Blogger 2 Boss: How to take your blog to the next level and make it a business

I make it a rule never to sabotage my own success. It’s one of the things that I CAN control when it comes to blogging, making money from my blog and being a boss. I was honored to be on the VIP Panel for the inaugural Blogger 2 Boss Conference held at the NYLO Hotel in Las Colinas, TX. I also spoke about social media and how to increase your followers. All I can say about this conference was WOW! There was a lot of excellent information about how to create your brand, find your voice and Lisa Petty at DFW Style Daily had a great presentation about planning your content and speaking your voice.

The road to blogging has not been an easy one. In my About Me page on my website, Dallas Single Mom, I go into detail about how I started blogging. I was pregnant with my second child and scared about the future. As a single mom, it is not uncommon to be afraid of the unknown. How was I going to pay for childcare? How was I going to work? What could set me apart from everyone else? What kind of voice would I establish online?

I started out on Blogger, gradually establishing a name for myself as a single parent writer for Examiner.com and that’s when I began seeing that I could turn my love of writing into a business. I understood quickly that a free blogging site wasn’t going to cut it.

The road from Blogger to Boss was not an easy one

Nowadays it seems like blogging is everywhere and everyone has an opinion about a variety of different subjects. Trailblazers to blogging have made it easy for the next crop of blogger, vloggers and influencers. During those years when bloggers were scarce we began to pioneer our practices and trends. The decision to go from a free blog to a self-hosted one via WordPress is the decision that changed my online life forever. One of the things that I had to do in addition to getting a self hosted WordPress blog was to get a hosting company back in 2010. I purchased my hosting services from Hostgator.com in order to ensure I could always take my blog to the next level. They had the most comprehensive and easiest packages to choose from. An Internet marketer that I followed closely for setting up my blog, Eric Holmlund over at EricsTips.com, recommended Hostgator in his training packages and so that’s who I chose to get my web hosting from. I have since tried different web hosting services. I have other website footprints and still continue to use Hostgator to this day.

SEO Benefits of a Self-hosted WordPress Blog with Hostgator

Stephanie Drenka over at Stephaniedrenka.com also presented at Blogger 2 Boss on SEO or search engine optimization for bloggers. She definitely recommends A self-hosted WordPress CMS or content management system. If you want to rank for keywords and for mobile optimization for SEO you will need to host your own site. That means you will need to get your own webhosting. While free blogging sites are great, if you want to take your blog to a business you will need to set up not just your domain but also your web hosting.

Why you need webhosting?

In order to be on the Internet with your own site you will need a web hosting provider. A good web host provider can prevent potential problems later such as downtime, memory issues etc. When looking for a good hosting company you should consider storage space and data transfer, the use of a Cpanel, as well as a one script installer for WordPress. Easy install, apps and other service options are a key differentiator when choosing a web hosting provider. You also want to make sure your web hosting company is reliable. If your site is down than you are not making any money.

What Hostgator provides?

24/7 live support via chat, phone, and email – you’re not alone. We’re here to help.
One click WordPress installs – no messy downloading and uploading of files.
One click and start easy to use website builder – drag and drop tools that make building a site super simple.
Design services – don’t want to build your site? Let our pros do it for you.
Marketing services (SEO and PPC) – want to generate traffic? Our in house experts want to help.
Domains – HostGator is your one-stop-shop for domains!

What I liked about Hostgator over the years was their technical support. They are available 24/7 and the chat help has always been great. I have a reseller account because I have multiple sites but you can also get a very inexpensive plan if you only have one website. Other things that I liked about HostGator was easy one click installs and the use of the Cpanel Directory.

Without a great hosting service your online business can’t truly get off the ground. You need a reliable web host provider to ensure your site stays up so you can make money. For more information on being a blogger 2 boss, please feel free to contact me. You can learn more about HostGator and sign up for 30% off web hosting services with Dallas Single Mom.