WordPress has long been a go-to in the world of website building, and for good reason. WordPress sites are functional, customizable and easy to navigate, and building one has become easier than ever thanks to themes like the ones offered by Bluchic. You can read more about how to easily set up a WordPress site, here!
But before you get to the fun part of choosing fonts, colors and pictures for you new website, you have to set up website hosting.
Real talk: I only recommend products I would (and do) use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links from which I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
My favorite way to explain what hosting is is to compare it to a house. Your WordPress site needs somewhere to live on the internet, so hosting is basically your website’s house.
There are a ton of options for hosting, and like anything else, there are pros and cons for each. I have personally used SiteGround for my site for the past few years, and I have zero complaints. It’s fast, the back end is easy to use (essential) and the customer service is *chef’s kiss*.
To name a few others: Bluehost, GoDaddy and HostGator are all options that I’ve had experience with in the past, and while none are as good as SiteGround in my humble opinion, they’ll all get the job done.
Setting up your hosting is extremely easy!
– Step One: Choose your plan. If you only have one website, the StartUp plan is all you need, but you can compare all plans here. You get special pricing as a new customer, so consider committing to a longer hosting duration to maximize your savings!
– Step Two: Claim/Connect your domain. If you already have a domain (ex: assaidbyed.com) then you can simply connect it to your new hosting account. If you do not, you’ll have the opportunity to search for available domains.
If the domain you want is taken, SiteGround will give you a list of suggestions for similar domains. For small businesses, I recommend sticking with .com when available as .com domains are considered “Top Level Domains” and will benefit your site as far as SEO is concerned. If your first choice isn’t available, try tweaking the name instead of opting for a .net, .biz, .info, etc.
– Step 3: Choose your hosting period. This is what I was talking about earlier when I said I recommend taking full advantage of introductory pricing. When you first set up website hosting with SiteGround, you get better pricing than you ever will again! You have the option of one, two or three years and the longer period of time, the more you save.
Your business’s website is one of the most important elements of your branding strategy, so take the time to do it right! Learn more about the next steps for creating a professional website here.
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