Blogging in the Philippines for Complete Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

Today's post is an answer to my reader's question, Geraldine. And Geraldine writes:

Hi Sheina,

I like the writing style of your blog, very conversational. Can you give me some tips on how you set up your blog and the content of it?

I want to start a personal blog (not for income, though) but as a hobby. Did you also deep research (how to write and blog) it? I know it takes a lot of practice but I would appreciate your advise. Thanks.

First off, thank you so much for reading my blog, Geraldine. And because of that, I'm going to write everything I learned about how to set up a blog in this post.

Blogging in the Philippines for complete beginners: Everything You Need to Know

Part I: Is blogging right for me?

Could a complete beginner set up a blog without hiring anyone?

Absolutely yes! And that's what I'm going to write about today. Gone are the days when you had to be a computer wizard to design a basic blog.

When I say "basic blog", I'm talking about blogs where all the readers have to do is to read and comment. They don't have to create an account or log in like or do anything complicated other than reading.

Could I write my blog in my native language?

If you can write it in English, write it in English, simply because everybody from around the world can understand it.

Let's say you're planning to create a travel blog where your target audience are Filipinos, therefore, you decide to write it in Filipino. That doesn't mean your blog is irrelevant to a reader outside the Philippines who wants to vacation in the Philippines. In this case, you need to write it in English.

There's an exception though. If you are sure that your blog is only going cater to audience within a specific location—nothing more, nothing less—then by all means write it in the language you want to.

Your blog, your call; but before deciding it, think about your current and potential future target audience.

What if I'm not good in English?

As long as you can write in a conversational English with very minimal grammatical error, you're good.

In the 42 posts I've written so far, I swear there were errors in them. I can only proofread so much and I'm not a professional writer either.

A potential employer once contacted me about writing contents for him and when I didn't know how to price my service, he gave me a clue, "There are some errors with some of your punctuation and if I hire you, I'm gonna have to have someone polish your writing."

Did I stop blogging after that? Uuhm, nope.

So if you're not good in English, that doesn't mean you can't improve.

What if I'm not good in writing?

You don't have to be a professional writer to be a blogger.

When you write an informational blog, the main goal is this: Write as clear as a crystal.

Get rid of big words that only weigh down your writing but doesn't contribute much to the sentence, making it hard to understand. If you can write "use" instead of "utilize", do it.

Go light if possible. There's already Facebook and Twitter to compete with for your readers' attention. Do you really want them to exit your blog earlier than they have to?

Readers want bite-sized information. Don't write a long sentence when you can write it shorter but clearer.

Forget the rule of the number of sentences you should use per paragraph. Make your writing scannable!

If you want to make a specific sentence of idea stand out, put it in one paragraph. Don't mix it with others.

When blogging about information, the only thing that matters is clarity. To be able to communicate your idea concisely and clearly without wasting the reader's limited time. Make every word speak.

I'll talk more about that in my future posts. For now, know that your fear of writing the wrong way shouldn't stop you from blogging.

Should I blog for income?

Geraldine wants a personal blog but not for income. I say, why not for income? Personal blogs do earn. If you're writing a blog, why not as well earn?

My point is, blogging about what you love to do is fun and fulfilling. Sure.

But blogging about what you love and earning at the same time is a blast and way more fulfilling!

So to answer this question, you should first blog about what you love, then eventually earn in the process.

How to earn with blogging

There are so many ways to earn through blogging but be warned that all of them requires a lot of effort, dedication, and attention to details.

So if your main goal is to blog about what you love but making money off your blog feels daunting, no pressure. You can still earn money by applying to Google Adsense and displaying ads on your blog.

I'll write about how to apply for a Google Adsense partnership with Google not long from now.

For now, just know that earning money from your blog is possible.

How do I know what niche/ topic to write about?

Your niche should be based on this: what you know a lot about and love at the same time.

If you only write about what you love but doesn't know much about, will it work?

It could, but it requires a lot of research. And when you research, make sure it's not just about the common knowledge that most people know about the subject. That would be useless.

Find out more than what the average person knows, otherwise, you're blogging for nothing.

If you only write about what you know a lot about but doesn't love, will it work?

Surprisingly, it does. This is the case with my blog. I write about call center job hunting tips but ironically, I quit my call center job because I hated the stress.

There is something I love when blogging about it though. I love it when readers email me saying they pass the interview because of my blog. It feels fulfilling.

Therefore, although I didn't love the job itself, there is still some love involved to it. If that is the case, then go for it!

Blogging in the Philippines for complete beginners: Part II

What the heck do I need to set up a blog?

Domain

Domain is the name or address of blog, and you, the owner will have to decide the name.

What to remember when choosing your domain

Make sure it's easy to remember, without the complicated and alternative spellings. You don't want to send your readers to a different site, do you?

In my case, I chose pisopinoy.com, because I wanted the readers to know that the contents here are for Filipino readers. It used to be callcentervirgintips.com, but since I started talking about topics outside call center, I changed it.

Could I name my website after my name?

Sure you can. It would be better if your name isn't complicated to spell for your readers to easily remember your blog. But if you really want to name it after you, then by all means do so.

You can also come up with clever word combinations.

Some sites also have domain names that are so unrelated to their niche but they were successful blogs, nonetheless.

.com, .net, .ph, .fr , org, etc: What the heck is the difference?

These are called domain extensions. I used .com which means for commercial. If you want to define your specific location, then you can use the domain extension for your country. Example: .ph for Philippines, .ca for Canada, .fr for France.

Does it matter what you choose? Not really. I recommend you choose .com as it's very popular that it became the default.

For example, you have to visit a friend's blog but you forgot the extension. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts you're always gonna assume the extension is .com. People are used to it. And it's easier to remember.

Hosting

Think of hosting as your site's storage. All your posts, photos, and contents will be saved in a hosting's server that will then be accessed by readers throughout the internet.

WordPress (Free)

WordPress is the easiest and most powerful blogging and website content management system. When I say content management system, there is where you will be managing your blog, write and edit posts, and upload photos. WordPress is free.

Should I use the free hosting or the self-hosted (paid) one?

Free hosting or paid hosting? What's the difference?

All you really need to know about these two options is their similarity which is: Free or paid, they are both paid. Only with different currencies.

With free version, you get to publish all the content you want but you will never own them. The platform does, and it has the right to shut your blog down anytime, without giving notice.

It also has a limited functionality and design.

Since you don't own the site, you have to play by the rules. And if they feel like you're not playing by the rules, your site could be shut down anytime. In short, not pretty.

On the other hand, the paid or the self-hosting means you own all the contents you put on your blog and you can do whatever you want to do with them, even make money from them. The hosting can't also just shut it down because you're obviously paying for it. And you have access to a wide variety of functions and designs.

Even if you're only blogging for pleasure and not necessarily for income, choose the self-hosted plan (paid) anyway. It makes sense if you don't want all your work to be wiped out one day.

Search engine also prioritize self-hosted blogs over the free ones. So if you want your content to be found by readers in Google, self-hosted plan is the way to go.

Besides, the free version is just ugly. Do you really want to name your domain, "mblog.wordpress.com" or "myblog.blogspot.com"? Not worth it guys. Not worth it.

Compare that to myblog.com, myblog.net, myblog.ph which sound more professional.

BlueHost: The best hosting site for beginners

There are a few hosting sites that are recommended by WordPress but among them, I highly recommend Bluehost. Here's why:

Affordable for beginner bloggers
24/7 phone and chat support
I'm not gonna lie. As a beginner, you will stumble into technical issues that will make you wanna pull your hair out. That 24/7 technical support is going to come in handy.
Free domain on the first year
This means you don't have to pay $10.00 for the first year.
Recommended by WordPress
The fact that it's recommended by the most powerful blogging platform in the world means you can sleep at night knowing that your blog is in safe hands.

5. Free installation of WordPress

Yup, the installation is easy, breezy.

Which length of hosting should I choose?

Some bloggers pay for 3-5 year hosting plans in advance, but since you're a beginner, I recommend you choose the shortest plan which is only good for 12 months.

At this point, you are still testing the waters and still aren't sure whether you want to be a blogger in the next five years.

How much is the regular cost per year?

Domain: $15.99 yearly.

Hosting: $10.99 monthly.

Total costs for 1 year: $141.88 (₱ 7,235.88)

Expensive? Here's a discount

Instead of $10.99 per month, Bluehost will only charge $7.95 per month. Instead of paying $141.88 for the whole year, you'll only pay $95.40 which is equivalent to ₱4,865.40.

What's more—the domain is free!

For only $95.40, you can already build your blog and sign up for their Prime Plan. Here's a table of their plans' features for a one year membership.

Note: Disregard the prices in the screenshot; they are meant for a 5 year hosting. Since you're signing up for only a 12 month hosting— and not for 5 years— the prices per month are a little higher.

Basic: $5.95

Plus: $7.95

Prime: 7.95

As you can see, the Plus and Prime are priced the same. However Prime offers the better features. Therefore, let's eliminate Plus from the equation and only compare the Basic and Prime.Which plan is the best?

If you're a beginner and have enough money to spare, I recommend the Prime. Why? Let's discuss the features the Prime has that the Basic doesn't.

Unlimited website and website space means you can attach as many websites as you can with unlimited storage.
Unlimited email account and storage: Let's say your domain is rosesandsunshine.com. This means, your email becomes you@rosesandsunshine.com.
It's more professional and your readers will take you more seriously. And what better way to do that than going unlimited?
Spam Expert to guard your website from spammy and fake comments which Google hates. And if you want your contents to be on the top page as possible, you don't wanna piss Google off.
Unlimited Parked Domains and Subdomains: if in the future, you'll create another blog, you only have to pay for the domain but not for the hosting.
Domain Privacy your name won't be listed publicly and you are less likely to receive telemarketing email, calls, and spam.
SiteBackUp Pro: a backup of your whole blog in case your whole blog gets deleted or hacked. This is the reason I chose Prime. I don't wanna wake up one morning with my whole blog wiped out and all my hardwork gone.

What if I don't have that much money?

Then choose Basic.

Will it still cover your basic blogging needs? Absolutely! 50 GB is already a lot for a beginning blogger. And while there's no backup for your blog, there are still free ways to back it up, (which I will talk about in the future).

It will require some work but if you can't afford the Prime for now, hey, don't sweat it. You can always upgrade in the future.

Blogging in the Philippines for complete beginners: Part III

The step-by-step instructions of setting up your blog

1. Click here to go to BlueHost and avail the discount.

Click the "Get Started Now" green button.

2. You should now see the page that looks like below. I've already discussed the features of each Plan in Part II. Once you've decided which Plan to choose, click Select.

3. Fill out the "new domain" with the domain of your choice.

If you already have a domain from a previous blog before and you want to use that domain, then fill out under "i have a domain name".

Click Next.

If the domain you choose is unavailable and is currently owned by someone, the system will ask you to change it until you find an available one.

4. If the domain you chose is available, then you will be redirected to the page below to fill out your information with the payment details.

NOTE: To avoid additional charges, make sure to uncheck the boxes for SiteLock Security and BlueHost SEO Tools Start. They're optional and there are other tools that can do better than these that are free.

Scroll down to enter your payment info

5. Check the checkbox if you agree to the BlueHost's Terms of Services and Cancellation and Privacy Policy. Then hit Submit.

6. You should now see an offer page of an additional service. Just hit "No, thanks".

7. Click "Create your password" button to create the password of your billing account. Do take note of this first log in credential. There will be another 2 later.

8. Enter your password twice and make sure they match.

Then check the box to confirm that you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Hit Next.

You should then see this page.

9. Then you'll be redirected to this page. You might wonder why it's asking for another password.

Note that the previous password you created was for your BlueHost billing account. This second password you're creating will be for the cPanel—the place where you install and manage your installations and folders.

So go ahead and hit that "Create your password" button.

10. Check to agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and hit Next.

Then, this page.

And this:

11. Click log in and enter your domain as the username, and your second password.

12. You will then be asked to choose a theme for your site. A theme is the design, look, and feel of your site.

There are free and paid domains. The themes you're seeing right now are all free.

Don't worry if you end up not liking your chosen them as you can change your theme anytime.

13. Once the installation is done, you will see this screen containing your third log in credential. Confused? That log in credential is for your WordPress account— where you design your blog and write posts.

For now, just keep in mind that you will have to remember 3 log ins: the BlueHost billing account, the BlueHost cPanel (where your files are), and your WordPress (where you will spend most of your time blogging).

To log in, just type in "http://yourdomain/admin" in the address. For example: if your domain is moneytips.com, you need to type is http://moneytips.com/admin.

14. The WordPress log in page should look like this:

One you log in, the screen should look like this. This is basically the backend of your blog, where you upload posts, add photos, and upload plugins.

But if you type in your domain name without the "/admin", you will see this. This is the part your readers see. For now, there's not much to look at as you don't have any posts yet.

How it looks will also depend on the theme you chose during the installation.

Once you've started creating posts, then you will see your site take shape. Try creating at least 2 to 3 posts and then begin tweaking your design.

Next week, I will show you how to do the basic functions like add a post, upload a photo, change your font, etc.

For now, know that there are millions of YouTube tutorials ready to help. Don't freak out. The dashboard looks overwhelming but in time, it will become your bestfriend.

If something in the steps confuses you, send me a message at sheina@fashionfen.com and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Hope this helps.