Resources To Make The Magic Happen

Everything you need to get quickly started with your WordPress/Divi website. Go get them tiger!

Stage 1: The Game of Domains

Don’t worry, this is probably the easiest part of self-building a blog….

Part 1: What’s in a name?

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

DOMAINR

You racked your brains for hours, you even brainstormed in your sleep until you found the perfect name for your website. But oops! Your dream domain name is not available….AARGH! What should you do?….Don’t despair, Domainr can help. This handy little tool helps you (in their own words) “find the perfect name, fast”….Searching for “Cool Domain”? As the screenshot below will show you, Domainr will tell you not only if that particular domain name is available but it will also show you sweet alternative variations such as “cool.do/main”. The service is free.

Part 2: Who will host the party?

 

GoDaddy

You have seen the Super Bowl commercials. Admit it. They make a succinct point. Use GoDaddy and they will help you get noticed. EXPERIENCE: I have used their domain name shopping service and was happy with it. l have not tested their hosting service so I can’t comment on that. PROS: Got some of my domain names as low as $1.99 when on sale. You can even bulk buy .com, .org, .net or similar Top Level Domains (TLDs) to save even more. Their user interface for domain name management is also pretty good. CONS: They will bombard you with upsells when you check out your shopping cart. Also, the yearly renewal fees can be surprisingly high. Double check before you buy.

MDD Hosting

Tried the big names, but got turned off by the lack of personalized service. EXPERIENCE: Found MDD Hosting while looking for alternative hosting providers. Submitted an enquiry about their service and was blown away by the rapid response from their sales team. Their hosting prices are very reasonable and they constantly offer a 20 to 30% discount for all newcomers on their main page. PROS: Super fast customer support! Within minutes of submitting a ticket. Also, domain name registration is always a consistent US$19.95 (including privacy option). No hidden surprises when it comes time to renew. CONS: None so far. Highly recommend MDD Hosting.

Stage 2: The Wordpress Scramble

It can be done quick and dirty in 5 minutes or less….really. I swear!

Part 1: The basic setup

WORDPRESS

Still working on this section but in the meantime enjoy these alternative guides.

Pat Flynn

If you are video inclined, Pat offers an 8 minute YouTube video on how to setup WordPress in 4 minutes. EXPERIENCE: Pat’s Smart Passive Income podcast is highly recommended. PROS: The SPI website is full of great tips. CONS: The video is a bit old (2009) but the general principles still apply. DONT USE BLUEHOST!Even Pat has moved away from them.

Elegant Themes

If you are more text oriented, Elegant Themes offers a long post testing whether it is possible to setup WordPress in 5 minutesEXPERIENCE: Elegant Themes is highly recommended. PROS: They are the creators of DIVI so they know what they are talking about. CONS: The post is newer (2016) and is full of great information.

Part 2: Choosing the theme

WP THEME SELECTION

You don’t want to mess this part up…[cue in the Jeopardy music]