Day 4 – Getting hosting
Today you will be getting hosting for your domain. Your hosting is where your website files are stored and is required to get your website online. By the time you complete today’s lesson you will have acquired hosting and attached to your domain so that you can get your website online.
Many domain registrars also offer hosting. Often times it is easier to use the same company for hosting as its easier to set up.
This step can get a bit technical and each hosting provider will be different. The hosting provider you choose should have tutorials for connecting your domain with your hosting as well as support. Many hosting providers even have live chat support where you can talk to someone directly and have them walk you through the process.
When you are first starting out you don?t need an elaborate hosting package. In most cases you can get a simple shared hosting package to start as you can always upgrade later. Getting a hosting package that has easy WordPress installation and cpanel access is a good start.
For example, in the screenshot below you can see the hosting packages that Godaddy provides:
As you can see you can get hosting for one website for as low as $2.99 a month! Remember, you can always upgrade later on.
After you have chosen your host you will need to make sure your domain is pointed at your hosting. This can be different for every domain name registrar and hosting provider so it is best to refer to their documentation for doing this.
As mentioned earlier, sometimes it is easier to use the same company for both. With Godaddy for example you can add your domain to your hosting in just a few clicks. For other hosting and registrars you may need your hosting Nameservers so that you can point your domain to your hosting.
Action Steps:
- Choose your hosting provider and hosting package
- Point your domain at your hosting
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In the next lesson you will be installing WordPress on your domain.
