Whilst ‘website hosting’ may sound technical, the concept is quite simple and setting it all up is relatively easy.
Just follow our easy website hosting set-up guide and you’ll find your website is live sooner than you can make your dinner!
What is website hosting?
In order for your website to be live on the internet, it needs to be hosted by a server. This server holds all of your website files and makes them public so that people can visit them.
All websites need to be hosted somewhere. Some of the bigger companies like Google will host their websites on their own servers, but most use third-party servers. This is because it is easier and more cost-effective to use hosting services.
Fortunately, you will be able to get website hosting services at a really reasonable cost too.
We will take you through how to set this up now.
What do you need for website hosting?
Before you can make your website go live there are a few things that are necessary to have:
Getting a domain name is really simple and easy, you can follow along with our domain name guide here.
There are many website hosting providers out there but we are going to focus on our favourite company here, GreenGeeks.
Why GreenGeeks? Well, they are the most eco-friendly website hosting provider out there. Something you may not know is that hosting a website requires a lot of energy, making your website a drain on resources. But with companies like GreenGeeks, they 300% energy match. Meaning they give back all that they take, and some!
What website hosting package do I need?
You find yourself at the first hurdle, which website hosting package should I buy?
Well, that depends on the size and scope of your website.
If you are creating one small website then you may find the most basic website hosting package suits. But as soon as you start adding more websites to your hosting package you’ll need to go up to the next tier.
For really large websites with loads of media files and a very high volume of visitors, you will feel safer with the highest package offering.
If you aren’t sure which package is suitable for your website then contact GreenGeeks. Their customer service is amazing!
How do I set up my website hosting?
You’ve decided which website hosting provider to go with and now you are ready to get your website hosting set up. Follow these easy steps and you’ll get it finished in no time!
1. Pick your website hosting package
Have a browse of the website hosting packages and pick the one that is most suitable for you. If you are only planning on having one small website with a limited number of emails then we’d recommend going for the small package. You can always upgrade if necessary.
For larger websites, or if you plan on having multiple websites under the same account, then pick the mid or top-tier packages.
Once you’ve chosen, click on the get started button to continue.
2. Create or add your domain name
Next up you’ll be asked to provide your domain name. If you haven’t already got a domain name then follow our Getting a Domain Name guide. Alternatively, if you have chosen to go with GreenGeeks, they provide a free domain for the first year which you are able to create during your hosting account setup.
3. Set up your website hosting account
Next up you’ll want to create your account. Make sure you save any account details after registering because it is really important for you to be able to access this account easily in the future.
4. Select your preferred server location
You’ll be asked which server location you’d like to choose. Whilst choosing a location doesn’t stop your website from showing up in other locations, you will find that if you are attracting an audience in one specific location, having that server in a similar location will ensure your website is faster for them.
Essentially you will want to pick your target audience’s location here.
5. Link to your domain name
If you have bought your domain name from another domain registrar then you will now need to link it to your newly set up website hosting account. You will need to do this within your domain provider account.
Login to the account of your domain name provider and navigate to the DNS settings for your domain name. Within here you will find an option to add custom nameservers.
You need to copy and paste the nameservers as shown in your website hosting account. These may also have been emailed to you after purchasing your hosting.
What next?
Now you have your website hosting account set up and your domain name linked, your website is essentially alive. But it will be completely empty right now.
So now you are ready to start building the website. There are many ways of doing this, but we recommend installing WordPress and using a pre-made Plant’d theme so that you can have a brand new website live in a matter of days!
Install WordPress
After you have your website hosting set up you will want to install WordPress.
Get a website design
You can now start designing your website! Why not check out our library of website templates to get started. Alternatively, contact us to find out more about our bespoke vegan web design offering.
