How to Add WordPress Hosting to Your Existing Domain on GoDaddy
If you’re looking to launch a new blog but don’t want to spend too much money, then you should consider using WordPress hosting. Not only do they offer a free trial, but you can also add your existing domain to the plan. This way, you won’t have to worry about creating a new blog to host your content.
With WordPress hosting, you get access to a range of advanced features, such as drag and drop page builders, custom domain privacy, free backups, and a marketing dashboard. With these features, you can confidently publish content and focus on growing your blog.
Step 1: Sign Up For A Free Trial
To get started, you can visit this special link and click on the blue ‘Try WordPress Now!’ button. You will then be taken to the GoDaddy website where you can either create a new account or login with an existing one. From there, you can choose to continue with the 14-day free trial or to activate your account.
As a new user, you will be given complete access to the WordPress dashboard, which is the website’s control panel. Here, you can install and activate WordPress itself as well as various apps and plugins that will enhance your experience. During the trial, you can download all the apps and plugins you want for free, as they are all instantly compatible with WordPress.
Step 2: Install WordPress On Your Existing Domain
Once you have activated your account, you can go to your dashboard and click on the ‘Install WordPress’ button. This will take you to a screen where you can either select a publicly-available folder on your hard drive or choose to install WordPress in its default location (which is the example site that comes with the software).
If you choose the second option and enter a domain name for your blog, then WordPress will look for a.com,.net, or.org address at the end of your website’s URL. You can then choose to use your own hosting provider or use the one included with GoDaddy.
If you decide to go with the latter, then you will need to click ‘Create Website’ to continue to the next step. If you decide to use your own hosting provider, then you can continue to step 2.
Step 3: Configure WordPress To Suit Your Needs
After you have installed WordPress and chosen a domain name for your new blog, you should click on the gear icon next to the domain name in the navigation bar at the top of the screen. This will bring you to the WordPress dashboard, where you can configure various settings to personalize your experience. Some of the options available are:
- Design
- Social
- Comments
- Privacy
- General Settings
You can also choose to import your own theme from an external source or select a predefined theme from WordPress.com. Before you start messing around with the theme, you should first practice setting up your blog’s structure, which you can learn more about here. Once you have done that, you can move on to further customizing your site.
Step 4: Use The Right Tools To Boost Your Blog’s Performance
Now that you have your WordPress blog set up, you can use various tools to optimize its performance. One of the most useful tools for this is the free tool Backlinko. With this tool, you can track the backlinks that point to your site and find the ‘weakest links’ that need prioritizing. To do this, click on the gear icon next to the domain name in the navigation bar at the top of the WordPress dashboard and select ‘Tools’. This will bring you to the WordPress dashboard’s ‘Tools’ menu, where you can access various tools.
The next option you will see is ‘Search Engine Optimization’ (or SEO). Here, you can practice making your content easier to find and rank higher in search engine results. To do this, simply go through the steps provided and set up your blog to meet the guidelines. Once you have done that, you can then begin to input keywords and phrases into the blog’s content as well as the URL of individual posts and pages. You can use tools like Google Keywords planner, which is part of the Google Ads dashboard, to help you find the right keywords.
Step 5: Publish Your First Blog Post
After you have set up your blog’s structure, followed the guidelines, and used the correct tools, you can finally begin to publish your first blog post. To do this, simply click on the ‘Publish’ button on the top bar of the WordPress dashboard, next to the ‘Blog’ tab. This will bring you to the ‘Publish’ screen, where you can choose a publication date for your post and either upload an image or insert a graphic into your text.
WordPress itself is very intuitive and easy to use, even for beginners. Because it is a product of popular demand, it continues to see improvements and new features added regularly. One of the best things about WordPress is that it is extremely versatile and can be used for a variety of purposes.