A straightforward guide to choose web hosting if you don’t know where to start
Now you’ve got your domain name, you just need web hosting to house your website and get in front of your audience!
Note that this guide is for WordPress websites. Services like Squarespace offer hosting as part of their package so you won’t need to get hosting separately.
WordPress is a hugely popular platform to build your website on. It’s free to use and is versatile. I recommend it because a WordPress website is flexible enough to grow with you as you scale your business.
Think of WordPress as the frame you build your website on. You need to place that frame somewhere people can see it. That’s where web hosting comes in. A hosting provider offers digital real estate for you to house your website.
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Choosing WordPress hosting
My clients get premium managed WordPress hosting through Flywheel as part of the services I offer. This means they get lightning-fast, secure websites that can handle higher traffic, and don’t have to worry about any of the upkeep that comes with a WordPress site. I take care of all the technical stuff for them.
If you’re working with a web designer, ask them if they offer web hosting services. This option is usually the priciest. It’s ideal if you want someone else to take care of the techy side of your website needs so that you can focus on other aspects of running your business.
Another option is to take care of your own hosting through Flywheel or Siteground. Both companies offer managed WordPress hosting and have excellent customer service – check out the reviews on their websites! This is a great option if you want to be more involved in this aspect of running your website, but want a great support team who has your back.
On the other hand, you may be just starting out and want to prioritize keeping your costs as low as possible until you know your business is viable.
In that case, Bluehost is a popular option and offers a free domain name along with hosting services. I find this is also the most complex option in terms of setting things up. However, if you just need something quick and basic without worrying about the backend, it’s a learning curve that you can manage.
All three hosting providers mentioned above offer a free SSL certificate to keep your website secure (as should any other reputable hosting provider).
In most cases, I recommend getting managed WordPress hosting instead of shared hosting for optimum website performance.
If you’re new to this and can’t decide, just pick one host for the shortest term possible (usually a year) so that you can get your website online. Once you’ve used it for a while, you’ll have a better idea of what you and your business need. At that point, you can reevaluate your options and migrate to another hosting provider if necessary.
Trying to choose a web host can be overwhelming, especially when you’re first starting out. I hope this guide makes your choice a little simpler!
Haven’t picked up your domain name yet? Here’s my simple guide that walks you through registering your first domain, step by step.
