On the morning of May 10, 2025, as I was looking at the stats of my popular posts on my wordpress.com blog site, a thought struck me. Why didn’t I monetize my writing? After all, I had commenced blogging in 2015. I would have been able to keep a side income.
For the last ten years, I had opposed earning through ads. But WordPress had other ideas. It was showing ads to readers, and I had no control over them. Nor could I earn anything. I had to gain control. I had tried linking my blog to AdSense previously, but it had not worked. Weighing a few options, I decided that a .com website would be more lucrative. But I needed a host.
In this post, you’ll read about…
1. Choosing the Hosting Platform
I looked for hosting options. Because I was comfortable with the WordPress ecosystem, it was the basic requirement for my hosting site. Moreover, it offered flexibility, ownership, and a wide ecosystem of themes and plugins, which allowed me to customize the experience without getting too deep into complex coding.
Hosting a website on WordPress itself was the first alternative, but to upgrade from storiesofsandeept.wordpress.com to storiesofsandeept.com, I had to pay €96 for the first year. There were also costs involved. So, it would be too expensive in the long run.
Then I looked for other hosts like Bluehost and Hostinger. The latter seemed affordable, but limits set by the Nepal Rashtra Bank (NRB) did not let me complete the payment. Feeling a bit furious, I searched hosts from Nepal. I compared a few options like Babal Host, Himalaya Host, and Prabhu Host, and finally settled with the WordPress Pro package of Babal Host, which cost around Rs. 13,600 for the first three years and one website with .com domain was free for a year. So, right now this WordPress site is hosted on a StableHost server provided by Babal Host.
2. The Idea and Vision
My idea of blogging has always been to publish my experiences, stories, poems, and reviews in a single platform. I have made social and political commentaries, published stories and poems I have wanted to tell, and shared my emotions and vulnerabilities. I promise to keep up with these core ideas.
3. Theme and Design Choices
I have been using the Lovecraft theme by Anders Norén from the beginning of my blogging journey because of its simple design and smooth loading on mobile devices. I have continued with the same theme for the new site as well.
At first, I went with the original look the theme offered. Some of my friends suggested that the blogs were less navigable and a separate homepage would be better. Moreover, the presence of Nepali language made the website ineligible for the Google AdSense program. How did I get over it? I will share it next week.
The homepage and other pages were constructed using the WordPress Block Editor. The blog page has the theme’s default appearance. I played around with the Group and Stack blocks to fix layout issues, including an early problem where there was too much space between the title and the body content. Switching from “Group” to “Stack” helped streamline the layout and eliminate awkward spacing.
The homepage is more navigable, and you can land into page of your choice with a single click. I also removed a loading GIF that was slowing the page down and optimized the “Subscribe” box to make it more readable and intuitive. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working to shape Stories of Sandeept into more than just a blog. It’s becoming a full-fledged website—with curated pages for reflection, storytelling, and thoughtful engagement.
4. Content Strategy and Weekly Schedule
To ensure consistency and variety, I decided on a weekly content calendar:
- Monday: Site Updates and Opinion Pieces
- Tuesday: How-Tos and Tips
- Wednesday: Constitution Study
- Thursday: Fiction and Poetry
- Friday: Book, Movie, or Music Reviews
This structure allows readers to know what to expect and also gives me a rhythm for creating diverse content.
5. Search and Subscribe
The search function was added using the native WordPress <!-- wp:search /--> block. For subscription, I’m still experimenting with plugins and custom forms. The idea is to have a simple, effective way for interested readers to get notified whenever something new goes live. For now, you can subscribe with your email, but may have to confirm the subscription from your inbox.
6. Ads and Analytics
As part of the monetization and sustainability plan, I’ve implemented Google AdSense. To meet their criteria:
- I ensured all pages had substantial original content in English.
- The Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy were drafted and published.
- I used URL inspection via Google Search Console to make sure the pages were crawled and indexed correctly.
I will be sharing details about my experience with setting up AdSense next week.
7. Security and User Monitoring
Given recent suspicious login attempts (some even originating from Canada and the US), I installed WP Armour and similar plugins to enhance login protection and user verification. It seems to be developed by a Nepali developer, which felt like a nice local touch.
8. Language and Audience
Most pages are in English, although some categories and tags still carry Nepali labels, reflecting the site’s bilingual roots. I’m keeping an eye on how this mix influences indexing and readability, especially in AdSense and search visibility.
9. Final Thoughts
Setting up this website wasn’t just about technical know-how. In fact, I have very little knowledge of HTML I studied in my school fifteen years ago and unused since. Finding the right balance between form and function, between aesthetics and purpose was the right thing to do. ChatGPT has become a wonderful companion during this journey. From comparing hosting options to formatting blocks, I have used it to improve my website.
As I continue to write, design, and connect with readers, I hope Stories of Sandeept evolves into a meaningful platform for thoughtful voices.
Feel free to explore, read, and share your thoughts. And if you haven’t subscribed yet—do give that button a click!
