Introduction to Web Hosting, Websites and Domain Names

Did you know that building a good website could instantly attract more people to your business, increase sales and generate leads? If you’re looking for tips on how to build a website, you’ve come to the right place. Creating your own site is a lot easier than you think; in fact, you could be up-and-running by following these three simple steps. Ready to get started? Good, let’s go!

1. Finding the right web hosting type and provider

First you need a web host so that your site is accessible on the world wide web. There are various factors you will need to consider when choosing a web host, and it can be difficult to know where to begin.

First up, find out the type of web hosting available to you. For example, shared hosting is when a web host provides serves your pages from a single server alongside other websites while dedicated hosting will provide you with exclusive use of a server (this is usually more expensive). Choose a package that suits you.

You will also need to find out the location of the server that will host your site, and whether the web host service experiences much ‘downtime’ (this is when your website will be inaccessible to your visitors – a big no-no if you rely on your site to sell products or services).

The amount of bandwidth and storage you receive will depend on the price you pay, and web host services usually offer several packages at different price points. If you run a small company, you might not need to shell out for expensive packages if you only expect limited traffic.

2. Choosing a Good Domain Name

Choosing a domain name is one of the most important aspects of your website. Your visitors will see your domain name on a search engine results page or when they type it into their browser address bar.

Here’s a quick tip: you want your domain name to be short and catchy. It should reflect your brand and introduce you to the world! Try to steer clear from long domains that are difficult for your customers to remember.

Studies show that a .com domain name can be more useful if you run a business, and this is more likely to be remembered by your customers. Although .com domains can sometimes be more expensive, they should provide you with a greater return on your investment.

You will be able to purchase a domain from your website builder or separately from a domain registrar. Some web hosting platforms might even give you a free domain (or several domains) when you subscribe to one of their premium plans. Always do your research and find out what suits you best.

Once you have a domain that you like, you will need to pay an annual fee to a domain registrar or your website builder (unless it’s included in the plan you opt for).

If you’re stuck for inspiration, take a look at the domains of your competitors and see what works best for your business. You might want to include your company name in the domain; this is useful for search engine optimization purposes and could mean that your website ranks higher on search results pages.

3. Building your website with WordPress

Building a new website with WordPress is one of the most popular ways to get your site up-and-running. In fact, nearly 75 million of all websites in the world are powered by the platform. Many web developers prefer to use WordPress because it provides them with an easy-to-use interface and numerous customization options.

WordPress will provide you with all the steps you need when building your website from scratch. You will be able to create home pages, product pages, contact pages and much more from the user interface.

But that’s not all. WordPress comes with hundreds of different plugins to make your website more user-friendly. These include features such as photo and video integration, charts, maps, widgets, and more. Many of these features will make your website more attractive to search engines, and could increase the number of click-throughs to your pages.

With WordPress you can monitor your website and track which features of your site are the most popular with your readers. You’ll be able to ascertain where your web traffic is coming from and what parts of your site need improvements for SEO and usability purposes.

References:

https://www.midphase.com/website-hosting/what-is-web-hosting.php

http://blog.searchmetrics.com/us/2015/04/06/seo-benefits-of-com-versus-everything-else/

http://aspireid.com/web-design/10-benefits-of-using-wordpress-to-power-your-business-website/

https://managewp.com/14-surprising-statistics-about-wordpress-usage