Do you want to get a website for your newly started company? Or maybe you want to start a blog on you own domain?
If you want to get a website up and running you need 3 things:
- a domain name
- a web hosting plan
- the actual website
1. Domain name
This is the address where visitors will find your website and it looks like www.domain.com or .org, .net, .info, .eu, etc.
To register a domain name you need to use the services of a registrar, like Namecheap.
Usually, the cost for registering a domain is around $10/year but you can register a domain for as low as $0.88/year at Namecheap.
There are 2 dilemmas when registering your domain:
- what name should I choose?
- what tld should I choose?
Choosing a name is hard work, really. This is your brand, so you need to choose carefully. More info and recommendations on choosing a great domain name… soon on a separate blog post.
Tld? That’s the thing that comes after the name: .com, .net, .whatever.
I recommend to go for the classic .com although there are many new attractive tlds, some at promotional prices for the first year ($0.88/year at Namecheap): .pro, .party, .accountant, .space, etc.
2. Web Hosting
For you domain to be publicly accessible it needs to be associated to a web hosting account on a server.
Basically, you are renting a space on a server where you will keep the files and database of your website.
This is the simple description but, actually, hosting can be much more complex (DNS hosting, web hosting, email hosting, CDN, etc).
You can get web hosting from the same company you registered your domain, like Namecheap, or choose a different one, like WPEngine or Flywheel, for example, who are hosting companies specialized on WordPress hosting.
Prices may vary from $5/month to $50/month and above, it depends on what you get, resource-wise or support-wise.
3. The actual website
A website may be even a single file, an index.html stored on a server.
Or, it may be a complex application built on modern technologies with easy-to-use content management interface.
We use and recommend WordPress, a CMS (content management system) used by millions of websites, from small blogs to big news sites. It’s actually the #1 CMS, 27% of the web uses it.
Most web hosting companies can install WordPress for you or provide you with a control panel with a one-click install for WordPress.
Once you installed it, you can change the design of the website using WordPress themes.
Some themes are made to be very user-friendly, anyone with minimum technical knowledge can customize them.
Themes like that are usually bloated and this leads to performance issues.
A fast loading website is a must so we recommend you don’t fall for these ease-of-use, drag-n-drop, visual builder, unlimited options type of WordPress themes.
We recommend Genesis Framework.
Genesis is a premium WordPress theme created by StudioPress, it costs $60.
Genesis Framework is:
- lightweight & fast
- search engine optimized
- mobile responsive
- customizable with widgets & layout options
- secure & update proof
We make free child themes for Genesis, you can check them out on this page. Download them for free and use them as you wish.
We believe this to be a solid foundation to build your website on.
So, to summarize, to get a website up and running you need:
- domain name
- web hosting
- website
More detailed information on domain names, web hosting and building a WordPress website on future blog posts.
Also, you can find more on how to start a blog on Blogging Titan website.
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