The title says it all and the sex is in brackets because really this post applies to setting up any blog but when it comes to how to start a sex blog there are some extra things you need to think about.
Free blogging platforms
There are lots of free blogging platforms you can use such a WordPress and Blogger BUT if you are going to be writing a sex blog then using one of this platforms can be fairly risky as there is a high chance they will delete your blog if they discover it. I would also say never use weebly, wix or squarespace, they do not support any kind of adult content and if in the future you want to move your content to self hosting they make it almost impossible to do so.
Self hosting
Self hosting is the way to go when you are sex blogging. It allows you to be totally in control of your content and not risk losing all your hard work because someone decided you were too sexy for the world to see.
Self hosting is not free but it also does not need to be expensive in fact with Shark hosting (link below) you can get a adult hosting package for as little as £8 A YEAR.
Getting started
What do you need to self host? 2 things really
1) a domain name like obsceneideas.com (only not that one obviously) and privacy.
2) a hosting company that is cool with adult content, if your content is adult oriented in ANY way.
There are many places to buy domain names, I recommend buying them from Namecheap because they are cheap and they throw in privacy for free. Also I advise never to buy your domain name from your hosting company. Hosting companies go bust and if they do getting your domain name back can be a struggle.
Hosting is much trickier if you have adult content. Choose the host you like very carefully. Take time to thoroughly read the Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy as they will often have adult content clauses hidden in them. My current hosting recommendation for adult content is SharkHosting. They are an absolute bargain and so far have been very reliable.
What next?
Once you have bought your name (from a different company than your host!) and your hosting package then you need to install your software. This will be WordPress, not to be confused with WordPress as a host. Other software exists but it tends to require a lot more coding knowledge for you to be able to run it.
Most hosts offer a quckinstall for wordpress and you can absolutely do that. If you do I would make one change and not let wordpress install in a sub directory like wp or even wordpress. If they do your site url will look like someur(dot)l com/wp and if someone visits someurl.com they will see files they shouldn’t. There are ways to fix it afterwards but they are a pain in the arse for new folks and should be avoided.
If they don’t have an installer you can always use the 5 minute manual install which is really easy and the way I do wordpress install because it gives me more control over things like the database name that makes it more logical when I have to go back later and fix things
You can read the manual install instructions here WordPress Famous Five Minute Install or, if you prefer a video
Importing content from elsewhere
If you have content from another platform you want to import this is when you would do it. If not skip ahead to the next section
If you are hosted on wordpress .com you will go to your dashboard >>tools>>export and wordpress will email you a zip file.
Into the new
Here is where you put the emailed zip file
You save that file and go to your new site dashboard >>tools>>import>> wordpress import and install that plugin Once done browse to the zip file>and import that file. Once done you should have all of your posts and images, you may need to run the import several times as it can time out if you have a lot of posts. You may need to delete duplicates that multiple imports can cause.
The next section
Once you are all done you can login to your new site and get started.
First thing to do it choose a theme (warning, the issue will be choosing from the thousands available) that suits you. After that is is a matter of styling and making it look and work like you want. There are thousands of plugins that extend functionality and you will discover them as you build things but to get started I would recommend the following
- Wordfence, for security of your website
- Updraft for backups
- Jetpack, many say this slows your site, but I use it to keep some of the wordpress .com functionality
- Akismet, for spam protection (slide the slider all the way to the left to get it for free)
- Yoast SEO, for SEO
- Monster Insights for connecting Google Analytics
- Hummingbird for caching
- Really Simple SSL if you have bought or installed an SSL certificate
There is, like anything a learning curve to starting a blog but anyone who tells you that you need to learn coding is wrong. When I started I literally knew NOTHING about any of this. You learn as you go and it is totally doable. If you can turn on your computer and know how to use google you can set you your own blog and write fabulous obscene ideas on it when you do.
Molly Moore runs her own freelance business. Working for various companies managing blogs, social media and affiliate programs. She is also the author of Mollysdailykiss.com where she blogs about sex, kink and self portrait photography.