Can I Start A Blog on iPage?
|
|
Yes, of course! But then, you can start a blog on just about any other web host out there (including a number of free blogging platforms), so a simple “yes” is not enough to answer this very important question. What really matters is whether or not a web host can make your life as a blogger incredibly easy.
Imagine your blog experiencing downtime every once in a while. What if your blog takes more than 5 seconds to load? And what if you get a “bandwidth limit exceeded” error because of a sudden spike in traffic from some content which has gone viral? You could lose a LOT of visitors!
But here’s the worst case scenario: Picture your beloved blog being hosted on a server with compromised security. Just imagine getting a half-hearted response from the customer support team when you experience a technical issue with your blog. Worse still, imagine losing ALL of your valuable content and data after some glitch because there’s no proper backup. It could be a complete nightmare!
But the thing is, issues like these are quite common, unless you are hosting your blog at a reputable web hosting provider. And while cheap web hosts are a dime a dozen, there are, in fact, only a handful of reliable web hosts out there. That being said, it’s all the more important to ensure your blog is in good hands.
iPage is one of these reliable web hosts. But don’t take my word for it! Read on to see why I am recommending their service.
Reason # 1: Pricing
If you choose the right niche and you’re good at creating compelling content, your blog will have better chances of generating income. Until you reach that point, you need to keep the investment or expenditures to an absolute minimum (so that you won’t give up in the middle). Luckily, you don’t need to invest a lot of money to start a blog. Spending on domain registration and hosting fees won’t put a strain on your budget, though you need to invest a lot of time to boost your online presence.
If you’re new to blogging, start by going for shared hosting plans. Shared hosting plans typically come with unlimited bandwidth and disk space (with a fair usage policy). For most blogs, a shared hosting plan is more than enough.
Shared hosting plans often range from $3 to $20 per month, but you shouldn’t go straight for the cheapest option there is, unless it’s offered by a reputable company.
Trusted web hosting companies will usually cost around $7 to $15 per month, and could even go lower if you find a special promotion. With companies like iPage, the cost for shared hosting would cost more than $8/month, but right now, they’re offering a special introductory price of $1.99 per month (if you’re signing up for more than a year). This means you will be paying less than $30 for an entire year of hosting, which already includes free domain registration!
[Insert Registration]I highly recommend you sign up with iPage for a year of hosting service, and give it your absolute best. There’s a great chance your blog will start generating revenue within a year or so, and then, you will easily be able to pay the regular price.
Verdict
iPage offers the best of both worlds. Your blog will be hosted on a first-class web host and you will be paying affordable prices for top-notch services for a year or two.
Reason # 2: Installation
Now that you’ve decided to host your blog at iPage and you’ve subscribed for a hosting plan, it’s time to hire a web designer and pay thousands of dollars to create a blog.
Just kidding.
Setting up and launching a blog shouldn’t bust your budget, and that’s all thanks to this wonderful platform called WordPress, an absolutely free Content Management System (CMS) that’s used by millions of website owners and bloggers, including some really big names.
There are other options available but honestly, you don’t need to look further than WordPress. It’s very easy to install and use, especially if you are good at following instructions (which are just as simple!).
Basically, you just need to download the latest version, upload it to your public_html folder through an FTP client, create a database and username, and enter the details in wp_config file. You’re all set!
But if you’re a complete newbie, chances are you have absolutely no idea what all these technical jargon stand for. But don’t panic just yet, because you can leave the installation process to your web hosting provider.
iPage offers an easy solution. From the Control Panel, simply click on the WordPress icon. Look out for the Begin Installation button under the content. From there, just type in your admin information and choose the location. Click on Install Now and you’re good to go!
Verdict
With iPage, installation takes less than a minute and requires no technical knowledge. Setting up a blog can’t get easier than that!
Reason # 3: Maintenance
Once you have WordPress installed, it will let you update and maintain your blog quickly and easily. But does that mean your hosting company has no role to play when it comes to blog maintenance?
Remember, WordPress is easy to learn, but only as far as the basic features are concerned. There’s a chance you’ll face a technical problem, like a syntax error, internal server error, file permission error, or you might even end up with a blank page after installing a new WordPress theme or plugin.
Most of these errors don’t really have anything to do with the hosts, but when you are working with a good web hosting company, their customer support staff will have the technical expertise and know-how to identify and resolve any of these problems without putting too much strain on your blog’s overall performance.
On the other hand, a substandard host will leave you on your own, and rectifying even the simplest of problems might take days, which could spell trouble for your blog.
iPage knows the importance of online presence. Here’s what their customer support page says:
Note that they’ve mentioned “online presence” with domain and hosting needs, which means whenever your blog is down, you can get in touch with their customer support team and they will help you get your blog back on track as soon as possible.
Verdict
iPage hosts more than a million websites and a good number of them are powered by WordPress. They must be dealing with all sorts of problems and errors on a daily basis which means they are well-equipped to help their clients with blog maintenance.
Reason # 4: Backup
Probably one of the biggest and the most disastrous mistakes bloggers commit is not setting up a proper backup system. Having proper backup means that your blog will be restored to a date in the recent past and you won’t lose any of your important data in case of a major hiccup.
Remember that you’ll be spending a significant amount of time researching, writing, and proofreading your blog content. If you don’t have a reliable backup system in place, you are risking all your efforts and time. If you are using WordPress, there are some plugins available, but to be on the safe side, you must use the backup feature offered by your web host.
Verdict
Site backup and restoration plans come at a price. With iPage, you will have to pay an additional $12.95/year. Daily backups are made and you can easily find and download specific files for restoration. However, the plan doesn’t automatically restore SQL database.
Reason #5: Security
WordPress is one, if not the best CMS there is; being the top choice for millions of users all over the world. However, a vast majority of these users are not even aware of security breaches or vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. So when it comes to security, WordPress’ popularity can quickly become a drawback.
But does that mean you should avoid using WordPress? Certainly not! You just have to take all sorts of precautions and keep tabs on recent WordPress developments. WordPress has a supportive community, with good guys ready to help you out in identifying security vulnerabilities before hackers could get their hands on your site.
Apart from keeping your plugins and WordPress up-to-date, it’ll be great if you can add an extra layer of security for your blog. In fact, it’s an absolute must, and you can even get it at no extra cost!
Verdict
Security suite is one of the strongest points of iPage hosting. If you are just starting, it wouldn’t sound a big deal, but it can be a deal-breaker for those who know how big a risk a security vulnerability is.
For an extra layer of security, consider purchasing the SiteLock add-on feature for your iPage-hosted sites. For as low as $1.94 a month, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that your hosted sites are safe and secure.
Reason #6: Support
Setting up and running a blog through WordPress is usually a smooth experience. You can easily publish new posts, and add images and videos to your blogs. But every once in a while, you will face a technical glitch that you cannot resolve on your own (unless you are ready to jump in to those online support forums, figure out the reason, and resolve it on your own).
One of the easiest ways to resolve these issues is to get in touch with your web host.
Verdict
iPage offers three different types of support for their clients. In case you are facing some technical problem, you can get in touch via phone, email, or live chat.
You might have to wait for quite some time via phone, so you should go for the phone support only if the problem isn’t urgent. Otherwise, you can simply submit a support ticket, and you will get a response within 24 hours, which is quite good.
Reason #7: Upgrade Options
As a blogger, you can choose between four different types of iPage hosting plans. Shared hosting (or the so-called “Essential Plan”) is the cheapest and in this plan, you will basically share the server and other resources with many different websites. Then, there is virtual private server hosting (VPS), wherein you’ll share the same server with other sites (but with fewer people), although you will get a more secure virtual server with better resources. Then there’s dedicated server hosting, where you can have the entire server at your disposal. Last but not the least, there’s managed hosting, which is actually similar to shared hosting and VPS, only that you will get much better technical support than a normal hosting plan. When your blog is hosted on a managed hosting plan, you will get automatic backups, security, speed optimization, and automatic updates.
Take a peek at iPage’s core features:
Verdict
iPage has a low-budget shared hosting plan that is ideal for new bloggers.
It will take some time before you start to get high-traffic volumes, and in most cases, shared hosting plan will suffice for your first one or two years’ needs. But there must be some upgrade options available so that you won’t have to migrate from one host to another whenever your blog reaches that point. iPage has a number of upgrades available, with three different levels of VPS hosting and three levels of dedicated hosting.
My Final Thoughts
As you can see, iPage sounds like a very reasonable option for those who are new to blogging. And the perks I’ve mentioned above are not the only plus points! Once you’ve managed to build a loyal following for your brand or business, you can easily convert these people into paying customers by using iPage’s easy-to-use eCommerce integration features. You can keep in touch with them any time and provide a partner service to build and make the most of your subscribers’ list.
It goes without saying that iPage is one of those web hosting companies that can make your life incredibly easy as a blogger. They even offer an Anytime Money-Back Guarantee, so you can try it if you want without any worries!
So go ahead, turn to iPage today!
