Creating Your Own Blog

3 minute read

I first started this blog after seeing a video by Ali Abdaal convincing me why I should make one.   I have been interested in making a website for years, and this blog gave me the opportunity to start one and learn a lot about the technological world.  I found out how easy it was to make a personal website using CMS’ like Ghost or WordPress.  After you find one, it is as easy as writing a blog post and buying a domain.

Choosing a CMS

A CMS is a Content Managing System, that will control all of your  blog posts and implement them fluently into your theme.  There are many different options to choose with each one priced differently.  This ultimately comes down to personal preference because each  CMS offers a variety of extensions and plugins to add onto your blogging journey.

Ghost

Ghost is my personal favorite, and the CMS I am using right now to create this blog.  It offers a variety of themes for free, but also allows custom themes.  Many integrations allow you to track views,  or sell items on your website.  Additionally, it is very very fast because  it relies on Note.js.  For pricing, it is only $9.00 a month for starters, and $25.00 a month for creators.  I use the creator plan because of the themes I can implement.  I can personally go into VS  code and change certain bits of code to my personal liking.  This platform is primarily made for personal bloggers, and cannot be used as well for other purposes.

WordPress

WordPress is another CMS with a lot more features and extensions than ghost.  Furthermore, it has more themes and functionality.  If you are creating your personal website, with more than a blog in mind, then this would be a better option for you.  It is a lot more scalable than Ghost, and will better maintain a larger writing staff.

It ranges from $7 – $59 per month so it is generally cheaper than Ghost.  If you will be using the site just for a blog, the $7 option should be proficient.

Squarespace

Squarespace is an incredible easy and simple CMS to use.  It is incredibly convenient and all web hosting options are built in.  If you’re not confident with any coding at all, then this is the best option.  The plugins and extensions are very limited so it makes it hard to have a lot of customizability.  It ranges from $14 to $54 a year so for blogging, it is the most expensive.

Findng A Domain

So you have chosen a CMS and have started writing some blog posts you wish to publish.  Now you can post these without a domain but you will have a little tag at the end of the URL like “jaidensblog.ghost.io”.  Thankfully, it is very cheap to get rid of this and link it to your CMS.  If you purchase on Google Domains, it will only cost $12 a year.

Conclusion

Creating a blog is as simple as baking a pie.  All it takes is finding a CMS, then purchasing a domain to link all of your posts to.  It is not even mandatory to buy a domain, but it is preferable to have a custom URL.  If any of you guys start your own blog, send me an email and maybe we can write for each other,