This blog serves as a way for me to journal and document my own technical tinkering, but I hope others find this blog useful as well.
To get started hosting your own WordPress blog, you need to find a hosting provider. Several hosting providers come with WordPress preinstalled on the server you purchase. For my purposes, I used HostGator, but there are dozens of similar services that offer the same feature.
Once purchased, you can proceed to the HostGator Website Builder. Here, you can manage everything about your site, including your domains, DNS records, and hosting plan.
To get started, go to “Websites” in the left-hand menu and click “Add Site”:
Select “Install WordPress” and Continue.
Once your WordPress instance has been created, the first thing you will want to do is select a theme. You can click “WordPress.org Themes” to search through thousands of free WordPress themes.
Once you find a theme you like, click “Install” and return back to the themes menu. Find the theme you installed and click “Activate.”
Once you have activated a theme, you can get immediately started posting. Go to “Posts” in the left-hand menu and click “Add New Post” in the top left corner.
Write your posts, while hitting “Save Draft” along the way in the top right corner. Once you have complete the blog, hit “Publish.”
You may also want to add other items to your blog, such as social media links and a logo. All of these elements can be added with the Editor menu under “Appearance.”
