Hosting is the invisible foundation of the internet – an internet plot which is essential to make all your website data accessible anywhere, anytime. As hosted websites limits your freedom and control over your intellectual property, you might be looking to self-host your website. Hosted websites like WordPress.com, Wiz, Blogger, etc. are great as you don’t need to worry about managing the icky behind the scene stuff but they have their list of downsides.
Self Hosting facilitate ultimate freedom, flexibility and customization. But the question is can you self host your website? The short Answer is Yes, even if you don’t want to code everything from scratch. Well, self hosting may sound intimidating but it has become easier than ever. Here’s how you can self-host your website and get online quickly and easily.
1) Choose a reliable hosting provider
Hosting providers bring your website to life. There are tons of hosting companies offering different services at different price points. Some of the popular names include GoDaddy, Bluehost, Hostgator, Hostinger, etc. We would suggest Bluehost or Hostinger as their plans are pocket-friendly and services reliable.
When comparing host providers, consider their pricing, customer service, reputation, quality and other added perks.
Pricing – Each Hosting provider offer different pricing plans depending on the storage, number of domain names, storage, etc. Beware some providers lures us by displaying really low introductory rates but multiply the rates during renewal.
Quality – It won’t matter if you get hosting for less than a dollar a month, but your website crashes every now and then. Don’t just go for the providers that offer lowest rates. Instead, go for a host that provides quick reliable services for your site. Turning off your visitors due to high site load time is the last thing you want. Also, look for host that providers round the clock customer service so your business isn’t affected under any circumstances.
Added perks – Daily Backups, free site transfers, Free SSL, extra domain names, CDN integration are some added features that would definitely come in handy sometime in future, if not now.
2) Choose a Domain name
Choose a name for your site – a name that everyone can remember while searching you. Deciding on the perfect Domain( or website) name could take days as many of them would be taken already. But, don’t worry, domain names are not carved in stone and you can always change it.
Try to use the name of your business or a name that describes your site’s mission or purpose, or your potential audience. Avoid using your name, vagueness and watch out for spellings!
Once a domain you like is available, just use any domain Registrar to lock in your domain name. This ensure that you and only you can use that domain name. Namecheap, Domain.com, Godaddy are few of the most popular domain providers.
3) Set up your website
Well, now that your website is live, its time to show how good you business is. And for that, you need to create it. Well, everything until now was nothing compared to this. Setting up your website means actually creating it.
Now, many hosting provider could help you with few templates to build your site on without any coding, but we recommend you hiring a professional to get the programming done. However, you could use the WordPress software to set up your site. You can choose between hundred of templates for your website depending on what’s ideal for your business.
4) Marketing
Once your business is online, its time to target your audience. Hone your writing skills, market your products and services, and come with a plan to post regularly. Learn About SEO and how you can increase traffic to your site.