Demystifying Web Hosting: A Beginner’s Guide To Setting Up A Website

Setting up a website can take a lot of work for non-tech savvy. The entire process can be time-consuming and energy-draining, from choosing a hosting provider to going live with your content.

Even so, a dedicated website is necessary if you run a business. You can also start a blogging career and monetize your website to earn money. Invest in valuable content, such as informative blog posts and explainer videos.

The following guide can help you go through the web hosting journey. We’ve curated the six fundamental ways to build a website from scratch for beginners. Let’s dive in!

#1. Choose a Hosting Provider and Plan

Web hosting is a service for individuals or businesses to develop their websites accessible on the Internet. Hosting providers offer server space and necessary resources for storing website files and delivering them to visitors.

Before choosing one, research different hosting providers based on your needs and budget. Consider factors like reliability, customer support, pricing, and features offered. Some of the most popular web hosting options are Bluehost, SiteGround, A2 Hosting, and Hostinger. 

They are well-known for being reliable hosting providers with excellent performance and customer service. Additionally, WordPress also recommends them as the best web hosting provider.

#2. Register Your Domain

A domain is your website’s address (e.g., www.example.com). You can register a domain through a domain registrar or your hosting provider. Choose a domain that aligns with your brand or website purpose.

You can use the domain registrar’s search tool to check your domain availability. You can consider using domain extensions (.com, .net, .org, etc.) or country-specific extensions (.us, .co.uk, .ca, etc.).

When registering your domain, consider enabling privacy protection (WHOIS privacy) to shield your personal contact information associated with the domain from being publicly accessible.

#3. Set Up Your Account

Once you choose a final hosting provider, continue by setting up your account. Sign up for a hosting account by visiting the provider’s website. Provide the necessary details (name, email address, and payment information). You will get login credentials to access your hosting account.

Once your login process is successful, start building your website. Many hosting providers offer convenient features like one-click installation of website builders or content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress. They help you create content and manage your website.

#4. Design Your Website

Pay attention to the overall user experience. Using your the chosen website builder or CMS, start designing your website. Choose a theme or template, add content, and personalize it to suit your needs. Consider usability, mobile responsiveness, and aesthetics.

Customize a color scheme to match your branding, and modify the layout to showcase your content effectively. Aim for a clean, intuitive design that makes visitors navigate your site easily.

One of the most vital factors to consider is ensuring your website is mobile-responsive. Test your website across different screen sizes and devices to ensure it adapts and displays properly. 

Make your navigations intuitive using clear headings, descriptive links, and a well-organized menu structure. Finally, minimize page loading times by compressing image sizes and removing unnecessary plugins or scripts.

#5. Test and Secure Your Website

After designing and optimizing your website, test its functionality, links, and overall performance before making it accessible to the public. Check for broken links, compatibility across browsers, and responsive design on different devices. 

Also, test its load speed, and ensure that the links load fast enough to satisfy visitors. Verify that everything works correctly, such as testing interactive elements and forms and ensuring that all the content displays as intended.

The next step is implementing security measures like installing an SSL certificate to encrypt data. You can also use strong passwords and implement security plugins or firewalls.

#6. Go Live and Monitor Performance

Finally, you come to the final step that allows the public to access your website using your domain name. It involves configuring the domain settings (such as DNS or nameservers) to properly link your domain name with your hosting account.

To make your website accessible to everyone using your chosen domain name, connect it to your hosting account. You need to perform some updates related to your domain. 

First, get the nameservers or DNS settings from your hosting provider. Then, go to the company’s control panel, where you registered your domain. Look for the DNS settings or nameserver configuration section and enter the provided details. 

Save the changes. It may take some time, usually a few hours, for the updates to spread across the Internet. Once everything is complete, you can test your website by typing your domain name into a web browser. Your website should load; people can visit it using your domain name.

Takeaway

Building a website from scratch is time-consuming; you must make and optimize your content for search engines. Working as a team can be a solution to speed up the whole process. Consider hiring freelancers to help you create content.

Focus on creating valuable and relevant content. Consider writing comprehensive blog posts and creating images and videos for your website. Finally, learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to enhance your website performance.