Hi I would appreciate some help here. I am considering starting a blog. I already have my niche and would like to have a paid for domain. Who would you suggest as a host (I was considering prouddomains.com)? Where would I find design templates? And how do I install wordpress? It would definitely be a long term thing, and I am not planning on quitting, so a paid for domain would be best. Any help?
Here are some basis tipps on this, including some information about a webhosting, I´d recommend. http://www.marcorichter.net/blogging/how-to-start-blogging-in-5401-words.html
I would suggest Hostgator.com for hosting and GoDaddy.com for buying a domain. They have some great ofers and promotions. And for WordPress stuff help, check out SEO, Marketing and WordPress blog.
In your Cpanel find fantastico & click wordpress on blog category.. Then follow all instruction.. Its very easy dude.. Don't waste you money for installation service..
I'll recommend 1and1.com... you get your domain free! and their prices range from $3 a month ... I host most of my personal sites with them and I've been a happy client for 3+ years. If you are new to wordpress, after the installation, you may want to download the following plugins: One Click Plugin Updater by Janis Elsts. and Wordpress Automatic Upgrade by Keith Dsouza. It would make life a lot easier for you using wordpress.
I like Bluehost.com for hosting. I setup quite a few there and they go quite well, there is a link on my site somewhere. I also just posted a complete guide how to install WordPress here: http://www.wordpressmax.com/how-to-install-wordpress There are a lot of images with it so the page will take a while to load. Also it is not in the loop or even shown as a link on my blog yet. Since my business is installing WordPress I am still debating on keeping this how to install WordPress page up on my site?
Sorry ... didn't explain why you need those plugins: One Click Plugin Updater by Janis Elsts - let's you update all your wordpress plugin automatically... it makes things a lot easier considering most developers update their plugins once a month. Wordpress Automatic Upgrade handles all your future wordpress upgrades. Automatically downloads the latest version, puts the site in maintenance mode while doing the upgrade (takes less than a minute!)
Here are some steps to installing Wordpress: 1) Download Wordpress 2) Unzip the contents, and in the directory where there are PHP files, copy/upload the PHP files and other directories to your hosting (at where you want it to be). (Can be done using FTP or file manager) 3) Create a MySQL database and a database user (in CPanel, it is under "Databases") 4) Go to your domain, and follow the install instructions. Wordpress templates can be found here. A good paid host would be HostGator.
This (wo)man speaks the truth, you can do it your self, but Dreamhost also includes something like 30 templates and some plugins.