How to start a blog with Lyrical Host (5 Easy Steps)

If you’re considering starting a self-hosted blog on WordPress.org, chances are you’ve encountered numerous web hosting services.

With so many choices and conflicting advice out there, it can be overwhelming to decide which hosting provider is the best option for your needs. But if you want to have an easy and stress-free experience while building and growing your blog, then Lyrical Host is the one I recommend the most.

This is a small (but powerful) web hosting company that has been created specifically for bloggers!

In this post, I’ll explain the exact steps to set up a blog with Lyrical Host and share a discount code you can use to get started. 

As an affiliate of Lyrical Host, I will earn a small commission if you decide to use my links. Don’t worry, using my discount coupon will actually save you money and I would recommend them anyway! Here’s my full disclosure.

How to start a blog with Lyrical Host in 5 easy steps

While starting a blog involves a lot of planning and strategic steps, as I’ve covered in my ultimate guide to starting a blogging business, I wanted to help you out with the technical side of things as well. In this shorter but in-debt tutorial, I’ll be detailing the essential steps you need to take to get your website (and your blogging business!) up and running:

• Registering a domain name
• Purchasing a hosting plan
• Getting started on WordPress
• Setting up branded emails

Step 1: Choose your hosting plan

The first step to setting up a blog with Lyrical Host is choosing the right hosting plan for your needs.

They offer three different plans:

• The Tiny plan, for 1 WordPress site;
• The Mighty plan, for up to 3 WordPress sites; and
• The Boss plan, for 38 WordPress sites

While some features vary a little, each of these WordPress hosting plans will offer you the same level of quality and top-notch customer support. The Tiny plan is the perfect choice if you’re starting your first blog. 

However, if you’re a more advanced blogger with multiple websites, then the Mighty or Boss plans will be better suited since these allow you to host multiple WordPress installs and unlimited email accounts. 

In any case, you can always upgrade your plan later if needed.

To get started, head over to https://www.lyricalhost.com/, scroll down to review the three plans, and click “Order Now”.

Step 2: Register your domain

Once you have chosen your hosting plan, it’s time to register a domain—your blog’s URL (or name)! Mine is bloggingshethrives.com.

If you already own a domain name, you can transfer it to Lyrical Host (they’ll even add another year to your domain’s expiry date).

But if you’re starting from scratch, simply type in your preferred blog name and check for availability. Once you find a good domain that is available, add it to the cart, scroll down, and click “Continue”.

On the next screen, you’ll be reconfirming your hosting plan and preferred billing cycle:

• You can pay monthly (which is quite unique to Lyrical Host, as most web hosts don’t offer this option)
• Semi-annually (which gives you the equivalent of 1 month free)
• Annually (which gives you the equivalent of 2 months free)
• Biennially (which gives you the equivalent of 4 months free)

Under the “Apply Code” section, type BLOG to take advantage of the promotional code I’ve created for you. This will get you an additional 10% off your first billing period.

You’ll see the updated pricing information applied to the “Order Summary” box on the right-hand side of the screen.

Then, click “Check out”. 

Step 3: Fill in your account information and complete the signup process

Next step: filling in your contact information and billing details.

While the initial payment is processed by card, you can switch to PayPal later if you’d like. Once you’re a registered customer, raise a support ticket, and they will make the change for you.

As soon as you’re done, check the email account you’ve used to sign up with Lyrical Host. Your hosting account is all set!

You’ll receive several emails to confirm your purchase and help you get started.

Here’s what you’ll receive:

• Order confirmation
• Invoice payment receipt
• Welcome email
• Domain confirmation email
• Control how your data is shared

The last one comes directly from Stack Domains. All you have to do is review and confirm your data-sharing preferences for your new domain name.

Step 4: Install WordPress

With Lyrical Host, WordPress is pre-installed for you and ready to use as soon as you would like.

To get onto your new WordPress website, you have two options:

1. Open the email “Lyrical Host Order Confirmation” and click on the hyperlinked domain. That’s going to be the domain name you’ve chosen in Step 2. In my case, as the image shows, it’s bloggingshethrives.com.
2. Alternatively, from the “Client Area” of the Lyrical Host Hub, click the “View Details” button under “Your Active Products/Services”. On the next page, click “Visit Website”. This will bring you to the same spot.

Both of these options will direct you to your brand-new WordPress website. 

The first thing you’ll need to do is choose the default language.

While this can be updated later, you should choose the language you prefer using, regardless of the actual website language. 

I have chosen “English (United States)”. 

While my blog is indeed written in English, the language of your WordPress dashboard is never shown to your visitors. It only applies to the admin area, meaning that you can have it in any other language if you prefer.

Next, enter your credentials:

Site Title

That’s what will be presented to front-end users when they enter your website. On a Chrome tab, you’ll always see the site title next to the website’s icon. Don’t worry if you’re not feeling creative, this can be changed at any time!

Username and password

Avoid using “admin”. Try to come up with a unique username and a strong password.

Email

Enter the email address you’ll use to manage your website as an administrator. This can be your personal Gmail address, for example.

Search Engine Visibility

You can choose to discourage search engines from indexing your website as you get started and turn this back off when you’re done. There’s no right or wrong option. Search engines usually take some time to discover new websites anyway, so it’s not a big deal if you leave this box unchecked, either.

Congratulations! Your self-hosted WordPress blog is now ready to rock.

You can log in to your WordPress website. 

Take a moment to appreciate its cleanliness. Once you start adding themes and plugins, it will never be this empty again!

Step 5: Let’s activate your SSL certificate and create your branded email address

While you could technically jump into the fun part, start working on your website, and write your first blog posts, I want to suggest that you tackle a couple of important tasks beforehand. 

Let’s activate your SSL certificate and create your first branded email address!

What is an SSL Certificate, and why do you need one?

An SSL Certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and encrypts information sent to the server. This is important for protecting sensitive data, such as passwords, credit card numbers, and any personal information provided by website visitors.

Having an SSL Certificate provides security for your visitors and helps boost your website’s search engine ranking.

Google has stated that it favors websites with HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) over those without it.

On that note, since activating an SSL Certificate changes your URLs from HTTP to HTTPS, I recommend that you tackle it before adding any pages or posts to the website.

How to activate your free SSL Certificate with Lyrical Host?

Head over to the “Client Area” of the Lyrical Host Hub once again, and click the “View Details” button under “Your Active Products/Services”. On the new page, click “Log in to Control Panel”.

Since it’s the first time you log in to the control panel, you’ll need to answer a few security questions to get started. The next time, you can simply click the “LyricalCP” button on the Lyrical Host Hub navigation bar to head directly to the control panel.

Once you have set up your LyricalCP account, you’ll see the list of services you’ve just purchased. Click the “Manage” link next to your hosting package to find all the tools you need. 

Don’t worry if it looks like a lot. In time, you’ll get used to this area!

The control panel is where you’ll manage a few important things as your website grows. The most important, and the ones you’ll likely use the most, are:

• Staging – to create and manage staging sites;
• Backup / Restore – to manage your website’s automatic backups;
• Email accounts – to create, manage, and log in to your emails;
• Manage DNS – to add records when needed (for example, for connecting your blog to Google Search Console or authenticating your domain with your email marketing provider);
• Subdomains – to create and manage subdomains (such as shop.yourdomain.com or school.yourdomain.com).

Now, let’s install your SSL!

Scroll down to the “Security” section and click the “SSL/TLS” icon.

Then, simply click on “Activate Free SSL” and also on “Enable Forced HTTPS”. 

That’s all. Quite simple, right? 

At this point, please take a break, as it can take up to 30 minutes for your new SSL certificate to be fully active. When you’re back, I’ll help you create a branded email address and connect it to your Gmail account.

How to create an email account with Lyrical Host?

To create a professional email account that matches your domain name, head over to your control panel once again. Remember, even within the basic package, you can have up to 6 branded email addresses at no extra cost, and each of those will have a total capacity of 10 GB per inbox.

Back on the LyricalCP screen, scroll down to the “Email” section, and click the “Email Accounts” icon. Now, choose the email you’d like to use (for example, “info”, “hello”, or use your own name, as I’ve done).

Your email account will take another 30 minutes to be fully ready to send and receive emails, but you can go ahead and access your mailbox if you like. Next to the email address you’ve just created, click on “Options” and then “Webmail”.

How to use a branded email address with Gmail?

While the standard inbox is pretty nice, and Lyrical Host actually offers two different mailbox options, I still prefer to connect all of my email accounts to Gmail. This allows me to manage both of my brands and all my email addresses from a single inbox. And, truth be told, I prefer Gmail’s interface anyway.

If you’re like me, you can now go ahead and start the process.

Here are the step-by-step instructions that you need to follow: How do I send and receive emails using my you@yourdomain.com email address via my personal Gmail address

I would also recommend setting up a DKIM record, an SPF record, and a DMARK record right away. It’s an easy process, and it doesn’t hurt to be extra cautious!

Plus, since February 2024, this is required if you’re planning to send out emails to your audience. Don’t worry, it’s easy to do!

Simply follow the instructions on the pages I’ve linked above for each record.

Repeat the same process for each email address that you create.

And you’re done! See, I told you this would be easy.

By now, your SLL Certificate should also be active. So let’s navigate to your website to check that there’s a padlock next to your URL, on the browser tab.

Once that’s ready, you can tackle WordPress and start your blogging journey with Lyrical Host!

Why is Lyrical Host my number one recommended hosting provider for bloggers?

If you have read other posts on my blog, you know Lyrical Host is my number one choice for website hosting and the first hosting provider I recommend to both advanced WordPress users and new bloggers alike.

With Lyrical Host, you get everything you need to set up and run a successful blog and business, all in one place.

This includes hosting, domain registration, security features, premium caching, daily backups, and the best customer service I’ve ever experienced.

I have been hosting all of my websites as well as my web design clients’ sites with Lyrical Host since I first found them, almost three years ago. But I did use three other web hosting providers before and, in all honesty, there’s no comparison!

Even on their basic plan, the level of support, quality features, and ease of use provided by Lyrical Host is unbeatable.

Let’s review Lyrical Host’s features and why this is the best hosting option for bloggers and small business owners.

Lyrical Host’s features

As I’ve mentioned above, the main difference between the 3 plans offered by Lyrical Host lies in the number of websites you can have and the number of email accounts included.

While some of the technical features also increase as you choose a higher tier plan, the Tiny package is the perfect starting point and offers the best value for a new site.

Here’s an overview of the Tiny plan features:

Pre-Installed WordPress

One-click to get straight onto WordPress.org as soon as you create an account, and automatic WordPress core updates are done for you.

60 GB of SSD Webspace

Having full Samsung SSDs means that your website will load faster, and the hosting service is more reliable than with hosts using older drives.

Bandwidth

The monthly bandwidth is 100 GB, which supports approximately 50,000 website visits per month.

This is plenty as you start a new blog, but contrary to most mainstream web hosts, Lyrical Host will never turn your website down.

If you go over the limit (which would be good news for your blog!), they’ll work with you to upgrade your account according to your blog’s needs.

Emails

Up to 6 email accounts branded to your website’s domain name. Each inbox has a capacity of 10GB and can be linked to your preferred email client.

In this post, we’ve seen how to use your Lyrical Host email address directly in Gmail.

Subdomains

Unlimited subdomains that you can point to any external service you may already have (such as your online course platform or e-commerce shop).

Free SSL Certificates

You can install Unlimited SSL certificates on your blog and any subdomains you may use. These are included for free, forever.

We’ve already covered how easy it is to enable an SSL for your website.

It is important to note that free SSL certificates aren’t always included in hosting plans, and some companies will require an additional payment. However, they are crucial and should be included as standard these days.

Free Migrations

Free website and email migrations from other platforms (such as Blogger and WordPress.com) or other web hosts.

Lyrical Host’s support team will bring over all of your content and emails from any of these platforms, for free.

Free Caching

Premium caching is included for free!

This is an incredibly valuable asset that will save you at least $59 per year—the price of the caching plugin I recommend when bloggers use other hosting providers.

Lyrical Host’s integrated caching plugin and a CDN with nodes worldwide are included with any of their packages and will ensure that your blog loads fast for users regardless of where they are. From the UK to the US, your website visitors will enjoy the same speedy experience. 

Web Hosting Essentials

Free theme installations, malware scans, and automatic daily backups are included, too, so you never have to pay extra for those services.

You can raise a support ticket at any time, and a team of friendly and knowledgeable developers will be ready to help you out however you need them to.

Staging sites are included, too, and are effortless to set up, use, and delete as you need.

WordPress Multisite is also available in all plans, meaning that if you need a more complex website with multiple folders, you can easily create it and manage each sub-site from one central dashboard.

Lyrical Host’s Extras & Benefits

Courses for Bloggers

When you join Lyrical Host, you also get free access to their Speed Boost course, which will help you understand site speed and keep your website well-optimized at all times.

Besides, they offer an affordable SEO Course specifically tailored for bloggers.

Excellent Customer Support

A team of experienced developers and fellow bloggers offers WordPress technical support and blogging advice.

They are there for you whenever you need help with your WordPress theme, recommendations on the best plugins to use, your Google Analytics setup, or even when you need some blogging resources. 

Yes, that too! 

Free Resources and Stock Photos

As a Lyrical Host client, you’ll have access to their blogging resource library at no additional cost.

It includes plenty of worksheets, PDF guides, exclusive stock photos, templates, and anything else you may need to build your website and grow it into a profitable blog.

If you have joined their mailing list, additional resources and stock photos will drop into your email monthly. These are exclusive to customers, and you won’t see them anywhere else!

Blogging Community

There’s an active Facebook community of fellow bloggers and small business owners, just like you and me! I love the advice and inspiration I find in the group whenever needed.

In addition to the fantastic community and daily advice, Jenni Brown (Lyrical Host’s founder) constantly shares inspiration and quick tips that are useful to bloggers and small businesses looking to take things to the next level.

They also support fellow creators by inviting them to host free masterclasses each month and share their insights on a varied range of trendy topics.

The LH’s tribe does feel like a small family of like-minded creatives. It feels like home! 

Besides the Facebook group, they are active across most platforms and always share valuable tips both on social media and on their own blog. 

Supporting Good Causes

Lyrical Host supports several causes globally.

Not only do they plant trees on your behalf to celebrate your website’s anniversary every year, but part of your hosting fee will go towards supporting independent charities and non-profit organizations, such as Project Hope and the Red Cross.

Affiliate Opportunities

As a Lyrical Host customer, you’re automatically approved into their affiliate program and can start promoting their hosting platform, resources, and courses in exchange for a small commission for every sale.

Even if you don’t blog about blogging or aren’t really into affiliate marketing, they have free resources with great tips and ideas that will work for any niche!

You can create a promo code to share with your audience, just like you’ve seen me doing in this post. Once you’ve made some sales, you can either take the cash, get a gift card, or use it as credit toward your own hosting expenses.

Unbeatable Pricing Model

When was the last time you found a web host (or hardly any other online service provider, for that matter), that locked in the price for life?

Most hosting providers offer rainbows and roses at first glance, but when you take the time to actually review their terms, you’ll see how your hosting fees will skyrocket after your initial billing period. 

Well, not with Lyrical Host! 

While they don’t offer shiny 90% off deals for the first year, they never jack up their rates, and whatever you’ve paid at the start will be your hosting rate for life.

Not only that, but you can choose your billing cycle and pay month-by-month if you’d like to.

While there are benefits to paying for a longer period in advance, they won’t ever lock you into a 3 or 4-year contract before you even try them out, as most others do.

In fact, you can even start your website with them and leave within 30 days (money-back guarantee) if you find a better option.

I bet you won’t, but hey, it’s nice of them to offer that! 

See, while that other hosting company you’ve been referred to may seem to be offering a great deal for a low price, you’ll soon realize that the number of add-ons they will present you with (from domain privacy protection to additional speed features, etc.) and the actual price you’ll pay upon renewal, isn’t that great after all. 

Conclusion

As you can see, setting up your blog with Lyrical Host is not only easy as cake but also comes with countless benefits and premium support. They are unarguably the best host, especially when it comes to blog hosting or small business websites.

From their user-friendly platform to their unbeatable pricing model and involvement in global causes, Lyrical Host truly stands out as a web hosting service that cares about its customers and the world around them.

So, what are you waiting for? Start your blog with Lyrical Host today and join the family of like-minded creatives!

Click here to take the first step toward building a successful blogging business, and don’t forget to apply the discount code BLOG to get an additional 10% off your bill.

If you’ve found this content helpful, do me a favor and share it with the world, will you? 🙂

Happy blogging!

Related post: Lyrical Host Review and Discount Code