Discover these simple steps on how to host a website
How to host a website Step 1:
Choose a domain name
If you already have one, use it unless you are setting up multiple domains in your hosting account and then pick a general-purpose domain that you will have for a long time. You can add more domains as needed.
3 Quick Tips for Choosing a Domain Name.
- Be as brief and memorable as possible.
- For SEO ranking.COM.ORG and.NET better.
- If your “keyword” is in the domain name, it can help rank.
(Register it with a separate registrar, not through the hosting company. Why? Because you may want to change your hosting company in the future. I use Godaddy.com but have used many others as well.)
When you sign up (save with this special offer coupon), on each page, scroll to the bottom and hit the “No Thanks Next” button and skip all the extra features. You don’t need them. Also, check the number of years for the record. The default is 2 years, so you should change to 1 year if that is what you want.
Once you buy the domain, head to the website hosting company of your choice.
How to host a website Step 2:
Request your web hosting account
While at Godaddy.com, you will have the option to host a website with them. They have good service and it’s inexpensive, but it breaks the rule of how to host a website and separate your domain from your hosting. For a reliable web host on a limited budget, we use HostGator.com and HostMonster.com to host our own website and maintain our domain name with a separate company.
When registering with the hosting company, they will ask you what type of account. With Hostgator you choose their “Baby” plan, the more expensive “Business” plan is not required to host a website unless you need a “reseller account”.
They will ask for your domain and that will be the one you got from GoDaddy.com. Don’t worry about connecting the domain to the hosting company, it will be clarified later.
You have your hosting account (here are a couple of discount coupons) and then point your domain to the hosting account.
How to host a website Step 3:
Write down your domain
The hosting company you chose will send you login information for your new account. This can take a day or two. Hostgator, Hostmonster, Bluehost, and Site5 have always been very quick to send information within a couple of hours.
In this information package, the email will be your DNS – your “Domain Name Server” information. It looks like NS1.HOSTMONSTER.COM and NS2.HOSTMONSTER.COM. These DNS are unique to the hosting account. It is the online address of the hosting accounts. You will use both to update your domain settings on Godaddy.
DNS points the domain name to your hosting account. If you get tired of your hosting account and switch to a new one, simply update your domain settings to the DNS of the new account. That is why it is good to have your domains in a separate account from your Hosting.
You are now on the Internet with your domain. The next stop is to spread your message. You need a website to do this.
How to host a website Step 4:
Create your own website
There are many, many different platforms or types of websites that you can create and use. You can even hire someone to design and configure it. That can get expensive and over the top if you’re not careful. For us, WordPress is the best solution. It’s flexible, it’s well supported, it’s easy to set up (very easy), and it’s free.
Once you’ve loaded your site with a ton of great content and you want a different design or look, how do you go about it? With WordPress, it can be just a couple of mouse clicks and it has a whole new look.
Use fantastic to set it up quickly and see our information on this site on how to do it.
How to host a website Step 5:
Congratulate yourself!
Well done and a quick summary of how to host a website:
- Choose a domain
- Choose a hosting account
- Have your credit card handy
- Have an email to use
(If you need an email, use the free Gmail)