*Updated 12rd September 2022
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Affiliate marketing and web hosting
While my desire for a blog crew I started to look around where I could build it. And it didn’t take long to find out that nowadays it might be possible to earn extra cash with blogging. It seemed kind of unrealistic to me at first. I found one blogger after another, that claimed that they really make money with blogs and they have even quit their day job for that. So I was intrigued and the most common must on the list was: I need domain and web hosting. Apparently, it’s a trust thing – blogs with their own domain are supposed to be more trustworthy and the affiliate marketing program programs prefer those. Also, it gives more power over the website.
If plan to blog just for a hobby then you can choose the most suitable option from free website hosting services such as WordPress or Blogger, but you won’t be as in control of your website. Now the truth is that when using a free website service the hosting provider can close your website and you can lose all your work.
So I started to compare web hosting sites and read several web hosting reviews. Not long after that, I noticed that several web hosting sites are also offering affiliate programs. Since affiliate marketing is supposed to be the best passive income option for bloggers I started to compare different sites, their technical specifications, and affiliate conditions.
Extra options or part of the deal?
I chose Dreamhost web hosting for a lot of reasons, besides good prices I liked a variety of options. I can choose each important service as I need, many have fixed deals and just one extra wish can up your price.
Another reason was a flexible paying option. Since I am just starting and at least for now it’s more of a hobby so I didn’t want to put a lot of money in at once. But as always – the annual payment is better and the monthly cost will be lower. Using my links you can get a monthly price of only 2.59$ and a free domain! If you are really not up to long-term commitment – that’s fine and you can also pay monthly, but the rate is then different.
A huge factor for me while choosing was free privacy protection. My privacy is important to me and I don’t like to share my data with the whole world. I want to control what, where and how much I share. And most hosting companies see that as an extra earning possibility.
Web hosting services explained
Dreamhost offers 3 different types of service plans – WordPress Basic, DreamPress, and VPS for WordPress. So what’s the difference – besides price? Mainly the purpose of your websites and plans with it. If you need only 1 domain and a simple website like a blog or gallery or just an introduction for your services – WordPress Basic has you covered.
WordPress Basic gives you web hosting for 1 website, with yearly payment free domain, unlimited traffic, and pre-installed WordPress for a super fast setup! Fast SSD storage and included SSL certificate to ensure a smooth and secure website. This plan does not include e-mail hosting under the domain, but if you need or prefer it can be purchased separately for less than a cup of coffee.

DreamPress packs a bit more power and should be chosen for more demanding websites with higher traffic. DreamPress is designed for WordPress high-performance and you get 24/7 WordPress support with Jetpack Free pre-installed, and to be super safe – on-demand backups and 1-click restore.
VPS – Virtual Private Server plan is needed when you have more than 1 website. So I am guessing – you are superhuman :). With this on you can have unlimited websites – yes, unlimited and all the perks from previous service plans. VPS plan packs several advanced features to create and provide a unique and powerful website.
Dreamhost web hosting dashboard
I made my decision. Paid and logged in to be wonderfully surprised. The dashboard is so simple and easy, and clean design. No over-the-top widgets or gadgets. So I just clicked on a 1-click installer and after that, all I needed to do was wait until Dreamhost finished setting up WordPress.
I have set up a few websites in my life and all of them have needed my attention throughout the installation. But with Dreamhost, I could just leave it and do my other tasks meanwhile. To be returned fully ready WordPress just waiting for me to choose a theme and put on content. The hard part 🙂
Unexpected obstacle
Everything was smooth and easy and I really couldn’t expect this almost last step before starting would be so hard. Did you guess already? Design! Oh crap – there are so many possible themes, and designs, each with a different angle – and there are hundreds of them. So I felt lost – I looked and looked and looked and felt more confused with every “next” click. So My advice – try to think ahead about how you want your webpage to look. I finally found one that felt most like me. I am happy and can finally share my journey with you!

I say – the best web hosting for a beginner
In my day job, I have used different web hostings and website services and my experience is that Dreamhost web hosting is best for a beginner. At the time of updating this post, I have been using Dreamhost web hosting for over a year and it’s been totally hassle-free. I have only needed to turn to support once and even that turned out to be my absent mind fault. Nevertheless, I got an answer very fast and politely though it could have been filed under “stupid illiterate client”.
I really enjoy this clean and sleek dashboard where I can find it within seconds. It’s super easy to manage the domain, and payments or move on to the WordPress editor or Webmail.
By the way – at the moment Dreamhost has a flash sale so if you plan a new website or need to change your current hosting – now is the time! Don’t miss out:

Not sure if I’ve heard of this host yet or not, I’ll have to check them out to find out
Nice to know my post brings new knowledge 🙂
congrats on going self hosted! choosing a theme is probably one of the hardest — there are so many designs 🙂
Thank you! Yes, there are. It’s good unless you have to choose one 🙂