanted a WhoIs protection on top of that.
I am not a frequent blogger and I only do it for fun so it's not practical for me to pay over $100 for this blog every year. I almost gave up blogging because of this until someone told me that she only pays for her domain and gets hosting for free. After a reading a few tutorials, I was convinced to migrate my Wordpress blog.
So How Do I Build a Good-looking Blog for Only $1 ?
I have written this post especially for new bloggers. So I will assume that you are a new blogger with no existing website that you have to move.Not a new blogger but want to save on hosting renewals? Read this guide on how you can properly move your Wordpress blog to Blogger
Okay, so you are a new blogger who wants to get into the blogging world without spending too much. That is reasonable because as a new blogger, you can't expect to make money instantly.
So let's jump in:
1. You need a Blogger (Blogspot) Blog
Blogger.com is mostly labelled as the platform for newbies. You have to take note that all your posts are hosted by Google and that you don't control your own database. But, if you are blogging for fun and don't really care about keeping your database, this could be a good option for you.So go ahead and create your blogger account, choose a blog title and a theme.
Blogger is a free blog hosting platform. So you don't have to worry about paying for hosting.
2. You Need a Domain
By default, blogger will set a sub-domain for you. In the SEO world, sub-domains (yourblogname.blogger.com) look ugly and would sometimes get pushed down the search results. That is why you have to pay for a domain.For this, I choose and recommend Namecheap.com. They have a reliable service and you can always talk to their chat support whenever you need.
Now, NameCheap always has discounts. Their .com domains cost about $12 per year. But that's not what you came here for. They have some domains that are discounted for the first year and you can buy them for less than a dollar on your initial purchase.
That's basically all you need.
Now Let's Build that Blog
If you tried choosing a theme at the beginning of setting up your Blogger blog but want something that's a little less blogger style, you can choose and download free Blogger templates from these sites:
Moving On....
Namecheap will guide you on how you can link your Blogger site and custom domain. Click here for the detailed guideI followed the detailed guide above so I can say that it is easy to understand and implement. If you are having trouble, leave a comment below so I can help you :)
Do you have an existing blog and don't want to spend too much on hosting renewals?
Read : How to Move your Wordpress Blog to Blogger.com and Save on Hosting Fees
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