Shopping on-line is a simple thanks to earn further points. (Author not pictured.) Hero pictures/Getty Images

Shopping on-line is a simple thanks to earn further points. (Author not pictured.) Hero pictures/Getty Images

Across all my loyalty program accounts, I've attained over one million points and miles.

While I've attained several of those rewards by traveling and gap rewards credit cards just like the Pt Card® from yankee specific and earning their sign-up bonuses, I've conjointly concentrated lots of points and miles through on-line searching portals — over one hundred,000 this year alone.
Shopping portals square measure on-line gateways to retail merchant websites that earn you bonus rewards. after you click through a searching portal, you may earn further points, miles, or money back for every dollar you pay.
You could even "triple-dip" by earning rewards from your mastercard, from a searching portal, and from securities market Offers.
Read a lot of personal finance coverage.
I've racked up over a meg points and miles since i started earning travel rewards concerning seven years agoneand that i do not mean to brag — that variety is really quite meager compared to the loyalty account balances of the many of my friends WHO square measure deeper into "the hobby."


How To Start a Blog – Beginner’s Guide for 2019


How To Start a Blog – Beginner’s Guide for 2019


Well, hold up. I wont to be a blogging newbie too. I had identical issues. I started my blog (BloggingBasics101.com) method back in 2006, and that i knew but nothing regarding blogging. In fact, it was only the week before I’d learned what a blog was.

Now i do know a ton regarding them, and my blog’s doing pretty much – I receive over 300,000 distinctive visitors per month that makes ME think about myself somebody you may hear and learn from once it involves building your own diary. I’m not some sort of Guru, but I actually do understand the basics.


I promise it’ll be easycomparatively simple, and positively simple to understand (no stupid jargon). Sound good?

Awesome, let’s march on.



Why you should create a blog and join the blogging community

So below, I’m about to define specifically what you would like to try and do to urge started and found out your own personal diary. Before we tend to dive in althoughi actually need to speak concerning WHY you must build a diary.

Note: If you have already got a solid plan of the whys, then skip this and go right ahead with the guide.

Blogging has quickly become one amongst the foremost in style ways that of communication and spreading info and news. There are actually countless blogs on-line (don’t worry, you'll build yours stand out and obtain noticed!).
It’s a good thanks to specific yourself and conjointly an incredible thanks to share info with others.
You become a more robust person and a more robust author.
The best reason? you'll make cash doing it!
I bet you already knew all of that, but it’s nice to be reminded.

One concluding factor before we tend to get started:

Creating your own blog will take a bit whereasin all probability up to half-hourtherefore grab yourself a low or juice (whatever you fancy) and let’s stand still in. If you would like any facilitate throughout the set-up method, get in-tuned with Maine here and I’ll facilitate as best I will and answer any queries you would possibly have

The Steps Covered In This Blogging Guide

It’s obscurity close to as troublesome as fixing an internet site from scratch (there’s little or no technical ability required here). In fact, there’s no committal to writing needed by you. Good news, huh?

How to Start a Blog in 5 Steps:



There square measure 5 main steps you would like to try to to so as to begin a diary. If you follow this guide precisely, you’ll have your own diary discovered in half-hour or less.

Choose a good diary platform
Choose an internet host for your diary
How to discovered a diary on your own domain
Design your new diary
Useful resources for blogging
So, we made it. Phew. higher late than never! thereforewhile not additional bustle, let’s jump into step one 

Step 1 – Choose your preferred blogging platform


Choosing wherever you would like to make diary is just about the primary issue you've got to try and do. I’m about to take a leap and assume you’ve detected of WordPress, and this is often the platform I advocate. It’s huge.

It’s far and away one in all the most important blogging platforms within the world, with infinite plugins and add-ons and virtually infinite ways in which to style and layout your diary.

There ar over eighty two million active users of WordPress = plenty, basicall



How To Start a Blog – Beginner’s Guide for 2019

There ar alternative alternatives, however, and that they ar listed below:

Blogger – undoubtedly future neatest thing to WordPress.
Tumblr – [*fr1] social network, half blog. attention-grabbingand extremely easy to use.
Even though WordPress is larger (and most likely better) than those 2, here ar my reasons why you ought to still accompany WordPress:

Super straightforward set-up and is liberal to use
Tons of free themes and layouts (I’m not kidding, there ar gazillions).
There’s a colossal support forum just in case you stand still (you won’t, however it’s nice to possess it there if you wish it).
Your web log are going to be insanely quick and it’ll additionally look practicality and type – perfect!
People will move with you simply. Your content may be shared, commented on, and so on.
Here’s a writing regarding totally different blogging platforms (including WordPress), provides it a browse

Step 2 – Self-hosting or a free alternative


Whoa, bog down there! this is often the largest call you’ll got to build before we have a tendency to go any moreyou wish to choose whether or not to purchase your journal or grab a free one.

WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger all provide free blogs for anyone. Awesome, right? It’s good for those people United Nations agency aren’t super serious concerning blogging. however it will have downsides:

1) You won’t be ready to get your OWN name

On a free journal, your blog’s internet address (your URL) are going to be butt-ugly. Like, very ugly. In short, produce a free journal with the other the higher than free journal services and it’ll appear as if this:

yourblog.wordpress.com
yourblog.blogspot.com
yourblog.tumblr.com
I know, ugly right?

2) Limits and more limits

There area unit some limits to free blogs. You can’t totally legitimatise it, and you don’t have the likelihood to transfer all those videos and pictures you would like to point out everybody – it’s all restricted. Worse still, you won’t even have access to the free themes offered by WordPress. 

3) You DON’T OWN your blog

It might sound silly initiallyhowever you don’t really own your journal. It’s hosted on somebody else’s net property and that they will delete it if they need to. they need done therefore within the past, and keep doing it within the future. which implies all of your diligence on your journal, all those unnumberable hours of writing journal posts may need nonexistent at intervals seconds. Sad…

On the opposite hand, with a self-hosted journal on your own name – you're the important owner of your journal. You’ll be able to name your journal no matter you wishas an example, “YourName.com” or “YourAwesomeBlog.com. you'll finish it with .com, .co.uk, .net, .org, or nearly the other internet suffix. boost that unlimited information measure for videos, images, and content and the free themes and you've got a winning jazz group.

So what proportion is hosting and a site name? Not the maximum amount as you’re thinking, as luck would have itit always works bent regarding $5 to $10 per month, betting on your hosting supplier that is a smaller amount than one or two of coffees.

If you continue to have queries, here’s some additional info for you to seem at:

Step 3 – Start a blog on your own domain (if you chose self-hosting and a custom domain


If you’re still a touch confused by what a self-hosted diary is, enable Maine to clarify and the way you'll set about setting one up for yourself.

You’ll ought to return up with a website name you prefer and additionally select a hosting company which will host your diary.

Domain: The domain is essentially the computer address of your web site. Examples: google.com (Google.com is that the domain), Facebook.com (Facebook.com is that the domain). See? Simple!
Hosting: Hosting is essentially the corporate that puts your web site au fait the web therefore everybody else will see it. Everything are going to be saved on there. consider it as a laptop hard-drive on the web wherever your diary are going to be saved.
Disclosure: i like to recommend mistreatment Hostgator for net hosting. If you click through one in every of my links and build an acquisitioni'll receive a commission, that helps Maine keep bloggingbasics101.com up and running.

It’s most likely one in all the most affordable (less than $3 per month) hosting suppliers out there. a website name can value around $10-15 a year, however with Hostgator, you'll get that for complimentary 1st year.

If you are doing sign in with Hostgator make certain to use the coupon code BB101 as this may unlock the utmost discount they provide on all their hosting packages.

:). huge smiles for that!

They’re the suppliers i exploit for all of my blogs, together with the one you’re reading right away.

If for any reason you don’t wish to travel with Hostgator, be happy to decide on your own hosting company. Most, if not all of them, ought to have a “one-click” WordPress install resolution on their admin panel.

That button can mechanically install WordPress on your diary. Did I say it had been easy or what?

All you would like to try to to is sign in with Hostgator (or your chosen provider), opt for your hosting set up and a website name and appearance for the one-click WordPress install button on the admin panel.

If you're obtaining stuck at any purpose this guide could facilitate because it has screenshots.

WordPress necessities aren’t typically requiredhowever I’d advocate whois privacy (that can keep all of your personal details private) and positively machine-driven backups (that’ll save your web site simply just in case something fails or disappears thus you won’t lose any or little of your blog).


Once WordPress is put in on your web site, all you've got to try and do to begin blogging is move to your WP-Admin page typically web.yourblognamehere.com/wp-admin and begin writing by adding a brand new post.

At the beginning, the layout appearance confusing, however it gets terribly comprehensible quickly. Don’t worry!

Step four – coming up with your WordPress diary
Now, the fun bit.

Let’s create your diary look specifically however you wish it to. to settle on a brand new theme, will|you'll|you'll be able to} either head to look > Themes and install a free WordPress theme otherwise you can head to a premium theme web site like ThemeForest.net and obtain a topic for around $40.

typically opt for one thing that appears skilled and pretty straightforward to customise. WordPress additionally has this awe-inspiring feature that permits you to alter themes with simply some clicks. thus if you begin obtaining uninterested in your current diary exampleyou'll simply switch to a different one while not losing any precious content or pictures.
How To Start a Blog – Beginner’s Guide for 2019
Remember, your blog’s style ought to mirror each you and your temperamenthowever conjointly what the web log is concerning. There’s no purpose having a football-orientated theme if your web log is concerning lawn tennis, understand?

On high of that, it ought to be straightforward to navigate if you would like individuals to stay around. If it’s difficult and tough to maneuver around it, individuals won’t keepon balance style may be a subjective art; which means everybody likes various things.

But nobody likes ugly websites, and that they particularly hate websites that require a university degree to navigate. create it straightforward for them.

For a lot of reading, I’ve place along three web log posts concerning planning your web logbe at liberty to ascertain them through
.
And that’s it! I’m over assured that your initial journal got wind of ought to currently be finished and prepared to traveland every one that ought to are very damn simple (unlike my initial time, lucky you!). If you're having any issues putting in WordPress on Hostgator then this guide might facilitate.

If by some unfortunate circumstance you stand still or have any queries on behalf of me concerning a way to produce a journalsimply get up-to-date with American state or leave a comment below. I’ll assist you out with any issues.
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