10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Making a Self-Hosted Blog

When I decided I wanted to build a self-hosted book blog, I was excited about having full control of my site. I wanted to learn how to build my site and manage it on my own. I was also, I will admit, a bit self-assured and clueless. I did not know just how much there was to learn about website management, so I ended up learning a lot on the go, and then asking myself, “is it supposed to be this hard? This confusing? This time consuming?” Creating Word Wilderness has involved much trial and error. I wanted to share 10 things I wish I knew before publishing my blog.

For links to resources you can use to learn more about WordPress and building a self-hosted website, see the end of this post.

So what is self-hosting?

Self-hosting your blog means you host your site on a private server rather than using a web hosting platform.

Examples of web hosting platforms are WordPress (dot) com, Blogger, and Wix, which allow you to build a site with little technical knowledge but also block certain functionalities behind paywalls. You are also at the mercy of any policy changes these sites have and are not in full control of your site and its data. Self-hosting your blog is a great option if you want full control over your website, but it does come with a steep learning curve for those (like me) starting with no background in coding and website development.

There are two different meanings of “self-hosting” that I want to clarify before I dig into things.

Self-hosting can mean that you are hosting your site on hardware that you own. I do not know how to do this, this is not what I will be discussing. The meaning of self-hosting I will be talking about is building a site and storing with a hosting provider. I.e. you don’t own the physical hardware to host your site, you are renting space. You are still responsible for the full setting up and managing of your website. This is what most book bloggers are referring to when they say they have a “self-hosted” site. Is this actually self-hosting if you don’t own the hardware? Ehhh, I’m not going to get into that today, and for simplicity’s sake, I’m going to call it self-hosting.

What’s important is that you have full control over your site and it’s data. You are also in full control of your site’s security AND compliance with privacy laws.

Since this is such a long post, here’s a directory so you can skip to whichever section you need:

Disclaimer: this post is based on my experience managing my website. I am not an expert, and you are responsible for doing your own research.

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Creating my “Self-Hosted” Book Blog

Or, where I admit to all of my mistakes and hope you don’t make the same ones…

1. Don’t Rely on Advice from Other Book Bloggers (including me!)

Book bloggers are hobbyists. We are learning this on the go! There are thousands of Youtube videos, web development communities, and blogs created by people that are actual professionals at building websites. You should be using those people as your primary source of information if you are choosing to build a self-hosted site.

I wrote this guide for other book bloggers just starting to think about using WordPress (org) to build their site. This is intended to guide you towards aspects of website management you will need to learn about. Some things you should absolutely know before launching your site (like basic security practices) and others you can learn as you work.

2. Building a Site on WordPress is so NOT Easy

Why do so many guides say it’s easy!!!! (I know, it’s advertising and how they make money). This is totally on me for not doing enough research before building my site and just believing I could figure everything out on the go. I did learn, eventually, but I struggled a lot starting out because I really had no background knowledge in this area. I was leaning everything from scratch.

I will be the one to tell you that there is A LOT to learn and you should be prepared for that. I have self-hosted my website for over 5 years now, and I still have to google things regularly. The learning timeline will be different for everyone based on their experience and time available to work on their blog. For me, starting with 0 experience and often having little free time, it has taken years to feel comfortable managing my website. I have found that I love learning about site building. It’s like a bonus hobby I got when I started book blogging!

The “easy” part of WordPress is registering you domain, purchasing a hosting plan, downloading the WordPress software, installing themes/plugins, and then designing your blog. But, you have to remember that because you are doing all of this yourself, if there are any issues with the more technical side of website management, like security, plugin conflicts, outdated PHP, 303/404 errors, those are YOUR issues to fix. You can buy more expensive hosting and security plans to have someone manage these things for you, but first you have to know these things exist and need to be managed. I knew some of the basics when I started, but I had no idea that I had to update my PHP until my security plugin flagged it as out of date.

Building and managing a website comes with a lot of research and problem solving, so if that interests you, self-hosting is probably right for you. I love working on my site, but every time I learn something new I feel like my brain is melting. Sometimes I will spend hours trying to figure out how to do something that seems very simple!

I will say that when it comes to website building, you learn the most by doing. So, while I do look back and cringe at how clueless I was when I started Word Wilderness, most of what I have learned was just by trying things out. Sometimes, that’s just what you have to do, and sometimes you should try to go in more prepared than I was.

If anything, I would suggest creating a demo site or building, deleting, and rebuilding your site a few times before making it live. This way you have a chance to explore different functionalities, see how everything works, and try to improve each time. Once your website goes live, it’s harder to make major changes without affecting user experience. At the same time, if your blog is just starting out, you will not get a lot of traffic in the first few months anyway, so if you want to tinker around with your live site during that period, it won’t matter as much.

Tip: One thing to keep in mind if you are experimenting with your site and installing different plugins, is not all plugins “clean up” or delete all of their data when you uninstall them. It may be a good idea to get an optimization plugin that will help you delete leftovers. Also a good idea to avoid installing anything until you’re sure you want it on your site.

3. You Don’t Have to Have Coding Knowledge to Build a Site with WordPress… But it Does Help

I started my site with 0 coding background. Just enthusiasm and audacity. It’s worked out so far! At the same time, there are so many things I feel would work better or be easier to change if I just knew how to write code! Even going into your files and being able to understand what you’re looking at and how to find things is helpful.

Part of this isn’t understanding coding but more understanding how WordPress is organized. This free WordPress course goes over file structure.

You don’t have to know how to edit files or add code (and I wouldn’t recommend doing it for beginners anyway) but I recommend at least getting familiar with how WordPress looks and how to navigate it. You never know when you will need to go in and check on something or do a manual backup. No one else is going to manage your website’s backend unless you pay them. Pun intended.

Sometimes managing my site without coding knowledge feels like driving without peripheral vision. I can do it, but I’m constantly worried something is going to jump out from one of my blind spots. The natural progression of managing my site is I want to understand how all of it works, so that I can customize it and troubleshoot any issues that pop up by myself.

You may not feel the same way, and that is okay! Keep in mind though that anything you are not able to do yourself, you will have to pay for. If cost is a reason you are choosing to go self-hosted, figuring out how to do things yourself and troubleshoot with minimal support is how you keep costs low.

Again, you don’t need to learn coding, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a lot to learn anyway.

Going back to my 2nd point, if your website needs a PHP update, security fix, or anything else, you will need to figure out how to fix that on your own or pay someone else to do it. I have found through experience that fixing a lot of these errors would be easier if I had a better grasp on programming.

Tip: You will want to setup daily automatic backups for you website right away. This is your safety net in case you make a mistake or anything goes wrong on your site. You will be a lot less stressed trying to manage your self-hosted blog if you know you always have multiple copies you can restore if needed. *When you start out, daily automatic backups should be FREE since your website is small*

4. What are the Basic Parts of a Website

I understood what I needed to build my website… kind of. I learned enough to set everything up, but not really how it all worked together and what each component was for. If I were to set up another blog, it would be so much easier now that I have a better understanding of a site’s different parts:

1. Content Management System – WordPress! This is what you use to build your self-hosted blog.
2. Domain Registration – the place you register your website’s domain (e.g. wordwilderness.com)
3. DNS – Domain Name System – Basically the records that translate your domain into an IP address to tell the computer where to find your website. DNS records can be managed by your hosting provider, domain registrar, or a security service like Sucuri or Cloudflare.
4. Hosting Provider – Where your website is stored.
5. Everything else that you add to your site (content, plugins, theme, etc…)

5. SECURITY

Okay, I thought I knew how to secure my WordPress site when I first made it, BUT THEN I just kept learning about new things I needed to work on!

I am not trying to scare anyone away from starting a website. Managing your own security is absolutely something you can learn as you go. BUT I am telling you that you need to go in to building your site with the knowledge that you will have to continually learn about and manage your website security (or pay for a security service). Unfortunately, this is not something you can just set and forget. Hackers are always coming up with creative new ways to ruin everyone’s day. Fortunately, blogs don’t need as much security as ecommerce sites that store credit card and other sensitive information, but you still need to have a good security setup.

WordPress is open source AND very popular for building websites, which means it’s a huge target for attacks. Most attacks are automated bots that probe sites for known vulnerabilities, which is why keeping your WordPress and plugins up to date is the #1 thing you can do to prevent your site from getting hacked. Most WordPress and plugin updates include security patches.

The second thing you can do is understand what is on your website and what it does, so going back to starting your site with 0 coding and website building knowledge, you should probably ask yourself: if your website did get hacked (and it’s possible even if you have good security practices) will you be able to fix it yourself or pay possibly $100-500 to have someone else come in and fix your blog?

Security is one place in your website creating journey where you need to ask yourself: What is more valuable, your time or your money?

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time learning how to secure your blog or want peace of mind, it’s absolutely reasonable to pay for a security service. Find one that won’t charge you to clean up your site if it gets hacked. Security services tend to be pricey BUT if you are planning to invest in one thing for your site (other than hosting and domain registrations, because those always cost money), security should be your #1 priority.

Nothing is 100% secure on the internet, so it’s a good idea to have a plan in case your site gets hacked, whether that is to clean it yourself or pay someone to help you. WordPress actually has a good overview on what to do if your site is hacked to give you a better idea of what “cleaning” a website entails. GeekFlare has a good overview of a lot of security services that will clean your site

The nice thing about paying for professional services, is they (should) give you a report on vulnerabilities in your site so you can prevent future hacks. If I ever found malware on Word Wilderness (***KNOCK ON WOOD!***) I would likely pay to have it cleaned at least once. This is the only site I manage, so I just don’t have experience cleaning malware. Could I DIY it? Probably. Could I be confident I was getting rid of ALL malware and patching up the security holes? No. This is one area of my site that I would be happy to outsource if needed.

Why am I talking about your website getting hacked when you haven’t even made it yet? Because the second you make it live, it’s vulnerable to attack. The only way to guarantee your site is secure is to take it offline. It’s always good to have a plan *just in case*.

Going back to my first point! You should not use my advice as your main reference for security before starting your site! Go research what you need to secure your site!

6. Having More Customizability Isn’t Always a Good Thing

Expanding on security best practices, one of the first things you will learn about WordPress sites, is that every plugin, code, widget, whatever you add to them can come with security risks! You really have to be careful to add plugins and code from trustworthy sources AND make sure you are updating them regularly. As a non-tech-y person by nature, I want to manage the least amount security risks possible, so even though I have the ability to add whatever I want to my site, I try to keep things minimal.

Plugins can also conflict with each other or cause issues when they or WordPress update. I have been fortunate enough not to have these issues (YET *knock on wood!*), but that is another reason to keep plugins and custom code to a minimum. Fewer plugins means fewer things with the potential to cause issues.

7. Only Use Plugins in the WordPress Directory

I’ve never used plugins outside of the WordPress directory and want to talk about why.

The plugins in the WordPress directory are reviewed by the WordPress team before they become available. They have public reviews and support forums in case you run into issues with the plugin. You can easily see if a plugin has been tested with the current version of WordPress and the last time a plugin was updated. You want plugins that are updated regularly (for security) and tested with current versions of WordPress (to make sure there are no issues). You ALSO want plugins that go through some kind of quality control, which all WordPress directory plugins have to go through before they are published AND as they are reviewed by users.

If you are using a plugin from outside of the WordPress directory, it is up to you to make sure that plugin is secure and not going to cause any issues on your site. There’s nothing stopping you from using these plugins, but my guess is if you are still reading this article, you don’t have the knowledge necessary to determine if a plugin is secure and coded well.

One thing that you should absolutely question if a developer is advertising a plugin NOT in the WordPress directory that is meant for WordPress sites, is why hasn’t that plugin passed the review process? Was it not submitted or was there an issue with the plugin? Regardless, until I have the knowledge and skills necessary to vet plugins myself, I won’t be taking unnecessary risks.

Tip: On a related note: I see a lot of bloggers recommending you buy themes, but this is not necessary, especially with modern WordPress. Many old theme limitations are no longer limitations with block themes. I am using the Twenty-Twenty Five Default Theme. The most basic of basic themes I could choose, and the only thing I have not been able to customize is my comment form appearance (though I will find a way one of these days!). You will see a lot of criticism aimed towards the WP block editor/Gutenberg. While this criticism is valid, it’s coming from people who first learned WP with the classic editor and had to transition. Since you are just starting, it makes the most sense to get used to WordPress as it is now.

8. Don’t Use All-In-One Plugins

Or do… It’s up to you. I will just say that my experience after using Jetpack for a long time is it was not worth it. There were so many features on the plugin I didn’t use, and the ones I did use had better alternatives. I have found that it’s better to have 5 small plugins that do exactly what you need reliably than 1 big clunky plugin that has 10 features you don’t need and 5 that don’t work very well.

The one thing I loved about Jetpack that I still miss was its connection to the WordPress (dot) com reader. It made it easy for other bloggers to find my posts. But again, this is one feature of a very large plugin. Eventually, I decided it wasn’t worth keeping everything Jetpack came with just to have access to the WordPress (dot) com reader.

Having to research each individual plugin you want to add to your site will also help you better understand how each one works. I recommend using the simplest plugins you can find that do exactly what you need.

9. Domain Registration & DNS

When I first created Word Wilderness, I registered my domain with my hosting provider. This worked out okay at first because it simplified things, BUT then I never really understood the different parts of my website and how they worked. I think it is worthwhile to learn the general function of each of the components of a website before you start building. You will thank yourself for this later!

I, on the other hand, ended up learning to manage DNS while I was trying to migrate my website and transfer my domain at the same time, which was a lot at once! Don’t be like me!

You don’t have to do everything manually and know how everything works (there are still parts of my site that confuse me), but try understand the basics. This will also help if you ever have to contact costumer support of your hosting provider or any other service you use for your site, because you will at least have some knowledge to get started. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve searched for a solution for an issue on my site, found an answer, and then went, “what the heck are they talking about?”

Tip: ALSO! Important as this will save you money, find a domain registrar that includes WHOIS privacy and doesn’t charge extra for it. (Pretty sure I’ve paid extra for this is the past… Don’t be like me.)

10. Where Can You Find Information About Self-Hosting?

General

Learn WordPress is a great place to start, there are tons of free beginner courses.

I often go to r/Wordpress to get started researching specific questions. It’s a great place to get myself pointed in the right direction instead of trying to dig through a million different articles and Youtube videos to find information. A lot of WordPress developers (i.e. people way smarter than me) post on r/Wordpress so I’ve learned a lot just browsing through posts.

Security

Wordfence Learn has a lot of information on good security practices for WordPress. Wordfence is also a popular security plugin, but their guide is still helpful even if you don’t use the plugin.

WordPress already has an overview of what to do if your site is hacked. I like to keep this in my back pocket *just in case*. But again, it may be better to just pay for a security service. I also just think it’s a good idea to have a general understanding of what to do if you site does end up having security issues.

GeekFlare has a good overview of a lot of security services that will clean your site.

Again, I often lurk on forums like r/Wordpress because WP developers post there, so I can pick up little tips and tricks from them. You can’t trust everyone, but if 10 people are saying the same thing, it’s a good sign for me to go learn more about the topic.

Domain Registration

This is probably the simplest part of your website to choose. Just pick a cheap registrar that includes WHOIS privacy. I have my domain registered with Porkbun and am happy there. (Porkbun has a really nice guide on how to transfer your domain with as little downtime as possible. I was able to do it with none that I noticed. Their support was also helpful when I had questions).

Hosting

r/Webhosting was very helpful for me when looking for a host. You can read lots of posts on user experience with different hosts. YouTube and blog articles are also helpful, but I find that a lot of these are sponsored, so they tend to be biased and only focused on one brand. Eventually, you will need to actually compare different hosting plans and what they offer. You can start with the most basic plans and upgrade as needed from there.

I have found that the best way to figure out what your website really needs is to just get a basic plan and look at what you actually use. Then you can look back at other hosting providers and see if any provide what you need for better prices. You will likely have to transfer your website to a new host or domain at some point. Try to see this as an opportunity to learn more! Transferring my website gave me a much better understanding of DNS and each of the different components of my site.

One thing to note about choosing a hosting provider, is you can pay more to have your host manage some of the backend/technical aspects of your website for you. Cheaper plans tend to come with less support, so you are fully responsible for your site while you can also pay for hosting plans that will manage things like WordPress updates for you. Even if you choose a cheap plan, you should still choose a host that has good general customer support. Speaking from my experience, Bluehost does *not* have good support and always tried to upsell me on plans when I had to contact them. This was stressful as someone just starting out with little knowledge. I couldn’t tell what information from their support was valid and what was them just trying to get me to upgrade my plan.

Another thing to note about hosting providers, is which host and plan you choose can affect your website speed. If you are on a budget, you are likely going to get some kind of shared hosting plan (so your site can be affected by others on the same server). Some hosts are better about keeping sites from impacting each other, so that is something to look into when choosing you host.

Is Creating a Self-Hosted Blog Worth It?

Yes… If you want website management to become part of your hobby. With how much time it takes to learn, build, and manage your site, you have to enjoy it to keep doing it. If you just want to get your site online and focus on content, I would stick with website builders like WordPress (dot) com and Wix. There are ways to transfer from those services to a self-hosted site if you change your mind in the future.

Closing Thoughts

I’ve learned a lot since first starting Word Wilderness, and I still feel like there is so much I don’t know. I’ve avoided talking about my experience self-hosting my site, because it’s embarrassing to admit how clueless I was when I started. (and how clueless I still feel).

One of the silliest mistakes I made was not optimizing my images, yikes! I didn’t know trying to add the biggest images possible would slow down my page speed and take up storage space. It should have been common sense, but I didn’t even think about it! Then, I had to go back through all of my images and make them smaller. I was aggressive with my optimization after and made some of my images look bad, but oh, well. I decided I would rather have ugly fast images than nice images no one sees because they don’t load!

What I’ve learned since creating Word Wilderness is that creating websites is a challenging yet rewarding addition to my book blogging hobby. Part of me wants to take my whole site down and start over because I know I could make things better with everything I know now, but part of me is also so proud of what I’ve built. I am not an especially tech-savvy person, so every time I troubleshoot an issue or learn something new it feels like such a big accomplishment.

What has your experience with making your blog been like? Are there things you wish you knew before starting?