Separate Domain Name and Web Host
For many newcomers to online marketing, the process of building their own website on a domain with hosting can seem so daunting. There are different companies to choose from, a variety of extensions to consider, and a myriad of hosting plans for people who don’t know how much they need in the beginning.
So start by looking at the two separately. It’s never wise to have the same company for your domain registrar that you do your hosting. For your domains, you may want to take a look at Namecheap or NameSilo to register your URL.
Always try to secure a dot com domain, since that’s what most consumers automatically type in when they’re searching for a website. If you want to also snap up the other extensions, such as the dot net, dot org, etc., you can do that, but if you’re on a budget don’t bother yet.
You can often find coupon codes or special deals for domain registry, so before you add anything to your cart, stop and shop online for a coupon code that will give you a steeper discount.
For hosting companies, the options are widely available to fit all of your needs. If you are brand new to online marketing and plan on building a blog, you don’t need much. You can go with a very basic account.
But if you have plans to build many different sites, or expend yours past what a normal influx of traffic looks like, then you may need to go with more. Keep in mind you can always upgrade your account to something stronger at a later date.
Some of the hosting companies you may want to consider include Siteground, which not only has web hosting, but also WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting, Liquid Web, which also has dedicated server hosting, cloud hosting, and a digital commerce cloud, and WPX or A2 Hosting, which both focus on WordPress users.
While owning your own domain can cost anywhere from $0.99 to $17 per year, a low level beginner hosting account can be obtained for anywhere from $2.99 and up. It’s a very affordable way to start a business.
Don’t jump into anything on day one. Take some time to really think through your domain choice, because you don’t want to become a domain hoarder where you have dozens of unused domains sitting in your account.
Make sure you keep an eye on your hosting, too. Allowing your site to get bogged down to the point where your servers aren’t handling the amount of traffic you’re sending can cause you to miss out on a lot of sales.
