If you want to set-up and control your own blog you will need a blog hosting service. Of course you will not find this specifically, so you need a web hosting service that is user friendly for the type of blog you want.

Before signing up with such a service you might just consider if a free blog on one of the big blogging sites like Google’s Blogger or WordPress.com would meet your needs. These allow you to quickly create a blog but you do not have the flexibility that comes with hosting your own.

The first thing to consider is the domain name. You will need this when you sign-up with a hosting service and will need to decide whether to register if via the hosting company or with a third party registrar. In terms of the operation of your site it does not make any difference but having it registered with a third party will probably make it easier to change hosting companies later, if you need to do so. If you use the hosting company make sure that you own the domain and be aware that even if it is free (i.e. part of the package) you will have to pay for it if you cancel the hosting, even during any money back guarantee period.

There are a number of platforms you can use for a blog but WordPress is the most popular. There are a great number of plugins available which means you can get your site to behave as you wish. There are also numerous themes available which means you can get the appearance and layout of your blog as you require. If you have any problems or want something different you will find lots of help available online.

You might consider using one of the free web hosting sites but if you are new to blog hosting I would advise against this. The most of big hosting companies support WordPress and offer “One Click”, or at least very easy, installs which means that you can have your blog up and running in just a few minutes. If you have any problems they will provide support.  With free hosting you will have to learn how to install WordPress manually and if you get stuck you can only expect limited support by email (as this is expensive to provide).

I have tried a number of hosting companies for blog hosting and my present recommendation is HostGator, I have found that the service includes everything I need and the support is good.