Free Blog Setup

Have you been wanting your own blog but don’t feel like you have the resources or know how to get it done? The folks here at MarketingSence would be happy to set one up for you for free.

Why would we do that? We actually do believe in paying it forward. Everyone needs help sometimes. We have had, and still have mentors who have helped when we needed it and we appreciate the fact that you could be spending your time anywhere and that you have chosen to spend some of it here with us. This is truly a privilege that we do not take lightly. We also have business relationships with some really amazing products and service providers that offset some of our costs.

Since you are going to need your own web hosting account anyway (this is where your blog resides), the host provider we recommend is Hostgator. It is our association with them that allows us to build your blog for free. When you sign up with HostGator through any of our affiliate links on this page, they pay us a small commission and this is how we can afford to do the setup at no cost to you.

If you’re serious about promoting yourself or your business, you will need your own self hosted blog. This is your piece of real estate on the web and just like real estate in the real world, the only way to fully control it is own it, not rent it. If you use a blog provider like Blogger, Blogspot or a WordPress.com blog, You are subject to strict rules and they have the power to shut down your site at any time.

So, back to your Blog.

What we set up for you is a WordPress.org blog, set up on your own hosting account.

This is yours to keep and use as you see fit. As long as it is moral, legal and ethical, you are free to do with it what you will.

What you will need.

1st, you’ll need to have your own domain name. Example, www.yourname.com. If you don’t have your domain name yet, I would suggest www.Godaddy.com They have good pricing and are very easy to work with.

Haven’t picked your name yet? Search for one here. Don’t type in the www. or the .com., just the name, this search engine will take care of the rest.

2nd, you’ll need to get your hosting account set up. Again, in order for us to set your blog up for free, you will need to go through HostGator. In addition to great hosting, their packages include many free features that will cost you extra at other web hosts. They also have live help, via phone with a live person, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so support is never an issue. We are so impressed with them, we use them ourselves. MarketingSence is hosted at HostGator.

There are several hosting options, but the best deal for new startup would be the”Baby” hosting plan. With this plan you can host unlimited domains with unlimited bandwidth. If you use the month by month option it is $9.95 per month but again, you are not limited to one website, you can host any additional websites with no additional charges.

Click here to go to HostGators site.

Once there, click on the “Webhosting” tab at the top of the screen, then look for the “Baby” plan. This is the the plan that will give you the most bang for your buck, but feel free to look at the other options. Once you have the plan you want, click on the order now button, this will take you to the next screen. If you have your own domain name, you will want to click on the button that says “I currently have a Domain Name”. Enter your domain name and then look at the bottom of the page for the coupon code. Replace that code and put WordPress in the box instead. This will get your first month of hosting for $.01 instead of the normal rate. After that, click on “Continue to Step 2″. On the next page, choose your user name and security pin and fill out your billing information. Check the form for errors and look to be sure your total is $.01. If it isn’t make, sure you have WordPress in the coupon code box. When everything is okay, click the “Create Account” button to set up your account.

Once that is done you will get a confirmation email with your hosting information. If you have used our affiliate link to sign up, we will also receive an email confirming your sign up. Once we have received that, we can get started building your new blog for you. Below are six things that we will need from you.

We will need six things from you. One from HostGator, One from Godaddy, and Four from you.

1).Hostgator. The confirmation Email you received from HostGator. If you receive more than one email, only send the one that includes your domain name information, your login name, and password. We need this to build and install your blog on your server. We only need this information once, you can always change this later.

2).Godaddy. (or the provider where you have your actual domain name registered through) The user name and password to your domain name provider , either Godaddy or the provider where you have your actual domain name registered through so we can set the nameservers and point them to your Hostgator account.

3).You. The user name you want for your WordPress Blog. Password and other user information can be changed from inside WordPress. Your user name cannot, so choose one carefully. No spaces please.

4).You. The email address you would like on your Blog. For example: Yourname@yourdomain.com

5).You. What theme you would like to have. Take a little time to see what theme fits you best. There are hundreds if not thousands of free themes to choose from. You can look at some of them at these directories.

WordPress.org free theme directory http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

WordPressThemesBase.com http://wordpressthemesbase.com/

Let us know what theme you’ve picked and where you got it from. If you can’t make up your mind, pick three themes and we will set them up for you and show you how to change them. If you have downloaded a zipped theme, please send it in your email to us.

When picking your theme, keep a couple of things in mind.

• Pick a theme with your readers in mind. Dark themes are very hard to read and may frustrate them. The last thing you want to do is attract an audience and then lose them because they have to work too hard trying to read your blog. Try to pick a light colored theme with a dark type set. This makes reading more natural and interesting.
• Most of the themes will come with a single sidebar or a double sidebar. These can be on the left, on the right or one on each side. These sidebars are where you put information like navigation links or advertising or any custom information specific to you. Some themes will allow you your choice of where to put the sidebars some won’t. Find one that you will be comfortable with.
• Make sure your theme allows for “Widgets” These are what you put in your side bars to give your blog functionality and to make your blog unique.Widgets will make your life a lot easier unless you are very comfortable with coding.

Once you have all of this together, please email all of it to us at: support@MarketingSence.com

I’ve done everything and emailed you the information, now what?

Now that we’ve received your information, we will get to work on your blog. We will have your new blog set up and ready for you to use within 48 hours. Note: Requests made on Friday do not include Saturday or Sunday in the 48 hour period.
In the event we didn’t get everything we needed or have a question, we will send you an Email requesting additional information. If you have not heard from us, we have everything we need and are working on your set up, but you are welcome to Email us and check on your status.

Once your blog is set up and tested, we will send you an Email with your login information and and pertinent information. Enjoy your new blog, express yourself and have fun.

Here’s what you free blog set up includes:

• One blog installation on your domain.
• One theme installation of your choice.
• The plugins listed below.

Akismet – Controls comment and trackback spam.

Add to Any – Share/Bookmark/Email Button Share, bookmark and email your posts using any service.

All-In-One SEO Pack – Out of the box Search Engine Optimization for your blog.

AdSense Deluxe2 – Allows you to easily place Google ads on your page and earn revenue from clicks.

FeedBurner FeedSmith – For the best results using FeedBurner for RSS. This plugin will detect all ways to access your feed so you track every possible subscriber.

Google XML SiteMaps – Makes sure your site is mapped properly to be indexed regularly by Google, Ask.com, Yahoo, and MSN.

Max Blog Press Ping Optimizer – Saves your WordPress blog from getting tagged as a ping spammer.

My Page Order – Allows you to change the order of your menu pages

Secure and Accessible PHP Contact form- Contact form with extensive anti-spam features

Viper’s Video QuickTags – Quick and easy posting of videos on your site from Youtube and other popular sources.

Wp-DBManager - Backup and manage your database

WordPress Download Monitor – Manage downloads on your site.

WordPress Related Posts – Generates and displays related posts so users can find other related posts quickly.

Thank you for the trust you have placed in us.

If you have questions, Email us at support@MarketingSence.com

or Contact Us here.

Your MarketingSence support team