How to Host Your WordPress Blog on 123-Reg

A few months back, I wrote a blog post titled “How to Easily Set Up a Blog on Blogger”, where I described how to get started with blogging as quickly and painlessly as possible. Since then, I’ve been asked about dozens of times how to host my blog, so I thought I would write an updated post to help others easily get started.

Choosing A Blogging Platform

As the title of this post suggests, the first step is to choose a blogging platform. There are dozens of options to choose from when it comes to blogging platforms, and for the purpose of this post, we will focus on one specific hosting provider: 123-reg.com.

123-reg is a blog platform specifically designed for bloggers who want to keep their costs to a minimum. It is a free blogging platform with a very sleek user interface. When you first sign up for an account, you will be asked to choose a username and a password. After choosing these two items, you will be taken to a dashboard to begin configuring your blog. From the dashboard, you can do the following:

• Set up different layouts for different types of posts (e.g., news articles, technical how-to articles, etc.)
• Edit the appearance of your blog (e.g., the header, the featured image for your posts, etc.)
• Manage your blog’s content (e.g., add new posts, change the order of existing posts, delete posts, etc.)
• Browse other peoples’ blogs
• Set up email notifications
• Use specialized tools to track the performance of your blog (e.g., Google Analytics, etc.)
• Contact other bloggers for guest blogging opportunities
• Use a third-party tool to create mini-blogs to link to your main blog (e.g., Hootsuite)
• …and more!

The Downsides Of Blogger

While 123-reg is a good option for bloggers who want to keep their costs to a minimum, there are some drawbacks to consider.

No Custom Domains

One of the things I love most about Blogger is that it provides me with the ability to create my own domains. This is incredibly useful, as it means I can choose any word I want as the domain name, and it will always fit the bill. For example, if I wanted to create a blog for my tennis lessons, I could use the name “tennisguru.com” and it would always be available, no matter what.

With 123-reg, this is not possible. The good thing is that you can still use a custom domain with this platform, but you have to pay for it. The cost is $12.95/year plus $5.45/month, which is pretty high compared to Blogger’s free option.

Less Free Features

One of the awesome things about Blogger is that it is completely free. While you do have to pay for hosting, you do not need to purchase a premium plan in order to use the platform’s features. With 123-reg, you can get started without paying a penny, but you will have to invest in paid features. The good thing is that these are features that you probably will use.

For example, if you want to create a different kind of blog (e.g., a tech geek blog), you will have to purchase the Plus or the Pro plan in order to create custom domains and use the platform’s advanced features. You will also want to consider investing in email marketing in order to grow your blog’s audience, which in turn will grow your affiliate sales.

Shorter Lifecycle Of Blogs

One of the things I love most about Blogger is that it is designed to be as flexible and as long-living as possible. When you create a blog on Blogger, you instantly have access to all the online marketing tools necessary to grow your blog. The moment you publish your first post, you can start gaining credibility as an expert in your niche. Because of this, your blog will be able to live on its own without the need for much maintenance.

With 123-reg, this is not the case. Once you have created your blog on this platform, you will have to purchase additional features in order to renew your blog’s domain name and make edits to the platform’s code. In addition, you will have to contact 123-reg periodically in order to maintain your blog.

Cannot Use All The Free Features

One of the things I love most about Blogger is that it provides me with all the tools I need to create a professional-looking blog in no time at all. The moment I set up my WordPress blog, I was able to start using the many features it offers, including the ones mentioned above. In addition, I can use third-party services (like Google Analytics) in order to track the performance of my blog.

However, there are some features you cannot use on Blogger. One of these is the email autoresponder. You can use this feature on your own domain (e.g., zacharygross.com), but in order to have email notifications sent to you when someone subscribes to your blog or leaves a comment, you will need to set up a special email account specifically for that (e.g., zacharygross@gmail.com). In addition, you will need to make sure that your personal email address is available on the blog’s settings page in case someone wants to contact you directly.

More Feasible For Mobile Bloggers

Another reason why I love Blogger is because it is very mobile-friendly. When you are on the go, it is very easy for you to write a quick blog post and schedule it to publish later. In addition, you can take advantage of everything the platform has to offer even if you do not have a powerful computer. The good thing is that this is made even easier with the blog’s mobile-ready design, which makes using a laptop or a phone convenient.

With 123-reg, mobile blogging becomes slightly less convenient, as most of the features require you to be on a powerful computer. You will need to create an account on a desktop computer in order to use the tool, and it will not function properly from a mobile device. In addition, you will have to invest in a Pro plan in order to be able to take advantage of the platform’s advanced features, which are basically necessary if you want to be a successful blogger.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a free blog platform with the ability to create your own domain names and use many advanced features, then I would recommend you consider WordPress.com, as it provides you with all the tools you need to be able to start blogging with ease.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a platform that is fully customizable and allows you to use all the basic features, then 123-reg is a good option. It is completely free and only asks for a small investment in order to utilize all its features. In addition, it has a shorter blog lifecycle and does not require nearly as much maintenance as WordPress.com’s blogs. For these reasons, I recommend you give 123-reg a try if you are looking for a blogging platform that is easy to use and requires minimal maintenance.