How to Host Your Own WordPress Blog

I won't claim to be the most knowledgeable gal when it comes to building a website, but I recently learned a "how-to" that may prove useful to anyone not wanting to pay a huge hosting fee.

Hosting packages, from what I've seen, can range anywhere from $50 to over $100 for a basic web package. Since I'm just a down-to-earth blogger and freelance writer, I didn't want to put a bunch of money into something I was really just playing around with anyway. Then I found out that I could get WordPress hosting for the low price of only $10 a year.

Let's hold that thought for just one second. If you're computer illiterate like I once was, you're probably thinking, Isn't WordPress a free blogging site?

Yes, if you want your link to appear like this: 'http://putnamehere.wordpress.com'

In my opinion, that's boring and unattractive. Why would you want "WordPress" slapped in between your name and the .com? If you don't care, then stop reading. If your curiosity is now peaked, then let's move on.

If you would truly like a link all your own, I've explained the process in 3 easy steps. It took me an hour to figure it all out, but with my explanation I hope to speed the process up for those who follow in my footsteps.

Let's begin.

Step One: Sign up for a free WordPress.com (not .org!) account with whatever user name your heart desires. It won't matter later on, since we're changing your link anyway.

Step Two: Purchase your own domain name (www.myname.com). I use GoDaddy.com, so I'll instruct you according to their website. Once you've made your purchase, go to the Domain Manager within the GoDaddy website and click the name of your new link. Open the Nameservers tab, and enter the following information under Custom Nameservers. You'll put these in the order of 1, 2 and 3:

NS1.WORDPRESS.COM

NS2.WORDPRESS.COM

NS3.WORDPRESS.COM

Click OK.

Step Three: From your WordPress.com dashboard, scroll down to the bottom and find the Upgrades button. Open this widget and click Domains. This should open a page for you to add your brand new domain name. Go ahead and do so. Providing you entered all of the information in Step 2 correctly, WordPress will now prompt you to buy what they refer to as "Credits." You'll need to purchase 10 of those at $1 each. This is what pays for your hosting within WordPress. After this payment is complete, your old link will still appear until you tell WordPress to forward your blog to the new domain. This is easily done by clicking "Put blog here" back under the Domains tab.

You should now be able to type your new link into your web browser and instantly pull up your WordPress page, without the .wordpress.com. :)