On this page, I have listed the resources I have used to create this website DibyenduDeb.com. The two basic components to start a website is web hosting and domain name.
The website uses
- Shared hosting from NameCheap
- The theme I use for my website is Generatepress
- For English writing, I take help from Grammarly
I have started this website almost one and half year back during August 2019. I started with purchasing a hosting and domain name.
It was not an overnight decision, I was planning to create my own website since long. But the problem was that I did not have any idea how to start with. The internet connection was also an issue for the location I used to live then.
There was no one around with the experience of maintaining a website. It was like I was the first one ever to create a website.
If you are a big city dweller it may sound ridiculous but the scenario is completely different at any remote villages of India even in 2019.
So, I was on my own to explore everything about creating a website. I took help of many online tutorials. I was amazed to see so many very good articles and youtube videos people already created to guide beginners like me.
They literally hold my finger and suggested my everything starting from scratch.
Till then I have created this website, published a lot of articles on data science and data analytics. It has become online documentation of my experience and knowledge I gained on different topics.
Although I was late still I am very happy that I ultimately took the decision of creating my own website in 2019.
Note: Here I have mentioned only those products which I have used myself to develop this website and the review of these products are solely based on my experience as a user. The products on this page have affiliate links in some places. This means, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and buy any product.
The hosting and domain
Now days creating your own website is very easy. Within few hours your website will be up and running.
You just need to have a domain and host for your website. You can purchase them or have them freely from very popular platforms like blogger. They are customized and you don’t have to take any pain to start with.
But if you are serious about your website and want to create a brand for you, my suggestion will be to go for an independent domain and host. Purchase a domain and at least a shared hosting.
Like I have purchased the domain dibyendudeb.com on my name. You should book the domain with your name as soon as possible. It is very precious and you are lucky if it is still available.
If you have very common name, then chances are there that it is already taken. You can slightly modify it to make a unique domain name. And if you have an uncommon name (like me ;)) congrats then, for a domain with own name.
You can check the availability of a domain name using this domain name search tool powered by Bluehost.
I purchased Bluehost to host my website after lots of thought, compared it with other popular options available to host the website. While finalizing it, I gave priority to the reliability, stability and technical support over the pricing.
Why Bluehost ?
And I found Bluehost as the best choice. While launching the website I was doing everything on my own without any guidance and prior experience.
I faced hard time to fix various small server related issues. And that was the time I came to know about the superb technical support provided by the Bluehost. I was really amazed to see how they entertained my childish questions.
I had little knowledge about website hosting. No idea about managing cPanel and directories. And no one to ask. I found no alternative except asking the technical persons of Bluehost about all my doubts. And every time they satisfied me with their guidance.
Although I am not eligible to compare it to the technical support provided by other hosting companies. As I have only used Bluehost for my single website. So, I can comment on the service provided by Bluehost only.
Down the line, it is almost two years since I started this blog with Bluehost and it has been a smooth and 100% hassle-free journey.
Moreover, WordPress.org itself has recommended Bluehost since 2005. So if your site uses WordPress as the Content Management System (CMS) (like I am using) then you should go with Bluehost without a second thought.
You will also get your first domain for free with Bluehost. My first domain was also from Bluehost. I know it will sound ridiculous, but I was so excited while registering my first domain, I made a spelling mistake. And when I realized it, it was already registered.
I was completely novice at that time. Bluehost technical support persons did their best to make me understand the domain registration process. They entertained all my foolish questions. Now I always laugh remembering that experience and appreciate Bluehost for holding my finger to learn the basics.
If you check the popularity of Bluehost over other competitive hosting companies, you can see Bluehost as the clear winner. See below the Google Trends for the top four web hosting companies as the search term. Bluehost dominates all the others.
Cost involved
It is a major concern for all of us. Especially when you are not sure if it is a good or bad investment. But when I spent a little time studying the cost involved to create and maintain a fully owned personal website, I discovered it requires really very little money compared to the value it gives.
I purchased the Bluehost basic plan for three years just for Rs. 6300.00 ($84.00 approx.) including a free domain for one year, a free SSL certificate and 50 GB SSD storage!
With this cost, I have reserved my own space on the web to exhibit and share my work & ideas. Where I can interact with people with similar interest across the world. It literally removes all kinds of boundaries and restrictions we otherwise face while sharing knowledge and idea.
When we see how useful resource this is, the cost involved does not appear to be something unaffordable.
The theme for my website: Generatepress
To start with my blog I have used several free themes available with WordPress. But soon I realized that a better theme is required which would provide my better customization feature, a better look and above all security.
So, after much research on the internet and asking several experienced bloggers, I shortlisted some themes. Generatepress was one of them which appeared to be the best for my niche and in other features.
Since then I am using Generatepress and I am very much satisfied with this theme. The pricing also very much affordable. It charges an annual fee of $59 with all premium features and you can use it for 500 websites.
Although the best option is the lifetime charge which is $249. With this amount, you get this theme for a lifetime. You will continue to get all the updates and security features to protect your website from all kinds of vulnerability.
If you are really serious about your blogging and consider it as a business, my suggestion would be go for a premium theme. There are lots of themes available. Some of them are specific to niches like news portal, online stores etc.
You pick one which you like keeping in mind any specific requirements if you have. Obviously can select Generatepress too as it goes well with most of the niche.
Grammarly is my best friend while writing English
Take my example. I am a small-town guy from India. My mother tongue is Bengali, a state language in India. And the only language I am confident in all the forms of communication.
I have started learning English at a much later stage of my life. While I was just starting my blog, I struggled a lot in writing a casual form of English. Because contrary to technical writing, a blog has a one to one form of conversation. You always write assuming that your reader is sitting before you.
For someone whose first language is not English making petty grammatical or spelling mistakes are common. So But such silly mistakes can downgrade even an article with good content and spoil the writer’s image.
In this situation, Grammarly helped me a lot. Correcting not only my grammatical mistakes but also suggesting the right tone for the sentence. Making the corrections is very easy, needs just one click hence does not disturb the flow of my writing.
For a long time, I have used the free service of Grammarly before finally upgrading it to the premium account. The premium account of Grammarly comes with even more capabilities and makes your English flawless.
Not only writing blogs but you can also take Grammarly’s support while writing Emails, editing in Google docs and even now it is available for Microsoft Office documents too.
However Grammarly is not at all a replacement of human editor, but you can certainly avoid silly mistakes while writing and save yourself from embarrassing situations when they are placed before your teacher or your boss.
The subscription charge for the Grammarly premium service is also on a higher side. You can always start with the free account, just like I did. The most affordable subscription plan is obviously the annual plan.
Finally, I will rate my experience with Grammarly 4.5 out of 5. I will strongly recommend Grammarly to make your writing error-free especially if you are not a native English speaker like me.