Should You Really Trust Free Web Hosting
How To Make A Website
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In order to get a new website online, there are two things that you’re going to need:
- A domain name (a web address like yoursitename.com)
- Website Hosting (a service that connects your site to the internet)
The WordPress platform itself is free, but hosting and domain name are not. However, the combined cost is still less than a coffee, with around $3 - $5 a month.
In order to look professional, you need to have your own domain name, instead of having a free domain that belongs to someone else (for example, yourbusiness.my-free-website.com.)
And, having a quality hosting service will also help you make sure that your website won’t go down and that it loads quickly (very important for everyone who visits your pages.)
Where do I get a domain name and hosting?
I’ve mostly used www.Bluehost.com as a web hosting and domain registrar for myself and for my web development projects. Their website hosting costs less than a movie ticket ($2.75/mo). They throw in a FREE domain name (a nice perk to have).75/mo) and they throw in a FREE domain name (a nice perk to have).
Of course, you can try other web hosting providers and even try to host your site by yourself, but it’s a very complicated process and often wouldn’t be capable of serving your website visitors. So save yourself some money. Get a proper web host.
With your own domain name, you are also able to get a professional email account(s) like, [email protected] - this is much more professional than a regular Yahoo or Gmail address, specially if you need multiple email accounts.
Already have a domain name and hosting? Go ahead and skip to step 3, where I’ll explain how you can set up your website.
What kind of domain name should I pick?
When you’re choosing your domain name, there are a few rules you should keep in mind:
- If you’re setting up a business website, your domain name should match your company name. For example: YourCompanyName.com
- If you’re planning on making a personal website for yourself then YourName.com can be a great option.
For this site (WebsiteSetup), I chose WebsiteSetup.org
Domain names usually end with .com, .org or .net, but in recent times, a large number of domain extensions (the last part of the web address, like .com or .org) have come out, ranging from .blog to .party.
My best advice? Avoid the unusual extensions and go with .com, .net or .org unless they precisely describe your website - and even then, it is usually better to go with a more common extension.
Any additional tips for choosing my domain name?
There are a few things that can help you choose your domain name:
- 1 Is it brandable? For example, if you make a site about poetry then best-poetry-website.net is not a good choice: poetryacademy.com or poetryfall.com is much better.
- 2 Is it memorable? Short, punchy and clear domain names are much easier to remember. If your domain name is too fuzzy, too long or spelled in a strange way, visitors may forget it.
- 3 Is it catchy? You want a domain name that rolls off the tongue, describes what you (or your business) does and sticks in the head. Coming up with a cool name can be a bit tough since there are more than 200 million active domain names in the world right now - but don’t give up.
There’s one rule that always applies to domain names: If you like it, go for it.
WHAT NEXT?
Do some brainstorming to come up with a unique domain name that reflects your future website, business or blog.
Secure your web hosting and domain name. For this, I recommend using Bluehost.com, but you can pick any web IT Solutions for Manufacturing Industry host that’s reliable and trustworthy.
UPDATE: I made a simple guide on how to get started with Bluehost (which hosting package to choose & how to install WordPress).
Step #3: Set Up a Website and Start Designing
If you have any questions/suggestions for this guide don’t hesitate to contact me. Remember: I’m here to help!
1. Install WordPress Site
There are two possible ways to install WordPress, one MUCH easier than the other.
1. TO CREATE A WEBSITE WITH WORDPRESS, USE ONE-CLICK-INSTALLATION:
Almost all well-established and reliable web hosting companies have integrated one-click installation for WordPress these days.
If you chose to sign up with Bluehost or any other similar hosting company, you should find your “one-click installation” either in the account creation process or in your account control panel.
For example, these are the steps you need to follow to install WordPress on Bluehost (the process is very similar or even the same on all the most popular web hosting companies):
1. Go to Bluehost.com
2. Choose your hosting plan (cheapest plan is fine)
3. If you already have a domain, type it there
4. Fill in your information and choose your hosting length (you can remove the “Extras”).
5. Go through the payment process and create your account
6.
