Building Your Blog on a Budget: A Guide to Cost-Effective Static Sites

Introduction

Setting up a blog doesn’t have to be expensive or overly complicated. Static website builders, which generate fixed webpages rather than dynamically creating content on each request, provide a cost-effective solution. They offer faster load times, better security, and lower hosting costs compared to traditional dynamic platforms. By self-hosting a static site, you gain full control over your online presence without relying on third-party platforms that may charge high fees or limit your flexibility.

This guide will walk you through the essential steps to set up your blog with a static site builder, focusing on affordable domain selection, hosting options, and email setup. Whether you’re a seasoned blogger looking to reduce costs or a newcomer wanting to start on the right foot, this guide will help you create a professional, efficient blog.

Choosing a Domain

Selecting the right domain is a personal decision that depends on your goals and target audience.

The .com extension remains the most widely recognised and often the most affordable. Depending on your use case, extensions like .org, .app, or regional options (e.g. .co.uk, .de) may also be cost-effective. However, trendy extensions such as .io, .tech, or .ai tend to be pricier but may offer more availability for unique names.

Pro Tip:

Whilst many registrars offer AI-powered domain search tools, a manual approach can yield better results. Use an AI assistant to generate domain ideas based on your niche or keywords, then paste them into a bulk domain lookup tool. This method allows you to refine your search and find the perfect match.

Purchasing a Domain

When purchasing a domain, pay close attention to the renewal price.

If your desired domain extension is supported, Cloudflare will likely be the most economical option in the long run, as they offer domains at cost.

Building a Static Website

There are numerous static site generators available, as highlighted by Myles Braithwaite’s curated list. This list showcases a wide range of tools, from dedicated static site generators to content management systems that can be adapted for static output. The variety of options allows you to choose the tool that best fits your needs.

I chose Hugo because it’s fast and doesn’t require managing many dependencies. From the extensive list of Hugo themes I opted for Hugo Blog Awesome.

Hosting on Cloudflare Pages

Cloudflare Pages offers a straightforward way to host your static site directly from a Git repository, whether on GitHub or GitLab. It boasts compatibility with a wide range of static site generators, making it a versatile choice. Cloudflare Pages also provides a privacy-friendly content delivery network (CDN) and client-side analytics; note that the Web Traffic Analytics feature requires a Pro subscription.

Alternative: GitHub Pages

Email Notification

Allowing users to subscribe to email notifications is often a preferred method to keep them up to date.

You cannot legally allow email subscriptions without providing a postal address under laws such as the CAN-SPAM Act (US), PECR (UK), and CASL (Canada). This is why email marketing providers like MailerLite will request an address to include in every email.

For privacy reasons, using a personal address might not be the best choice.

Unless you already have a suitable address, a virtual address might be the next best option. Free services like UK Postbox do exist, provided you’re willing to pay for incoming mail.

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) stands out by allowing you to use their own postal address. Its free plan scales up to 10,000 subscribers, although you’ll lack some automation tools. Once you’re on a paid plan, it may no longer be as competitive.

Note: When setting up DNS records, ensure you select “DNS only” rather than proxied.

Sending Emails from Your Custom Domain

You can configure Gmail to send emails with your domain name. The email headers will still display the original Gmail account.

Various guides explain this process, including this guide detailing the Gmail setup for Cloudflare users.

Privacy Policy

Including a privacy policy is essential if your blog collects personal data, such as email addresses or IP addresses. This is required by laws like GDPR and CCPA to ensure transparency about data handling. It also helps build trust with your audience by being transparent about how you handle their data.

Use tools from ico, Termly or iubenda to generate a compliant policy. Include details on data collection, use, sharing, user rights, and your contact information.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create a professional, cost-effective blog using static site technology. This approach not only saves money but also gives you greater control over your online presence. Remember, the key to a successful blog lies not just in its setup, but in the quality of content you produce and the community you build around it.