I’m a fan of self-hosted WordPress sites. I think they have a number of advantages when compared to wordpress.com:

• You own the site and it won’t be affected by any changes to wordpress.com
• It will be cheaper in the long run (as it’s difficult to run an effective author website on a free wordpress.com account)
• You can use plugins to link it to your mailing list
• Hundreds of free plugins and themes
• No adverts

But the thing that scares a lot of people about getting a self-hosted site is finding hosting.

I’m going to try to make that easy for you. Here are my recommended hosting providers:

Siteground

Based in the UK, Siteground’s plans start at just a few pounds a month. They have great support and a WordPress installer that means you can install WordPress with one click.

If you use this link you’ll get a big discount for your first year. It’s an affiliate link because I’m a customer, but I’m only recommending them because I’ve been pleased with their service.

Bluehost

Bluehost are based in the US and like Siteground, will give you dedicated WordPress support and a one-click install. They’re one of the providers recommended by wordpress.org.

This link will give you a big introductory discount (an affiliate link for wordpress.org, not me – which helps the free platform stay afloat).