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So you want to be a blogger: How to start a blog, buy a domain name, and gain a following in 10 steps

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So you want to start a blog and carve out a little corner of the internet to call your own — that’s a pretty brilliant and popular impulse. We as humans are literally creating a whole cyber-dimension, skinned right on top of our own; having your own square inch of a brand new world is exciting! Highly recommend!

I’ve been blogging since 2012 in some form or another, and starting a blog way-back-when has gotten me almost every single job (and many of the friends) I’ve had since. If it’s something you’re curious about doing, don’t let anything stop you from diving right in. Here's our step-by-step guide for what you need to know to start blogging.

1. Choose your topic and make a plan

What will your blog be about? Blogging isn’t journalism (though it can be, if you’re a journalist); it’s personal. It doesn’t shy away from the “I.” Starting a blog is a commitment — you’ll potentially have to come up with years’ worth of posts on a topic, so it should be something that speaks to your soul. If it’s something you have a pre-existing expertise in, bring that knowledge to the table. If it’s something you’ve always wanted to know about, bring a zeal for research and be honest about where you’re starting — begin as a beginner. What your followers are really interested in, no matter if you’re talking about donuts or car tires, is you. So if you’re taking a journey and learning new things (as we all are, continually, forever), talk about your process and the things that surprise you.

When posting content on the internet, you have a responsibility for truth. Yes, you might be posting creative pieces or changing names — blogs come in all shapes and sizes, after all — but what I tell everyone when I talk to them about starting a blog is that we all have a responsibility, as citizens of the internet, not to erode the facts. That doesn’t mean you need citations (though you might, if you’re laying out academic arguments or using statistics). If you’re changing names, make a note in the about section. If you’re focusing on opinion, make it clear in the writing. When in doubt, link it out: where did you find the fact or story or study you’re blogging about? Stay as transparent as possible.

Pro tip: Find your lane

You might not start out with expertise in a topic and that’s okay, but be aware of the cultural and social history of the topic at hand. Are you blogging about Indigenous Hawaiian Art when you’re neither Indigenous nor Hawaiian? Take a step back and think about why you’re telling the story you’re telling. I’m not saying don’t write it; I am saying find ways to uplift the folks already talking about it and try not to pass yourself off as an authority. Remember: when it comes to a blog, your readers are interested in what YOU bring to the table. So if you’re going on an information journey, bring us along. Tell us exactly where you’re coming from (and how you’re coming to) a topic.

None 2. Build your community

Topic is fine, well and good, but a lot of topics are fairly narrow, and maybe you’ve got five or six pieces on a topic in you before you’ve explored all you can. That’s why I say along with topic, think about community. What communities on the internet do you belong to? Where do you hang out? Who are you interested in conversing with? Is it the lesbians who write erotica? The cryptozoologists? The folks focused mostly on skincare and makeup? Carve out your niche and create content just for them.

When it comes to the internet, community wins every time: the world wide web is about connecting people to other people, after all. So brainstorm a list of your favorite people to read and listen to, and the kinds of communities they hang out in. How can you participate in the conversation?

Pro tip: Actually participate

I’m not just talking about responding to comments on your own blog, though it starts there. I’m talking about reading and commenting on other people’s blogs who are writing similarly. Follow them on social media and truly engage, and not just because you want them to feature you on their blog, or to come do a guest post on yours (though collaborations are amazing and you should totally do them). Participation only works when it's genuine, because you’re interested in what they’re saying or doing and aren't looking to get something for yourself.

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Making a plan (and sticking to it) is an important step. 3. Set a posting schedule — and stick to it

I’m going to get technical for just a moment. When it comes to SEO, blogs that aren’t updated regularly fall in the Google search results. But more importantly, don’t leave your readers hanging! Pick a schedule and, unless planned vacation or total disaster happens, stick to it. Be realistic about that schedule — three times a day is probably not for you, unless this is your full-time job (and even then, slow down, buddy). Does once weekly work? Once monthly?

Defining what success looks like should be an important part of the initial process. Step back and ask yourself why you want to do this. Is it because you’ve always wanted to make a webcomic and you don’t care how many folks see it? Or do you want to potentially launch another aspect of your career or business? Whatever success means to you, know this: it doesn’t happen in a week. I’m giving you permission to start at the very beginning. As Julie Andrews says, it’s a very good place to start. Keep updating regularly and your success will come, whatever that looks like to you. It might take a minute, so sit back and enjoy the journey.

Pro-Tip: Write your first three posts

Before you even start futzing around with platforms and hosting, write your first three blog posts to see if you like your chosen topic and you have enough to say about it. Don’t put them anywhere just yet — use a program like Ulysses, iA Writer, or Byword that allows linking (and publishes to a variety of platforms) to cut down on steps (and to get yourself a distraction-free writing environment). This will allow you to sharpen your voice before you've ever committed to putting a single blog post on the internet.

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WordPress is an excellent option for first-time bloggers. 4. Select a blogging platform

Now that you’ve got a plan, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to execute it. There are two places you might want to start when it comes to the technical aspects — the first is a blogging platform. While many website builders are great for static pages, make sure you’re choosing software made specifically for blogging, or you’re in for a very frustrating time.

Squarespace

Squarespace is pricey, but in terms of bang for beginner buck, it’s an excellent option. It provides the blogging content manager, the host, and the domain name all in one go. And with templates, the design looks great right out of the box. They also have 24/7 customer support and they’re very effective. If you don't have any previous blogging experience, I highly recommend at least considering a start here. They’ve got a free trial so you can play around and see what working with Squarespace would feel like.

WordPress

I often recommend WordPress because it powers more than 40% of websites (according to data available as of July 2021.) That way, even if you stop blogging in a year or two, the skills you’ve learned are translatable to a lot of different jobs since chances are good that your company’s website will also run on WordPress. I also recommend it because WordPress is a tool that grows with you: whether you know nothing about HTML or web development, or you know a lot, you can use WordPress at your level. And because it’s so popular, a ton of designers have made free and paid templates for it, making the platform hella customizable. There are two different WordPresses. WordPress.com is a profit-based platform with free and paid features where you can host and get your domain name for a price. WordPress.org is the home of the open-source WordPress software, which is free but requires a few more steps to set up (like acquiring hosting and a domain name).

Medium

Listen, if you want a solid looking blog and you have no money and you’re good with a beautiful (but generic) look, Medium is an excellent choice, and it’s the fastest way to start a blog out of any of the options listed here. There’s a lot that’s positive about Medium besides that as well. Many publications run on Medium (think The Nib or drDoctor), so if you happen to write for anyone else who uses Medium while you’re blogging, it all stays on your Medium Profile. You can also start a collaborative blog very easily with Medium, so if you’re looking at something you and a friend can do together, this one might be for you.

Other options

While those are my top picks, there are plenty of blogging platforms out there to try. A classic one is Blogger by Google, which is free and easy, but those blogs have a reputation for being a bit on the ugly side. Then there’s Weebly, which has a free variant and different tiers of pricing depending on what you need, starting at US$4 monthly to connect a domain you already have (more on that in a moment).

Wix is quite similar to Weebly, with its most basic paid plan starting at US$5. Tumblr is an option if your blog is geared toward fandom or another die-hard community (think Studyblr, a community of studying students, or Witchblr, a community of practicing Pagans), and it’s a free service. You can even use a domain name you already have, but it’s a bit…advanced.

Pro-Tip: Free trials

Do them! In fact, even for the platforms that are free to begin with, make an account and try them out. I can talk until I’m blue in the face about the pros and cons of each, but in the end and no matter what I say, if you hate using what you pick, you won’t blog.

None 5. Claim your domain name

A domain name is the URL that folks type into the browser to reach your website. It's like your fingerprint on the internet — no two are exactly the same. Which means if you have an excellent idea, you have to search it right away to see if it’s taken, and then snap it up if it’s not. But if you do snap it up and then you decide to go with Squarespace, which comes with a domain name registration, you’re paying unnecessary money. There are so many ways to go about this that a definitive step-by-step is nigh near impossible. All I can say is this: if you have a brilliant idea for a domain name right now, stop reading and search it at one of the following registrars.

Namecheap

Namecheap is my personal favorite registrar, mostly because I’ve never had a problem with it (and I’ve bought domains from a lot of places). It’s easy to use with good customer support.

Domainr

Domainr lets you get a bit more clever with your domain names by presenting you with several options to spell what you type using the TLD (top level domain, otherwise known as “the bit after the period.” .com is the most common one). For example, I helped found and run a literary magazine called qu.ee/r — and that was our URL. .ee is the Estonian TLD.

In the era of internet past, the common wisdom was to take the name of your blog and make sure to get the .com, .org and .net URLs. That actually made a sort of internet gridlock and we now have a lot more TLDs to choose from — things like .design and .camp and .fun. The common wisdom doesn’t apply as much, but if you can, grab the .com and a couple others with the same name that still apply to your blog title.

Even if you don’t really plan to use it to its fullest advantage, you should get your name so no one can do things you hate with it and then have it rank number one in Google searches when people Google you. If you can’t get the .com, use another TLD — something, anything, just get a variation of your name and put a landing page with a résumé up there, or forward it to your blog by adding it on your host as a forwarded domain.

Pro-Tip: Read ‘em out loud

I have a friend named Carmen Rios whose URL is carmenfuckingrios.com, which sounds badass and on-brand for her. I use her website as an example of a good domain name purchase all the time. A student of mine who we’ll call John Michael tried to copy her and bought the domain name johnfuckingmichael. He didn’t realize until after he purchased it that maybe this was not exactly the same brilliant choice for him. Remember: there are no capital letters or spaces in a domain name. Always read your domain names aloud and show them to a couple of people you trust before hitting the “buy” button, lest you wind up here.

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A host is a third party that literally "hosts" your blog on its server. 6. Find a host

If you’ve chosen Squarespace, Medium, or the .com sort of WordPress, you actually don’t have to worry about this bit. But if you’ve gone the route of the .org sort of WordPress (or any number of other blog management platforms), you’ll need to put your blog on a server. Basically all that means is a computer that’s connected to the internet 24/7 and can serve it quickly to browsers all over the world, no matter the time or place. A host is a third party that literally "hosts" your website on a server. Here are a few good options:

Bluehost

Bluehost is cost effective and has excellent customer service. I use Bluehost myself, and whenever I’m advising students or clients, I have them use Bluehost as well. You get a free domain with a lot of different packages, which means your domain and your host can all be from one place (easier to keep track of and easier to set up). And if you’ve chosen to work with WordPress, they’ve got a one-click WordPress install. Installing software on a server is a little more complex than doing so without your computer, and you might have to do it without the benefit of an installer, so the one-click install really is clutch.

Namecheap

I bring this up because you might have already bought your domain through them. Namecheap also provides hosting, and if you want the benefit of paying one provider instead of several (and having the host and domain name work together without doing anything on your end), Namecheap is another excellent option. They also have a super-cheap WordPress option for one dollar a month. Perfect for a budding blogger!

Web Hosting for Students

If you’re working on multiple projects and you want the barest of bones and you’re a student anywhere (not just at a college or university), you might want to consider Web Hosting for Students. It’s US$25 yearly for one website, US$50 for three (so if you and your friends all want to start blogs, going in together on that is an excellent deal), and US$100 a year for unlimited websites (excellent if you’ve got an eye for managing websites as a business).

Other options

There are so many hosting services that it’s nearly impossible to try all of them, so there are plenty out there that might make sense for you that I don’t have personal experience with. Among them are HostGator, which begins at US$2.75 monthly, and Dreamhost, which begins at US$2.59 monthly. (Read more about some of the best cheap hosting platforms here.)

Pro-Tip: Name servers

If your domain name is purchased somewhere other than your host, you’re going to have to enable the domain name and host to speak to each other — that means changing the DNS, or name servers. All hosts have different name server names, so look those up on your host first. Then head to your domain registrar. Each one of these is different too, but likely you’ll click on the domain name and there will be a section for DNS or name servers. If you’re using Bluehost, here’s a shortcut to their tutorial. If you’re using Namecheap, here’s a shortcut to theirs as well. Most registrars will have documentation with a step-by-step that’s specific to their own user interface. Remember that sometimes this change is effective pretty quickly, and other times it can take up to 24 hours for it to occur.

7. Learn some basic SEO

When it comes to SEO (search engine optimization, or the art of appearing on the first page of Google), some things remain a mystery. Google’s precise algorithm is a carefully guarded secret that they talk about only vaguely, and understandably so. A lot of what we know about SEO are constructed by press release, guess, trial-and-error, and to top it all off, it’s all likely to change at any moment. What we do know is this: people write search engines to try to think like humans. So write clearly and organize your ideas like a human being would and you’re golden. Also use some of these quick tips and tricks — they aren’t the be-all and end-all, and if any of them interrupt your creative flow, feel free to scrap them. But they might help people find you when they Google for your topic.

Organize using headers

Exactly like I’ve done here, clearly label your sections with headers. Google ranks topics in headers as more important than what’s on the rest of the page.

Stick to that schedule

Websites that are updated frequently and most recently rank as more important when it comes to Google search. So remember that schedule we talked about way in the beginning? Well stick to it—your readers will like it and so will the robots.

Links are endorsements

Whether or not it’s actually true, search engines view links as endorsements for the content on that particular page. This is me telling you to link both wisely and well, and I am also letting you know that when you collaborate and participate and other blogs link to your site, that’s helpful. The robots read your content as trustworthy, and therefore more important.

Don’t rely on search engines alone

People seem fixated on SEO, and I actually discourage that fixation. The robots can help you, but they cannot save you. Remember to cultivate a healthy social media posting schedule as well, and if you’re going to rely on anything at all, rely on participating in the internet communities that are blogging about the same or similar topics as you. Community wins every time.

Pro-Tip: accessibility

The good news is that some of the SEO pro-tips also make it easier for blind folks using screen readers to access your content. So go ahead and caption that photo in a really detailed, descriptive way. You’ll be glad you did, and so will your readers who can’t see the display.

A little coding knowledge can take you a long way. 8. Learn to code.

All of the solutions listed here don’t require any knowledge of code or web development to use. But the more you know, the more you can do. If you know PHP, for instance, you can customize WordPress templates or make your own theme. If you know JSON, you can register as a Squarespace developer and do the same. Here are some places to get started if you're feeling ambitious:

Treehouse

I’ve used Treehouse for years to brush up on things as I forget them (which is rapidly). Treehouse taught me CSS and enough PHP to get myself into trouble. They could teach me more PHP, in fact, if I were a more dedicated student. They have excellent forums, video courses, and badges for completing things, which appeals to the Scout in me. It’s US$25 a month, and they have a 7-day free trial (always do free trials!). They also have an SEO course, which has proven very informative.

Lynda

Lynda is the learning website everyone knows best, and boy is it tried and true. Whereas Treehouse is focused on coding, Lynda has coding AND courses in design, photography — basically in anything and everything you’d want to do with a computer. This might be especially important to you if you want to include any sort of photography in your blog. Are you blogging about fashion? Your homestead or farm? This might be an excellent solution for you at US$30 monthly (and of course, they’ve got a free trial that you should totally do).

Skillshare

If you’d like the same breadth as Lynda for half the cost, Skillshare might be an option for you. At US$15 monthly, you can access more than 22,000 classes taught by professionals. As a platform, it also has a digital focus. Learn on topics like making webcomics, mastering Illustrator, or the basics of DSLR photography. Depending on what sort of production your blog requires, you might find Skillshare very useful.

Coursera

Coursera is a little bit different in that these are courses from universities and colleges. You even have the option to get certificates by doing multiple courses, most of which are US$49 per month. The reason I include this one is not only can you do a web design specialization, you can take courses in subjects such as art history, physics, and psychology. If you’re blogging about a topic and you’re going on a knowledge journey, taking one of these courses on your topic of choice might be a fun way to get inspiration. Udemy is another great option for online learning — you could even take a class like this one on how to start a blog.

9. Explore options for multimedia

This entire article has operated under the assumption that the story you want to tell fits best in a blog. But what if that’s not the case? There are so many ways to tell a story online.

YouTube

If your topic includes a lot of demonstration — like makeup or painting miniatures — or you’re just very charismatic, then YouTube might be the place for you. When you’re figuring out which communities you want to be a part of, check out the YouTube scene and ask yourself if you’d prefer to partake in the conversation via video instead. The pro for this is increased visibility. The autoplay feature might help you out, for instance. The con is a higher barrier to entry. Video requires more equipment and software than writing. Also if you’re a member of the LGBTQ community, do beware. YouTube is actively hostile toward the LGBTQ community and demonetizes videos by queer creators. Consider using another service to host your videos, like Vimeo, and setting up services like Patreon or Ko-Fi to allow your viewers to pay you for content.

Substack

I subscribe to two Substack newsletters (Mara Wilson’s and Daniel Mallory Ortberg’s, if you’re curious) and honestly, if you’re thinking about the sort of musings that the Golden Age of Blogging in the early aughts provided (ones that are far less about topic and community, and more about the interesting lives of the individual author and the ways in which their brain operates), Substack might be a better home for your story. The email newsletter is having a renaissance, and because it’s going straight to an inbox, it can be easier to manage nasty comments (people seem less inclined to leave them) and feel nicer to share something more intimate (even though it also goes on your Substack page). Consider how your voice would sound in an email to make the decision between the two. For your readers, would it be better to feel like they’re receiving a letter from a friend?

Instagram

Microblogging on Instagram is another option, especially if your posts are fairly short and always include a video or a photo. For a few successful microbloggers, check out Juniper the Fox and Desserted in Paris. If this kind of thing looks like exactly what you’d enjoy doing, try reading Styling for Instagram by Leela Cyd and Read This If You Want to be Instagram Famous, edited by Henry Carroll.

10. Most important of all: Follow your heart

Seriously. Follow your heart. Go where you’re curious, talk to the people you want to talk to. Try out a few different things. You’ll certainly make mistakes and course-correct along the way, and that’s okay. It’s all part of discovering what your corner of the internet is going to be about. Just remember: make the world, both physical and digital, a better place with what you put there. Now get out there and start blogging. See you on the internet!

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Best free website builder 2021: Easy-to-use top picks

There are plenty of good reasons to build your own personal website. Perhaps you'd like to share archival photos and documents with friends and family members, exhibit your prized baseball card collection, publish a novel, or simply blog about your life and travels. These are all good motivators to sign up for a reliable and reasonably priced web content-management toolset.

Beyond the free "personal" web pages offered by Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and other social networks -- in which your personal information becomes part of the network's lingua franca -- there are several excellent yet free or inexpensive web services that offer alternative ways to establish your own internet stake in the ground. These website-building products enable users to design, provision, and maintain a personal website in minutes or hours, depending upon how much time and effort one chooses to spend on the project.

Working with a website builder is relatively easy because they offer a what-you-see-is-what-you-get editing interface -- meaning what you see. At the same time, you edit your site is what you will actually see if your website was live and viewed in a browser. The best website builders are rich in features that include professionally designed website templates, easy-to-use, drag-and-drop editors, and onboard hosting services.

Chief criteria used for this list include

Intuitive usability (easy-to-follow instructions and performance)

Ease of design (drag and drop controls, wizards, pre-built templates)

A domain name included

Professional email

Mobile device-readiness

Security options

Special features (is it commerce-ready?)

Optimization for search engines

Some of these listed services will have all of the above; some will miss one or more of these but may offer other features.

See more: ZDNet's list of best e-commerce site builders

Best of the free options

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One thing that comes out clearly in research here is that Wix is a head-and-shoulders No. 1 by acclamation of the resources we used. Wix is an intuitive-to-use site builder with hundreds of page templates -- most of which are attractively designed -- drag-and-drop elements, easy-to-follow wizards, and a menu of helpful widgets.

For people looking to get a website online with minimal effort and maximum creative freedom, Wix should be one of your test choices. No coding or FTP knowledge is required. All a user needs is an email address to get started with Wix's web hosting. If you don't mind ads, you can publish a site free of charge for as long as you like. It's that way with all the free sites.

Wix offers total creative control in that you can drag anything, anywhere. It also offers online storage for site assets, e-commerce tools, useful video backgrounds, and title animations. Wix's new Editor X interface is intuitive to use and respected in the highly competitive field of website-building services. In summary, Wix is a simple-to-use, multi-faceted tool that is well worth a test drive--whether for its free or paid versions.

Wix's most important features:

Intuitive Editor X interface.

Many optional widgets.

Hundreds of templates for specific businesses and other uses.

Good mobile-site-building tools.

Rich web-store features.

Excellent uptime and customer service support.

Many commerce options, including the ability to sell digital downloads.

Free version option.

Wix pricing plans: Basic: no cost, ad-supported; Combo account (3GB of storage and 2GB of monthly data transfers), $14 per month; VIP plan (35GB of storage, a domain name, unlimited monthly data transfers, a professional logo, and priority support), $39 per month.

Business sites with shopping carts and other features go for between $23 and $49 per month.

Enterprise-level plans require consultation with Wix and start at $500 per month. For details, go here.

View Now at Wix Established high quality based on open source

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WordPress is by far the most utilized internet content management system in the world, powering 37 million sites -- about 40% of all websites in 2021, according to market analyst Kinsta and researcher Netcraft. WordPress also owns a commanding 60.8% share of the CMS market; Digital.com reports that it powers 30% of the world's top 1000 websites.

Since its founding in 2003, the open source-based WordPress provides hosting for more than 500 sites built each day somewhere in the world. WordPress's Plugin Directory features 54 000+ free plugins; its WooCommerce version powers 22% of the world's top 1 million e-commerce sites. The main reasons why so many people put WordPress to work are simplicity in usability, its free option and generally low cost, and numerous features, mostly from the open-source community.

The term "WordPress" is often used interchangeably when referring to two software variations. There are significant differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org that you'll want to know before picking the platform for your project. WordPress.org is an open-source content management system, while WordPress.com is a popular blogging platform with basic functionality that can be accessed free of charge.

WordPress is available in 196 languages, far more than other competitors.

WordPress's most important features:

Simple-to-use editing interface.

A forgiving design system that preemptively identifies and notifies users of mistakes.

A large number of optional widgets.

Online storage for web assets.

Hundreds of templates for specific businesses and other uses.

Free version option and other modestly priced versions.

*Be advised that some coding is required for the upper-level editions.

WordPress pricing and monthly plans: Basic: no cost; all others go for between $5 and $100 per month, depending upon features and hosting options.

View Now at WordPress An alternative to consider for making a fast and clean-looking site.

Site 123

Site 123 is a rising developer-created website builder with about 5 million users that wants to be the easiest-to-use platform now available for do-it-yourselfers. Of course, lots of services make the same claim, but Site123 deigns to prove their point with an easy-to-use interface and templates.

Site 123 is best for building a small, quick website on a premade template, and it has a generous free plan along with straightforward onboarding and web design options.

Instead of operating like a traditional drag-and-drop website builder, Site123 has users pick their preferences and customize a curated template based on that niche, which appeals to beginners with no design or development experience.

Site 123 does have limited design and technical features and doesn't offer a lot of customer support. Again, if you're keeping it simple, these caveats aren't a problem.

Site 123's most important features:

Provides all the basics someone needs to get started.

No-frills design and layout promote fast development.

An adequate number of easy-to-use templates.

Free of charge based on ads.

Instead of operating like a traditional drag-and-drop website builder, Site123 has you pick your niche and then customize a curated template based on that niche, which appeals to beginners who have no design or development experience (think DIY-ers who need to create a website ASAP without having any website experience).

*Be advised that a basic Site 123 account isn't optimal for equipping and maintaining a commercial website.

Site 123 pricing and monthly plans: Basic service is free of charge; paid plans start at $12.80/month, which includes a free domain for a year, the ability to connect your custom domain, 10GB of storage, 5GB of bandwidth, and the ability to send 100 email messages to your mailing list per month -- It also removes the Site123 branding that comes with the free plan.

View Now at Site 123 Good for beginners, but the free version might be too restrictive for most users.

SimpleSite

SimpleSite certainly lives up to its name, giving its users an easy, straightforward path to building basic websites. SimpleSite emphasizes speed over perfection, which is evident in its simple page editor. If you want creative freedom to try new things and experiment with others, a free SimpleSite won't be the builder for you.

It's not particularly intuitive; straying from the chosen template can cause problems. If you want to stay on the straight and narrow, you're fine with SimpleSite.

SimpleSite's most important features:

Free version: no-frills design and layout promote fast development.

Software guides users through the building process; simply choose a color scheme, add images, title, and domain name, then create a login. This final step automatically publishes your site, which you can then go back and finish editing.

SimpleSite is beginner-friendly. It wasn't always the most intuitive; at times, its simplicity becomes restrictive, making it difficult to do some basic design functions.

*Be advised that SimpleSite isn't optimal for equipping and maintaining a commercial website.

SimpleSite pricing and monthly plans: Basic: no cost (includes SimpleSite ads, 15 pages, limited design options, five online store products, mobile-optimized); other options range from $15.49 to $30.49 per month for e-commerce and full-featured personal sites.

View Now at SimpleSite Highly recommended for starting a business site.

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Weebly offers step-by-step guidance on building a new website and maybe the best on this list for e-commerce business owners. Weebly can handle entire payment processes, email marketing, multiple domains, and a long list of other features -- though not all of them are available in the free version.

As part of the Square product suite, Weebly's payments are handled by the Square point-of-sale system, so it's in effect an automated payment process -- whether for a pop-up shop or an online store. Not having to worry about the financial underpinnings of a site can be a load lifted off the owner's shoulders.

Weebly's most important features:

Easy customization.

Integration with other apps and add-ons.

Intuitive and easy to use.

Constantly improving and adding new features.

Meets standards for security and cookies.

It has an auto-save function, so work doesn't get lost.

Many template options to use as a starting point.

Dynamic video background.

Built-in image editor.

Weebly pricing and monthly plans: Basic: no cost; other options range from $8 to $38 per month for e-commerce and full-featured personal sites.

View Now at Weebly Good option for European website makers

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Jimdo has a good set of tools for a person needing a website builder that is super-simple and straightforward -- and extra credit if the user is based in Europe (it handles most European languages). Jimdo is not optimal if a user needs any kind of advanced technical features or wants flexibility over specific design changes.

With Jimdo, there are two ways of creating your website: Jimdo Creator and Jimdo Dolphin. Jimdo Creator is Jimdo's main platform, a full-fledged editing interface. Users can add in their own content, resize items, and drag elements into different positions. Jimdo Dolphin is an ADI (artificial design intelligence) package. Answer a few questions about what you want on the site, and Jimdo will create it for you. Both are excellent ways to build a website but focus on very different requirements.

Jimdo's most important attributes:

Inexpensive to publish an advertisement-free website.

Unlimited storage space on the business plan or higher.

Help and support are concise and to the point.

Middle of the road in terms of ease of use; some people found it straightforward, while others were left frustrated by Jimdo's restrictive template design.

Jimdo pricing and monthly plans: Basic: no cost; other options range from $9 to $15 per month for e-commerce and full-featured personal sites.

View Now at Jimdo Visual CMS design is a plus.

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Webflow is another contender for grabbing market share that some of the larger, more well-known web-building tools don't have. Users have marveled at the ease of creating sites on Webflow, and since everything is linked to CSS-style classes, the designs stay fairly clean compared to other drag 'n drop / WYSIWYG editors. Some users are sold on the Visual CMS design functionality, which helps design custom-tailed CMSes. The CSS Grid and Flexbox layout options are also a nice aid in designing and aligning elements.

Reviewers have noted that the client editor isn't the most intuitive and makes it hard to edit certain aspects, such as background images.

Webflow's most important attributes:

Strong tools for crafting phone and tablet sites.

Good web store tools.

It offers a customized database.

Enables use of custom CSS and HTML code.

Strong e-commerce options, with support for digital downloads.

Unlimited storage and monthly data transfers with all plans.

Webflow pricing and monthly plans: Basic: no cost; other options range from $12 to $36 per month for e-commerce and full-featured personal sites.

View Now at Webflow What are the advantages of using DIY website builders?

Especially for smaller companies and self-employed people, website builders offer great value because you can create your own website within a short time and without great cost.

The interface is very intuitive, and programming skills are not necessary. The creation of a blog or online store is also easily possible with many providers.

How long does it take to create a homepage with a website builder?

Thanks to ready-to-use templates (usually sorted by industry), you can quickly create the first draft. Afterwards, modules for texts, image galleries, videos, contact forms, and other elements can be placed on the page and filled with content. In most cases, they can be easily placed in the right position by simply dragging and dropping.

How much time you need varies greatly depending on the project, preparation, and maintenance. Some websites go online within five minutes; others take one to two days of work.

How much does it cost to create your own online presence?

Many providers offer their users a permanently free version of their website builder. Compared to the paid ones, however, the free plans come with some restrictions. This means that there may be tools and functions that you cannot use as a free user. In addition, websites created for free have advertising references to the provider both on the homepage and in the domain.

If you don't want this, you should consider upgrading your plan for a monthly fee of about $5 to $40.

15 Best Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy Now

In this article, we discuss the 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of Buffett’s history, investment philosophy, and performance, go directly to the 5 Best Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy Now.

Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and the Oracle of Omaha is one of the most successful - if not the most successful - investors of all time. He is well-known as the proponent of value investing as he only invests in companies with strong fundamentals and high earnings potential. His net worth is over $100 billion and comes primarily from Berkshire Hathaway.

As of the end of the first quarter of 2021, Berkshire Hathaway's 13F holdings included 46 companies among which there are very high-profile stocks such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM).

15 Best Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy Now

Warren Buffett was extremely successful prior to the 90s when investing was easier. There are several other legendary investors who were extremely successful prior to the 90s but seem to lost their touch over the past decade. As information disseminated more freely and quicker, the easy profits in the stock market disappeared. Nevertheless Warren Buffett is still a much better investor than most hedge fund managers. One thing Buffett got right whereas most "hedge" fund managers got wrong is hedging. Buffett doesn't believe in consistently hedging his bets. The stock market tends to rise over long periods of time, so it is a much better strategy not to hedge in the short term. Ten years ago Berkshire's shares were changing hands at $73. Today, the same shares trade at $278. Investors who consistently stayed invested in Buffett's company nearly quadrupled their money. Unfortunately, S&P 500 ETF (SPY) investors performed slightly better than Mr. Buffett during the last 10 years. SPY was trading at an adjusted price of $100 ten years ago. Today, it is trading at $439. Warren Buffett underperformed the market by 58 percentage points in 10 years.

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As you can see, investing in Berkshire Hathaway hasn't been a good idea over the last 10 years. However, our research has shown that there is a positive correlation between Warren Buffett's stock position sizes and returns. For example Warren Buffett's top 10 stock positions generated annual alpha of 1 percentage point between 1999 and 2017. That's not much, but still better than the zero alpha offered by passive index funds.

The success of Warren Buffett is an exception in the investing world that has been lagging for quite some time. The entire hedge fund industry is feeling the reverberations of the changing financial landscape. Its reputation has been tarnished in the last decade, during which its hedged returns couldn’t keep up with the unhedged returns of the market indices. On the other hand, Insider Monkey’s research was able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the S&P 500 ETFs by more than 124 percentage points since March 2017. Between March 2017 and May 29th 2021 our monthly newsletter’s stock picks returned 206.8%, vs. 91.0% for the SPY. Our stock picks outperformed the market by more than 115 percentage points (see the details here). That’s why we believe hedge fund sentiment is an extremely useful indicator that investors should pay attention to. You can subscribe to our free newsletter on our homepage to receive our stories in your inbox.

With this context in mind, here is our list of the 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. These companies were ranked keeping in mind the basic business fundamentals, hedge fund sentiment, and analyst ratings for each.

15. AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 72

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) is a drug manufacturer based in North Chicago, Illinois. It is ranked fifteenth on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned over 20.11% to investors over the course of the past year.

On April 30, AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) posted earnings for the first quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $2.95, beating estimates by $0.12. The revenue over the period was around $12.94 billion, up 50.08% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 72 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth around $5.92 billion in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV). Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has the most valuable position in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, worth close to $2.47 billion, comprising 0.91% of its total 13F portfolio.

On July 2, Daiwa gave an Outperform rating to AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) with a $126 price target.

Just like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM), AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) is one of the best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now.

14. Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 41

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) is an American multinational energy corporation, mainly active in the oil and natural gas industries. It is ranked fourteenth on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned over 9.22% to investors over the course of the past year.

On April 30, Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) posted earnings for the first quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $$0.90, missing estimates by $0.04. The revenue over the period was around $32.03 billion, up 1.68% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 41 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth around $4.87 billion in Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX). Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has the most valuable position in Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, worth close to $2.48 billion, comprising 0.91% of its total 13F portfolio.

On July 23, Piper Sandler increased its price target on Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) to $137 from $125 while maintaining its Overweight rating and arguing that the crude oil market boosts the free cash flow expectations for the company.

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Nelson Capital Management, an investment management firm, mentioned Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX). Here is what the firm had to say:

In the energy sector, we bought a position in Chevron (tkr: CVX). As interest rates have increased, we have witnessed a rotation out of growth and momentum stocks and into value stocks. We think this trend could continue, which would be advantageous for Chevron . Additionally, we anticipate an uptick in oil and gas demand as more people get vaccinated and air travel picks up . Higher oil prices coupled with increased demand should lead to better earnings results for Chevron, which will enable it to support (or perhaps grow) its Large 5% dividend.

13. VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 42

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is an American company operating a varied array of network infrastructure, including the authoritative domain name registries of the Internet's top-level domains, .com and .net. It is ranked thirteenth on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned over 12.25% to investors over the course of the past year.

On July 22, VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) posted earnings for the second quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $1.31, missing estimates by $0.05. The revenue over the period was around $329 million, up 4.78% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 42 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $5.64 billion in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN). Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has the most valuable position in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, worth close to $2.55 billion, comprising 0.94% of its total 13F portfolio.

In the first quarter of 2021, William Von Mueffling's Cantillon Capital Management increased its stake in VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) by 23% to around $360 million, comprising 2.62% of its total 13F portfolio.

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is one of the best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now, alongside Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM).

12. Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 74

Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) is an American telecommunication and mass media company. It is ranked twelfth on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned over 27.23% to investors over the course of the past year.

On April 30, Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) posted earnings for the first quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $4.23, missing estimates by $0.19. The revenue over the period was around $12.52 billion, up 6.68% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 74 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $16.40 billion in Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR). Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, billionaire Chris Hohn's TCI Fund Management has the most valuable position in Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, worth close to $6.33 billion, comprising 18.36% of its total 13F portfolio.

On July 20, Morgan Stanley kept its Overweight rating on Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) while boosting its price target to $800 from $750, expecting higher EBITDA growth.

In its Q1 2021 investor letter, ClearBridge Investments, an investment management firm, mentioned Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR). Here is what the firm had to say:

The portfolio’s quality bias and valuation discipline have generated compelling returns over time with typically strong relative results in more challenging environments as it did through the first three quarters of 2020. However, that same quality bias tends to create a more challenging relative performance environment for the Strategy during periods of sharp economic acceleration, which tend to benefit stocks that are more commodity linked or of lower quality. This has been the case during the vaccine- and stimulus-driven rally experienced late last year and during the most recent quarter. Sectors that lagged in the quarter included communication services, where Charter trailed after generating robust returns earlier in the recovery.

11. The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK) Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 49

The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK) is an investment services and management company. It is ranked eleventh on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned 36.44% to investors over the course of the past year.

On July 15, The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK) posted earnings for the second quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $1.13, beating estimates by $0.13. The revenue over the period was around $3.96 billion, down 1.25% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 49 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $4.77 billion in The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK), up from 47 the preceding quarter worth $4.69 billion.

On July 20, Argus upgraded its rating on The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK) to Buy from Hold and put a $55 price target, arguing that its revenue will become better with its high asset levels.

In addition to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM), The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK) is one of the best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now.

10. General Motors Company (NYSE: GM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) is an American multinational corporation, manufacturing and selling automobiles and automobile parts. It is ranked tenth on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned 118.16% to investors over the course of the past year.

On May 5, General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) posted earnings for the first quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $2.25, beating estimates by $1.20. The revenue over the period was around $32.47 billion, down 0.72% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 86 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $8.05 billion in General Motors Company (NYSE: GM), up from 70 the preceding quarter worth $6.33 billion.

On July 16, BofA kept its Buy rating on General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) while boosting its price target to $90 from $80. BofA expects Q2 results to be very good against a backdrop of low outlooks for the auto industry.

9. DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 34

DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) is a medical care company providing kidney dialysis services. It is ranked ninth on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned 39.65% to investors over the course of the past year.

On April 29, DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) posted earnings for the first quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $2.09, beating estimates by $0.31. The revenue over the period was around $2.82 billion, down 0.75% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 34 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $4.40 billion in DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), up from 32 the preceding quarter worth $4.81 billion.

On July 19, Deutsche Bank boosted its price target on DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) to $207 from $150 and maintained its Buy rating, arguing that the company had a structural shift for the better.

DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) is one of the best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now, much like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM).

8. U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 43

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) is an American bank with a significant presence in retail banking with a high number of branches. It is ranked eighth on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned 56.28% to investors over the course of the past year.

On July 15, U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) posted earnings for the second quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $1.28, beating estimates by $0.15. The revenue over the period was around $5.76 billion, down 1.00% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 43 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $8.34 billion in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB). Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has the most valuable position in U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, worth close to $7.17 billion, comprising 2.65% of its total 13F portfolio.

On July 16, Barclays kept its Overweight rating on U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) while raising its price target to $68 from $65, noting that its fee income was higher than expected in the second quarter of 2021.

7. Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 55

Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is an American financial services company, offering credit ratings as well as providing financial analysis services. It is ranked seventh on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned 30.29% to investors over the course of the past year.

On April 28, Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) posted earnings for the first quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $4.06, beating estimates by $1.26. The revenue over the period was around $1.60 billion, up 24.03% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 55 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $13.73 billion in Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has the most valuable position in Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, worth close to $7.37 billion, comprising 2.72% of its total 13F portfolio.

On July 7, Raymond James kept its Outperform rating on Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) with a price target increase to $394 from $341, forecasting an increase in its ratings revenue.

Apart from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM), AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) is one of the best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now.

6. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 69

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) is an American telecommunication company. It is ranked sixth on our list of 15 best Warren Buffett stocks to buy now. The stock has returned 0.20% to investors over the course of the past year.

On July 21, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) posted earnings for the second quarter of 2021, reporting earnings per share of $1.37, beating estimates by $0.07. The revenue over the period was around $33.76 billion, up 10.89% year-over-year.

At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 69 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $11.38 billion in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), up from 67 the preceding quarter worth $10.50 billion.

In the first quarter of 2021, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) by 9% to around $9.24 billion, comprising 3.41% of its total 13F portfolio and having the most valuable position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ).

On July 7, Tigress Financial kept its Buy rating on Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) with a $67 price target, noting that the company will benefit further from its 5G network development.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Best Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy Now.

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