Hosting
Great! You’re here. That must mean you’re at least considering getting some hosting and getting your website set up. Yay! I actually wrote a whole book about this topic, which you can find over at “Funny You Should Ask: How to Make a Website.” It is really thorough and walks you through making a website step by step. I also created WebsiteChecklist.org in case you just needed a list and didn’t want to buy a whole book. That is totally fine!
Note– the first step in the “building your website” process is registering a domain. I always recommend people do this with NameCheap, because (as the name implies) they are usually the cheapest. So, if you haven’t done that yet, go over there and get your domain!
Once you have your domain, you will need a “host” for it. Getting your domain is like buying a house, and your hosting is the land where the house will stand. It’s kind of a backward analogy, but let’s go with it. So, you have your house (domain), and now you need a place for that domain to live.
Hosting companies can be a bit of a crap shoot if you haven’t done your research ahead of time. It can be a hassle to switch hosts once you have your website up and running, so it’s worth a little extra time spent early on, selecting the perfect host.
I will list these in order of preference.
1. WPEngine. I have a new favorite hosting company, and that company is WPEngine. I recently went through a revamp of my entire website portfolio, and I can honestly say, WPEngine is 100% worth the money. They are managed hosting, they have incredible tech support, and they handle all of the malware scans and security, so you don’t have to solve annoying tech problems.
2. Hostinger. I also just started using a new company called Hostinger, and I am actually loving them as well. So much so that I am adding them to the book and moving them up to the # 2 slot on the list. Hostinger has great prices, fast servers, and a super simple user interface.
3. HostGator Moving on, one of the better known hosting companies is HostGator, and I have used them as well. My personal experience is that HostGator is the company that makes it the easiest for you to get over the “setup hump,” which is the part where most people get frustrated and give up.
I like NameCheap hosting, mostly because NameCheap is where I want people to get their domains, and connecting domain with hosting is super easy when you get them at the same place. You want the middle level of shared hosting, which at NameCheap looks like this and is called “Stellar Plus.”
5. My last pick is for BlueHost, and I also cover them in the book. They are only the last choice because they cost more, but their setup process is great and the customer service is good. I would go with “Plus” or “Choice Plus” to give yourself the opportunity to expand.