4.12.2017 Skills and knowledge
Where to Publish Your Own Articles? Start Your Own Website
Bartłomiej Dwornik
If you want to try your hand at citizen journalism or simply run your own thematic blog, you’ll eventually face the decision of choosing your own domain name and server to host your site. In a report published by Interaktywnie.com, you’ll find expert advice on how to get started.
photo by Pexels/CC0/PixabayAt first, you can use free platforms. There are plenty available, and they are more than sufficient for taking the first steps in online publishing. So if you want to start with online journalism or blogging, be sure to check out:
- wordpress.org
- blog.pl
- salon24.pl
Over time, however, you’ll likely find that the capabilities of these platforms are limited in many ways in the long run. Then, it’s worth considering setting up a website or blog with your own domain name. How do you go about it? In the "Website Design" report published by Interaktywnie.com, experts answer this very question.
How to Choose a Website Domain Name
- Top-level domains like .com, .biz, and .net are a good choice because they look "natural" to most internet users and result in a shorter address than functional domains like .com.pl or .biz.pl, not to mention regional domains, which are suitable only in specific cases for local businesses - says Jakub Cel, Head of Commercial Services at Interia.pl, to Interaktywnie.com. - The name itself is even more important, meaning the availability of specific words. For international domains, a benefit for Polish entrepreneurs is that Polish is not as widely spoken as English, Spanish, or German, so it’s still possible to find great domains without having to buy them on the .pl aftermarket.
Another crucial aspect is the choice of the company with which you’ll register your chosen domain.
- Domain registration is not complicated. When looking for an offer, you should mainly focus on the price, not only for the registration itself but especially for the domain renewal in subsequent years - advises Marta Smaga, Vice President at Tomasz Bonek Marta Smaga Sp. z o.o., in the report. - Some registrars offer .pl domain names for free, but the maintenance costs can be higher than with competitors. It may be worth paying a few or several zlotys at first to save on renewal fees later.
How to Choose a Server for Your Website
- It’s important to choose a solution that meets your actual needs. If you plan to run a blog or a simple website on WordPress, there’s no need to purchase dedicated or VPS servers - advises Marta Smaga. - This would be expensive and more challenging to manage. Dedicated hosting with suitable parameters, such as connection speed, disk space, or email storage, will suffice.
In this case, it’s also worth looking at the pricing more closely. It may turn out that renewing the service after a year costs ten times more than the initial payment, or even more.
- However, savings on hosting should be within reason - warns Marta Smaga in Interaktywnie.com. - Choosing the cheapest solutions from little-known providers exposes you to risks like website instability and accessibility issues.
Once everything is ready – create and publish! Just remember not to make the most common mistakes of website creators and to apply SEO and positioning guidelines.
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The full "Website Design" report can be downloaded for free from the Interaktywnie.com website.
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