Do I need a domain yet?

[Hopeful]

I'm writing some blog posts to build an audience for a paid product I'm developing (progress thread here).

I haven't published any of the blogs yet, but today it hit me... I have a free website right now, not an official domain name. If I drive traffic to the free website, then switch to a "real" domain later, won't that be a problem?

 

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[Patrick Jones]

Get the domain name asap. Get as many as you like. They are 10 bucks a year.

And don't trust anybody with your data whom your not paying to handle it.
I.e. don't run your blog on a free system.

 

[Mike S]

Yes, get the domain ASAP. We have recommended Namecheap.com in the past as I like their no BS way of doing business and don't continue to get upsold on non essential stuff like other domain registrars (GoDaddy)

 

[Hopeful]

@Mike S @Patrick Jones Who do you recommend for hosting? Or should I build my own website? I can't code, but I've been wanting to learn some basic skills. (Haha, that sounds silly, now that I write it, but I might as well put it out there.)

 

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[akTwelve]

Squarespace has worked well for me for the past 4 years. (I have a tech/programming blog where I post tutorials) The interface is easy to understand. It seems to remove a lot of the overhead of Wordpress based on my limited experience with that. You will miss out on some customization, but I’d prefer to spend my time on creating content.

My advice: Do not waste your time learning to code to make your website. The couple hundred bucks per year you spend on something like Squarespace will be way better than the months it takes to make your own.

 

[Mike S]

@Mike S @Patrick Jones Who do you recommend for hosting? Or should I build my own website? I can't code, but I've been wanting to learn some basic skills. (Haha, that sounds silly, now that I write it, but I might as well put it out there.)

We have been using WP engine for several years now with great success. Keep in mind that we've been doing white label web-dev for almost 8 years and host and maintain over 3000 sites so we've got a solid track record with them.

 

[Soder]

Buy the domain as soon as possible.

I recommend Cheap Domain Names - Buy Domain Names from $1.37 - Namecheap and install Wordpress.

There are many free templates that you can download from Wordpress although if you can I recommend buying a professional theme for $50-$70. I use Enfold Theme which I think is the second most used and is perfect for me, fully customizable.

I don't code, Wordpress and the themes are configurable, it is not necessary to know code.

 

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[Jaden Jones]

Yes get a domain asap and go with Squarespace or Wix, they are the best for beginners. Dont bother with wordpress yet. Godaddy is good for domains and pretty easy to use, just a bit annoying with upsells. Namecheap is also good, just not as user friendly as godaddy.

 

[Walter Hay]

Namecheap have the most amazing, helpful support system. Nothing is too much trouble for them, and as someone with negligible tech knowledge I appreciate their live chat system which has helped me out quite a few times.

You can build a site on Namecheap if you buy the right hosting package. I know someone who is building one there at present. He also lacks in-depth tech knowledge and he is finding it easy to use.

Walter

 

[Bertram]

What do you think about Bluehost or Aplus?

 

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[Hopeful]

Thanks, all! I knew I'd get some quality feedback here.