HostGator Review: Why Newbies and Pros Still Love HostGator in 2024?

HostGator Review

Blog updated: February 13, 2024

Blogging is an incredibly rewarding experience. Really reaping what you sow is one of the few things in your life. When you write a great post, your readers will find it, unleash the same old opinions as others, and get lost in the crowd.

There are several platforms that are great for blogging, such as WordPress.com, Blogger.com, Ghost.org, and Medium.com. However, if you're serious about blogging, you'll eventually need to manage your content.

There are many benefits to managing your own content. First, you are your own boss and no one can censor you. Then determine if the post has ads. If you have ads, you are the one who will benefit. Third, you have full control over your site and can change, redesign, and customize your code as much as you like. And perhaps most importantly, we take pride in the ownership of saying, "This little part of the web is my corner."

 Are you ready to create your first blogging website? Great, let's get started!

Step 1: Select host

Starting your own website may sound like a big step, but in fact, anyone can do it. Companies like HostGator are set up to keep it as simple as possible.

It starts with choosing the right hosting package. Hosting is a space on a web server. Save any text, images, or videos here as well.

Hostgator has several shared hosting plans. Shared hosting means that you don't own the entire server yourself, but your space is on the same server as someone else's space. Think of it as renting an apartment rather than renting an entire building. (Who knows, one day you may need the entire building, but at first, some rooms are enough.)

Deciding which package to choose can be difficult, but you don't have to overcommit. Sign up for the cheapest package you can. Remember that if you need SSL or want to start a second blog, you can always upgrade later.

HostGator Review

Hostgator's most popular plan is Baby Plan because it allows you to run multiple blogs. But if this is your first online entry, a hatching plan will suffice.

The Hostgator plan comes with unlimited storage and an email address. It also includes a drag-and-drop website builder (WYSIWYG, or you may have heard what you see is what you get), so without the help of a web designer. You can build your own site. You can even get Google Adwords and Yahoo/Bing Credits so you can promote your blog.

Once selected, click the Sign Up Now button and follow the onscreen instructions.

 Step 2: Register your domain

Domain names are a way for people to find you online. You need something good to make it stand out. You need to be creative as this step will need some time as finding a domain name is not that easy as people have already taken most names under the sun. Not to worry, wear your creative hat, this tool will help you find a great name to get a flying start. 

TIP: try finding a .com extension as they have a global appeal until you have a particular country that you wish to target like France. If France is the country you wish to cater to, you could go ahead and choose extension.fr.

Consider some names. It may be more likely that something personal to you is available. But keep in mind that you're using something really crazy and you can get stuck if it spreads through word of mouth. Do you really want to tell your bank manager that your company's name is thepurplefrogsbingbong.com?

Hostgator has tools to help you find your domain. Simply enter your preferred choices and click Search to see if your domain is available.

HostGator Review

It's perfectly fine to register your domain with one company and ask another company to host it. However, doing so creates responsibilities, such as maintaining DNS records, and adds server administrator-level complexity. By registering your domain in the same location as your hosting, HostGator handles everything for you.

Once you've selected your domain, it's a good idea to check your domain privacy protection. Normally, when you register a domain, you need to tell ICANN who you are, and anyone can search for the owner of the domain, including the address. If you use Hostgator's Domain Privacy Protection, your information will be replaced with that of Hostgator. It's still your domain, but no one can search for your personal information.

Follow the on-screen instructions to register your domain for the required period (hosting is always annual). Before the end of the period, you need to renew your domain for continued use.

Step 3: Install WordPress

You already own your website now! Now, let's launch a blog and run it. There are many blogging options, but WordPress is the choice around the world. It actually powers almost 50% of the websites on the internet! When people say blogging, they often mean WordPress. Best of all, WordPress is free!

Open your email and find the welcome email sent by Hostgator. You can see that there is a link to cPanel (simply short for "control panel"). Now, you just need to log in to the CPanel using the credentials provided in the email.

Find and click the Quick Install button. Then look out for the "Popular Install" Tab, you'll find WordPress is at the top.

Click on “WordPress” and fill out the required details. It will not take you more than 2 minutes. You can always make changes to the details later, but it’s always a good idea to have a different username for an added layer of security. However, it entirely depends upon you, you can have the same username that you used in your cPanel also.

HostGator Review

Now, you just need to click “Install WordPress”.

HostGator Review

Voila! You’ve just set up your own website along with the blogging software. Now, you're all set to post your first blog and share that with the world.

Complimentary Goodies 

>Free Domain

> Free Site Transfers

> Unmetered bandwidth

> 99.9% uptime guarantee

> One-click installs

> Free SSL certificate

Pro Tips

You should create a bunch of topics in advance. Always try to find a niche that interests you. Don't go by any expert opinion or a friend's opinion about the niche. Take time to research, find the long-tail keywords, and then write around those long-tail keywords. 

The most important thing in blogging is persistence! If you're starting blogging to make quick money, please don't get into this! Blogging needs nurturing, continuity, and loads of patience. Make sure you post blogs at regular intervals, you could start with two blogs per week. 

Remember, don't expect Google to rank you as soon as you start blogging, it would take at least six months and a minimum of 20-30 blogs before Google recognizes your blog and you start seeing some traction. 

Having said that, once you start getting traction and have around 200 daily visitors, you could apply to Google Adsense. This is where the magic of blogging will start as you will start making some passive money. Depending on multiple factors, including traffic sources, you could be making around USD 100 per month! 

Conclusion

Blogging is a beautiful way that lets you express your knowledge with the world, and make money in the process. I can tell that with confidence because I have been blogging myself for some time now and it gives me immense happiness when someone either leaves a comment or, calls/texts me that he/she loved my post.

But to be successful one needs exceptional original content, persistence, and loads of patience. You also need to choose a super-reliable, easy-to-use web hosting service with great customer support. HostGator certainly ticks all the right boxes, especially for the newbies as it is a pocket-friendly hosting service with in-built plug-n-play WebPress hosting.

So, go ahead and start your blogging journey today! If you choose to host your blog on HostGator, you can grab an incredible discount of up to 60%! Start here now!

Feel free to get in touch if you need further help either through your comments below or through the email mentioned on the contact page.

Hope you found this detailed guide useful. I would love to hear from you people, go on and comment or write back!

Cheers and best wishes!

Chao 👋

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