Create A Self-Hosted WordPress Blog With Domainking

This article is dedicated to every Nigerian hoping to start their own Self-hosted Blog but wish to do so with an indigenous host.

Basically, We have two types of blog host; The free blog host like Blogger, WordPress.com and Tumblr. And the paid hosts... You need a host for blogging software like WordPress.org, joomla, drupal (WordPress.org is the best cms you can get). WordPress.org blogs are usually referred to as self hosted because you only get access to them by hosting them, self–hosted server.

If free hosts like Blogger end up not satisfying you because the limits are so many, WordPress.org self hosted blog can just be what you need...

Read: How to Create a Blogger Blog

Everyone no doubt would love to start something they can totally be in control of.

I will be pointing out some basic things you should do in order to Start your Self Hosted Blog.

STARTING YOUR SELF-HOSTED BLOG

1. GET A DOMAIN

Your Domain name should be the first thing you prepare down against building your Self-hosted blog.  A domain name looks like this "www.desired-domain.com, .net, .org and a host of other domain extensions.

Read: How to choose the perfect domain name  

There are many Domain Registrars on the Internet targeting Nigerians but personally I recommend Domainking. Because I have read and heard lots of positive feedbacks from clients using them.

Note: You may not need to register your domain separately from your hosting company because, when buying your desired hosting plan, you will get a free 2nd level domain. Also to avoid mistakes, you can also buy your domain from the same site you want to host your Blog. 

If you already purchased your domain from another registrar, do not worry because you can still use namesevers or transfer it.

I believe you've gotten your desired domain name now let's take a walk to the next step below

2. HOSTING

After setting up the domain, the next thing in line is to get your blog up and running for the world to see. Now, you will need the service of your desired web hosting Company (Domainking).

For those who don't know; A web hosting service is a kind of Internet hosting service that paves way for your website to be accessible via the World Wide Web. 

Web hosts are companies who provide the space on a server owned or leased for use by their clients.
For your blog to be viewed on the Internet, it needs to be published online and to make this happen, you will need a hosting account.

 There are So many Nigerian based Web Hosts and some are; smartweb, whogohost,  globalhosting247 etc..

As earlier mentioned, I recommend Domainking as it is one of the best Nigerian web host and you will be satisfied if you host your blog with them. Domainking is a good web host and am going to use it in tutoring you on getting your own self-hosted below.

REGISTRATION

1. First thing first, Visit Domainking.ng and follow the below steps on how to go about buying your domain and hosting from them.

Once you have landed on the Domainking homepage, proceed to choosing your desired host choice and hosting package you want to setup.
Below are the three hosting choice Domainking presents to you...

since we are creating a WordPress blog, your hosting choice should be Wordpress Hosting... you can likewise choose web hosting if you wish or VPS hosting if you have the funds to pay...

Now choose a plan based on the kind of blog you are going to operate on. If you are just starting out I would recommend you go for Baby Geek or Senior Geek plan if your choice was Wordpress hosting. You can as well choose solider or commander Plan if your choice was web hosting. These plans offer you a free .com.ng domain and there is a discount if you will be hosting for more than a year.

Once you've settled for a plan, click on Order now, you will land on a page similar to the image below

Select option for the domain you wish to host
If you don't have a domain yet, click on the first option, if you wish to transfer your domain, click on the 2nd option and if you have registered a domain already, click on the 3rd so you will update your name servers...

Note; if you clicked on the first option, you can register your domain with the .ng 2nd level domain for free (.com.ng,.net.ng,.org.ng,.edu.ng,.sch.ng)

Once you've made your choice, click on continue then click on add to cart. Tick every option you see on the next page (They are all free and recommended) and finally click on Continue to Final Checkout Page, there you will make your payment...

Voila! you've finished the first stage...

onto the second stage...

INSTALLING WORDPRESS

2. Now it's time to install WordPress 

In case you don't know,
WordPress is an online, open source website creation tool written in PHP. it’s against all odds the easiest and most powerful blogging and website content management system (or CMS) available today.

Read: How to Create a WordPress Blog

3. From your Domainking dashboard. Click on My Hosting and Services and scroll to where you see One Click Install and Install WordPress.

You will have to wait for some minutes for it to install and set your necessary information as they will require. Your blog goes live once it finishes installing.

You can access your WordPress Dashboard with your link similar to this “yourblogurl.com/wp-admin Here you enter your blog Admin details i.e. Your username and Password. You have access to everything in your  Dashboard.

Features you should familiarize with after getting into your WordPress Admin page

1. Posts: you create, Edit, and Update your posts here

2. Pages: you create pages like about me, contact, privacy policy, and other pages here

3. Comments Section: Here, you manage your Comments.

4. Appearance: You edit your blog theme, layout, fonts and the rest here...

Having Challenges with any of the steps above? Please Leave them in the comment box below, I'm willing to help...

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