A while back we discussed how to pick the best blog name when you don’t know where to start, and later how to create the best branded material for your blog. If you’re at the point in your blogging career where you’re ready to move into the self-hosting space and create your very own website where you have complete control, then there are a few things you should do first in order to get it all going. To best start, I suggest you look for a company that can provide you with a domain registration and website hosting. After running Follow My Gut and my own portfolio site, Salmon Like the Fish, I’ve found a company that does all of that for me and I couldn’t be happier. Take a gander around the World Wide Web and you’ll find a handful of sites to choose from, but if you ask me the best place to go is with Bluehost

Want more blogging tips direct to your inbox? Click here to get on the list!

As brand affiliate for Bluehost, I have to let you know that while this post is sponsored, I wouldn’t suggest them to you if I didn’t use them or find value in what they do. Knowing that, if you end up loving the idea of running your site on Bluehost as much as I do, feel free to click the link below to get started with them. Also, if you join, I do get a commission from them. You get a domain and hosting, I get a commission to buy a latte or pay my bills—sounds like a win-win on all fronts!

Bluehost is a domain registration and web hosting site that can serve as the home to your entire website. Working behind the scenes, Bluehost keeps everything running and in place so you don’t have to worry. If you take a look at Follow My Gut, everything is set and kept together thanks to Bluehost. The theme, website name (www.followmygut.com), the words you’re reading now, the photos, the comments, and all the pieces in between are saved on the backend at Bluehost so that every time you visit the site it’s all here. Oh, thank you Bluehost!

In addition to hosting and domain registration, they offer email too.

That being said, should you want to connect with me, my email connect@followmygut.com is managed via Bluehost. No need for an “@gmail.com” or “@yahoo.com” suffix, I get to use my website name so it looks professional and consistent. Depending on the plan you select (we’ll talk about this next), I can add multiple email accounts for whatever I like. Think of this for yourself. You create your own beautiful website and have an email where people can reach out to you for various reasons. But what if you’re ready to start doing sales and want it separate from your own address? Create another one with the same suffix. Want to add employees? Feel free to do so because now you can add name after name within your accounts ability. It’s really great!

Running your website on Bluehost is really effortless because they have everything you need.

Whether you’re just starting out and don’t really know what to do, or if you’re a bit more experienced and need some extra tools, Bluehost is perfect. The website does a great job at explaining to you all of your options and what it entails.

When signing up, you’re given three purchase options: Basic, Plus, and Choice Plus. To be honest, Bluehost lists the “normal” price above the sale price, but don’t jump for joy over the sale. I swear the website has always been on the sale price and that’s just a tactic to get you excited. It worked for me since it was in my budget so I wasn’t bothered by it and I signed up. The prices for each hosting package breaks down to the following: Basic (Normally $7.99, sale $3.95 per month), Plus (Normally $10.99, $5.95 per month), and Choice Plus (Normally $14.99, $5.95 per month). Depending on what your website needs are will determine which one will be best for you. Hover your cursor over the item to see the detail and description of each and look closely to those that differ from package to package. My suggestion is to give special attention to:

1. Website Space,
2. Bandwith,
3. Email Accounts, and
4. Email Storage.

If you’re looking to run your website for years to come, it’s important to have a site that offers you unmetered website space. That way you can post as many photos, videos, etc over long periods of time without restrictions. Bandwith refers to the amount of data and traffic that can relay from your site to your visitors. Having a hosting service that offers unmetered bandwith is ideal because it keeps your content accessible to visitors. But keep in mind, if your site gets mentioned in a major outlet or by Bill Gates or Oprah there’s a strong chance the massive influx of visitors will crash your site and bandwith will go out the window. But that’s a semi-great problem to have that can be fixed by contacting Bluehost.

I highly suggest that when it comes to both email accounts and storage you choose an unlimited option. While you may currently think you only need one email – for yourself – you never know what may come up in the future. Having the option to quickly add an extra account or 1000 is important. You may think one is enough, but don’t limit yourself. Don’t forget that while no email account is infinitely unlimited; find something that gets you as close to that as possible. As your site grows you’ll be receiving more press releases, invitations, presentation decks, etc and you’ll need space. Get space so you can get all the emails you need.

Granted, I think we can all assume that nothing is infinite when it comes to storage on the web, but I doubt you’ll have to worry about reaching that number when you get a package that is unmetered and unlimited.

When I started Follow My Gut, I had an idea of what I wanted. I went to a few sites and found that I liked the price, offerings, and reliability of Bluehost. In my search, I decided to purchase based on where I planned to go with my site, not where I was currently. Since I knew I would have a website that would be very content heavy I knew I needed extended hosting. Large and multiple photos, occasional videos, widgets, and possibly posting ads to say the least and so far I like what I’ve chosen and haven’t had any issues since I started.

The other part that I like about Bluehost is their continued help twenty-four, seven. They do a great job at being available via chats and telephonically. I’ve had many late nights where I accidentally messed something up and needed help to get me back to where I needed to be. I opened a chat window and in a matter of no time my problem was solved. Whether it was a money issue, a struggle with installing a theme, or forgetting a password, they were there and they got me through it.

Time after time.

Like with so many websites, there isn’t a 100% guarantee on perfection. I would be a liar if I didn’t tell you that there are occasional issues. I’ve had moments where my site went down or where the help wasn’t as helpful. Truth is, that’s just how it is. At some point websites go down, but Bluehost does a great job at letting you know and working to get back up as fast as possible. And yes, I have had moments where I’ve been on a few chats where the person on the other end wasn’t that helpful. But here’s the thing, I started another chat and voila! Problem solved.

Clearly, no company is perfect, but even in the areas where Bluehost may be lacking, they make up for by communicating with their clients (ahem, you) and responding as quickly as possible.

I’ve spent my share of time researching website services and found Bluehost to be my favorite. I highly suggest that before you make any decision that you do a little due diligence and research which site will be best for you. It might be Bluehost or it might be another provider. Find what fits your needs. However, not to sound biased, but I think once you look over everything that Bluehost has to offer you’ll see it’s a great choice. Whenever you’re ready, and if you’ve read this far then I’m sure you’re ready, click here or below to get yourself started with Bluehost.

You got this and you’re going to be amazing!

Click Here to Get Your Blog Hosted with Bluehost!