I am sitting here at my home with nowhere to be and no appointments to keep, all because I had the guts to take the plunge and buy Web hosting, more than a few years ago now. 
This was the most defining moment of my career and I bet it would be the same for many other successful bloggers.
I remember the decisions that went through my head that day..
- Should I buy this hosting or not?
- What if it doesn’t work?
- What if I buy it and it is too hard to work out?
- What if building a blog or website is not for me?
My final decision was “oh who cares, it is only the price of two takeaway meals for the family”… What? Why was I even thinking about it? I have no idea but I am sure most people think the same things!
All I say is “Thank God I bought that hosting that day”…. Imagine if I didn’t take the plunge?
Many of us here took the same plunge and others are still on the fence. I am here to push you off!
What is the real investment when you get web hosting?
Well let me tell you now, we are not talking about risking your life savings here as the monetary investment to get web hosting is very small. Therefore the real investment here is TIME.
Unfortunately most people say they are very busy in their day to day lives; however I bet I could find some spare time for you to build a blogging business.
Here are some time wasters that could be swapped for building a blog:
- Watching TV. Even the news is mostly rubbish nowadays. Better to listen to on the radio while doing something else.
- Sitting around doing nothing at all.
- Reading fiction. Why not read about blogging and increase your knowledge?
- Shopping when you don't really need anything at all. ( I do that! )
- Spending hours surfing the Internet??
- Playing solitaire on the computer. I had to mention this one because I know a lot of people that do it.
- Playing gaming consoles. This is my pet hate because they are so addictive and suck you win. I agree that they are fantastic and a lot of fun but do not get hooked on them.
These are just a few examples, however all you have to do is think about your time that you have and manage it correctly. Everyone has the same amount of time so do not think you are special or even busier than everyone else. It's how you manage it that counts.
What if I am not technical?
I cannot use myself as an example in this situation, because I am a self-confessed computer geek, however I have taught the most non-technical people how to build websites and create businesses. Of course these were one-on-one classes and this definitely would have helped their progress, but I believe that if you want something bad enough, you will achieve it.
The first thing you need to do is stop saying negative things about your technical ability. Be positive and move forward with your learning process. If you have trouble with some technical aspect of building a blog and getting web hosting, just work on it a little bit harder. The rewards will be all yours in the end.
Also a bonus for you is that you can now build WordPress websites from scratch within minutes and there are literally thousands of tutorials to show you how. So what's your excuse now?
Not just that, you can even install a premium WordPress theme and make the website or blog look ultra professional in seconds!
What have you got to lose?
I'm not really sure you have anything to lose because even though you are investing time into building a blog, I guarantee you will come out at the end with more education and knowledge up your sleeve. Lets face it, if you do not jump in the water you will not get wet!
If you are worried about not watching your favorite TV show or missing out on going out with your friends for a coffee and a chat, you can't be too serious about building a blog.
The time that I invested to build a blog was the most valuable time of my life and extremely hard work, but now because of the small investment in web hosting, I have been paid back more freedom than I could ever imagine. 🙂
Hi Mitz, This is not really a problem to me, but it was back to day that I was learning to start my blog. You’re taking on buying web hosting really serious. One Interesting is that I have never thought to go to a class to learn to build blogs. Thanks great.
Yes buying web hosting was the defining moment for me as at the time I had no idea what I was doing.. 🙂
Yes everyone should Consider this all point before buying a Hosting. I was also too much serious before buying a hosting. Thanks for sharing Mitz.
Yes it is a good decision to make! I am glad I took the plunge! 🙂
Hey Mitz, you are right about the hosting and WordPress. I host one of my blogs on Hostgator and I feel secured about it. In HostGator, they offer fantastico, a tool that will automatically install WordPress. Thanks for the share.
Yes I love the way you can install a WordPress website in a few minutes. We are very lucky now days! 🙂
Hi, Mitz…
I am looking forward to buy a web hosting service for my Blog… will keep all things mentioned above in my mind..
Hi Vimal
A free blog is a great way to start out.. and it is easy to transfer it later. 🙂
Hi, Mitz thanks for your reply, sometimes I feel like ,I should have bought web hosting before , because I have read in many places about the difficulties came after the switching , what you think about it ???
You are right but it depends how much a person wants it. 🙂
Spot on Ileane; excellent post!
I remember in the past it was difficult for me when I first had the decision of “should I or shouldn’t I” and even to afford hosting, but woman am I glad I did!
Today I have my own hosting company, so my excuse days are long-gone! Besides, we love what we do, right? You bet we do!
I just smiled at the time wasters you mentioned, as oh boy I knew those. I agree that building your own blog or website is hard work and time to waste just doesn’t exist anymore. In fact, many at times I need more of it! All worth every minute spent on your dreams though 🙂
Excellent my friend!
Hi Ruan
This is my guest post on Ileanes blog but I am sure Ileane thought the same thing when buying hosting. I think everyone does???
Sounds like you made the right decision too! 🙂
My apologies Mitz! Didn’t realize it was a guest post by you.
Make no difference though, as you’ve rightfully said, everyone thinks the same thing when they first need to make that decision.
Thanks for a great post Mitz, and again my apologies for the oopsie.
I have been using wordpress and hostgator for posting my blog Its a dream come true as compare to Blue voda. Thanks for sharing
Oh thats true. Hostgator is doing very well, trying their best! 🙂
Ah this has made me so tempted to just ‘take the plunge’! However I’m in the final year of my undergraduate degree so it would not be a wise idea to start up something that would cause a negative effect to my degree. However I know two people on my course started up blogs last year when they graduated and they have gone on to become great successes. Thanks for the inspirational tips!
You are right, you should finish what you are doing. You do not want anything to interfere with your studies. (If that is your path)
Terrific. It does seem hard when you think about blogging and start initially. But once you get going, it will come natually. It makes you think and analyze many things as well.
I have bought web hosting in the past, and I agree, it’s definetly worth the investment. And I also agree that the biggest investment you would make when you create a blog or a website on top level hosting is time.
In fact, the only reason I don’t have top level hosting for my project is curiosity. How far can I push the limits of free resources. Otherwise, my project would be running on hosting and a top level domain.
Great article!
Yes it is a good test to make.. I have tried it too but every situation is different. You can make a successful blog but I would never create a full business on free hosting as you are not in control of your own business. I used to get shut down on WordPress.com and my blogs are not spam or duplicate content. 🙂
A really good post sharing great views. I agree with you that web hosting is worth the investment.
Thanks for the post.
Hey Mitz,
Initally when I started blogging, I started on a free platform but then I heard so many stories about what might go wrong that I felt I just had to take the plunge and I did it.
Though I had a friend who does the hosting thing and he helped me get one and tackled my technical issues and made it so much easier. Lucky, maybe? 😉 But yes, it has been much easier and I feel much safer.
Though hosting may cost a bit but it does help a lot. It makes you the owner of your content and keeps you in control!
Hi Hajra
I totally agree that buying your own hosting makes you feel safer but we all take a while to make the decision still. 🙂
This is actually the first time I have heard about hosting on your own being a really great thing. I will have too look into this. I feel like such a newbie on this site!
Yep check it out. It is worthwhile. 🙂
Very good article to get somebody to make the plunge. We have a few additional “how to” guides on our website including: http://www.clickhost.com/wordpress-hosting/, and http://www.clickhost.com/starting-a-blog-with-wordpress/.
I love the practical nature of this blog.
Cheers, Carel.
Yes I love it that I took the plunge! LOL 🙂
First let me say, what a great resource this website is! Definitely bookmarking this one!
I can’t imagine not having a web hosting service. I’m not a technical person at all but needed a website. The support that my web host (FastWebHost) offers is outstanding whenever I have a problem. And, hands-down, WordPress is the way to go when creating a website. So easy to learn.
I agree Christina that WordPress is great and web hosting is great when you get fantastic support! 🙂
Yes it is an obsessive job and you need to keep the balance in your life.. I struggled with this at first but there always has to be a shut off time! 🙂
Right… shut off time… I should work on that.
Yes very true 🙂
Hi Mitz!
I like the part where you tackled about the non-techie people. Because not all business-minded people are very inclined to learn about the technicalities of the web. You made it sound as though making a website or even maintaining a site can be very easy.
WordPress is definitely the way to go in building a website if you lack technical abilities; it is fairly self-explanatory and had so many themes and plug-ins to choose from.
I love the world of blogging. I’m very new to this whole world. I signed up for my hosting 5 months ago and oh how my life has changed. It’s So so cool.
Although I must admit I do spend too much time on the computer these days, especially YouTube, wow what a wealth of information.
Once you get into the world of blogging, you’ll wonder what you used to do in the evenings. TV becomes a thing of the past and you’ll find yourself inspired to just constantly be improving your site.
Definitely a plunge worth taking.
Well Mitz I think this is the first time I may have to disagree with you! Watching T.V. is a waste of time? Okay I get it, you do not like professional football(N.F.L.). Since you have no time because your are building websites, talking about computers and blogging..right? lol
You know I have learned so much since actually finding you online, obviously I have found Basic Blog Tips(Wizup Ilene?) and it is because of you. You guys are the foundation of why I love to read NOW.
And I love the “Oh who cares” as that was me. For so many months I had no idea that I would be able to comprehend WordPress, now I offer website building for small businesses…No Professional Blogger Here (ME), but I love to read blogs, because it just inspires me to continue reading and learning..Thanx Mitz & Ilene! ! ! Time to promote ya!
these days, you don’t really need to buy hosting and spend any money in general. with enough finesse, any BIG service like blogger, wordpress, posterous, etc can offer the highest quality blogging tools for free. these days, they want you to blog, to develop yourself into something bigger, the chase for unique content is amazing, and they will have you in the end… blogging is awesome! =)
Excellent advice. And if I may add something…
Look for good plugins to enhance the blog, both for you and your readers. One of my favorites is “broken link checker”. When I changed some things around I accidentally broke a link. I had no clue. But within hours I received an email that let me know the link was broken. It took me just a few seconds to fix it.
Really its great article for web hosting thanks for it writing.
Yes, everybody who is still on the fence: GET OFF THAT FENCE!!!
It’s easy to get webhosting and it’s an important first step. So you better take it.
And Hostgator is a great host, especially if you can use some technical assistance, they are the best. So go up and click on that link to hostgator, you wont regret it. Maybe you will write a post like this in a couple of years. Saying how Mitz got you off the fence and now you are making your living online. 😉
I totally agree with you Mitz. The real investment is only TIME. I too hesitated to buy the hosting few months back and was using free platform like blogger. Later took the plunge and moved to own wordpress blog and I really enjoy the benefits now.
I read different blogs for 5 years, just wanting to create a blog of my own.
But the day I paid my hosting fee , bought my domain and installed wordpress I really felt that I could be a blogger and strted taking blogging really seriously.
often, when I am talking to newbies, I tell them a domain, hosting and autoresponder are the 3 critical “must haves” for their business. Everything else is gravy, but those are absolutely critical.
Great post here Mitz, thanks for sharing.
I agree. Having control over your blog installation is very important. Thanks for making things easy and understandable.
Carel.
Hi Mitz,
If you’re serious about starting a business online a self hosted site is absolutely a must have. Before I purchased my own domain name and a hosting service I’ve had a couple of free hosted blogs.
But the biggest problem with these is that if you accidentally break one rule the free hosting service will ban your account. This happened to me twice and I’ve lost a lot of content just like that.
I think getting my own self hosted website is the best thing I did so far since I’ve been building websites.
Have a great day.Cheers.
~Philip
Choosing the right web hosting is very important before creating the blog. Many people go in search of cheap web hosting services and later face different issues.
I recommend people to use HostGator and BlueHost.