How to get a website almost for free (or trick out your Blogger!)

Are you a Mommy Blogger who wants to move to her own domain and get rid of that .blogspot address?

Are you a small business owner wanting your own domain, but don't want to pay a monthly fee for web hosting?

Do you want a website that has dynamic (that means it can change) content?

Here's a trick to help you out! Now you can get a website with free hosting...

My website, Social Girl Media...is actually a Blogger blog! But you knew that, right?

Here is how you can do it:

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BLOGGER BLOG

If you do not have a site, or a Blogger blog, you will go to Blogger to get started. You will need a Google Account. If you've never used Blogger before, I suggest you watch the videos or take the quick tour. Once in, set up your blog. Tip: When picking your template, pick Minima because if you want free blog backgrounds, the majority are based on this template. Before you click on "Start Blogging," you can click on "Advance Setup Options" -> Set Up A Custom Domain. This takes you to the next step below...

IF YOU HAVE A BLOGGER BLOG

If you have a Blogger blog, go to your dashboard -> settings -> publishing.

Click on "Custom Domain"

If you do not have a domain name, you can buy it from Google. It is $10/year...(shh, you can get one cheaper at other places and I personally think that eNom/Google has horrible customer service). Type the domain you want in the box and click on "Check Availability." Google will lead you the rest of the way. It's easy, don't worry.

If you don't want to use Google, go buy your domain name and then go back to your Blogger Dashboard for directions.

If you do have a domain name, go to "Switch to Advance Settings." Google will tell you what to do because there are specific directions for each company (I use GoDaddy and FatCow). If you shop around, you can find the cheapest offer. I love GoDaddy's customer service and FatCows user interface.

Safety tip to bloggers: There is a public database called the Whois. The Whois is like a phonebook. You put in the domain name and it tells you who owns it...and their address and telephone number. When you register your domain, make sure that you pay extra to keep you private or "unlisted." If you don't do this, stalkers will know your EXACT location.

Now that you have your blog with it's own domain, now you need to make it look and act like a website.

If your blog is brand new, this is what it will look like: {naked}

Coming next in this mini-series:

• how to make a navigational side bar
• how to make all those borders go away and how to make things seamless
• how to MAKE A CLICKABLE HEADER!!! {you've been waiting for that one, eh?}

Have a question? Need help? Want to know how to do something specific? Leave a question in the comments and I will answer it in the next post.  Were my directions confusing? Tell me that, too, and I will clarify them. Are you playing along or have a blogger blog with a custom domain? Leave it in the comments and I will feature it in the next post, too!