how to host a website
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Okay, so you’ve just created a website, but you’re not quite sure how to publish it online? I hope this guide helps you out.

I’ve been there too. Granted, it was about 20 years ago 😵‍💫, but I still remember the confusion when I was trying to make sense of how to do this for the first time. I faced the same challenges you’re probably dealing with right now.

So, if you’re trying to figure out how to host a website from start to finish, I’m going to walk you through the entire process. We’ll cover:

  • What you need to understand before doing anything
  • How hosting a website works
  • What your hosting options are
  • The mandatory elements
  • How to choose the right hosting setup
  • How much it all costs
  • Step-by-step instructions for hosting your site

Let’s get this thing going:

How hosting a website works

No matter what your website is or what it’s meant to do, all websites have to follow the same rules when it comes to getting them “out there.” Before we can do any actual work, you need to get a grasp of the theory of how it all operates:

What is web hosting?

Web hosting is a tool or service that lets you store your website’s files on a server so that people can access it through the web. When someone enters your website’s domain name into their browser, the server sends those files to display your site.

With that, it becomes pretty obvious that web hosting is quite essential. It’s what makes your website available to the public. If you don’t have a host, your site is essentially invisible to the outside world.

The hosting setup is what ensures that your site can handle visitors and stay accessible, even during peak traffic times.

But what’s actually going on there under the hood of a server?

How servers store and serve data

Here’s how it works behind the scenes: when someone clicks on your website or types in your domain name, their browser sends a request to the server where your website is hosted. The server then pulls together all the necessary files – like HTML, images, and scripts – and sends them back to the browser. This is how your website loads and becomes visible to the visitor.

Typical server workflow when hosting a site

One element that I haven’t mentioned yet is that your domain name acts like a shortcut to find the server. Instead of remembering a long series of numbers (the server’s IP address), your domain name gets translated by the domain name system (DNS) into an IP address. This happens almost instantly, allowing the browser to know exactly where to retrieve the files.

In order for all of this to happen and to effectively make your website public, you simply cannot avoid the hosting element of the puzzle. That said, there are different types of servers and hosting.

Types of servers

When it comes to hosting your website, there are two main options for how servers are set up:

Running a server on your own machine.

It’s possible to host a website on your own computer by setting it up as a server. As if, you can technically use your main computer for the job.

This gives you full control over the environment, but it’s not a simple task. Apart from the technical setup itself, you’d need to manage security, make sure your machine is running 24/7, and troubleshoot any issues.

Renting server space.

The more common approach is to rent space from a hosting company. They manage the physical servers for you, so you don’t have to worry about keeping it running or secure. You can choose from different hosting setups based on your site’s needs:

  • Shared hosting: Your website shares space on a server with other websites.
  • VPS (virtual private server): You still share a server, but you get your own dedicated portion of the server’s resources.
  • Dedicated servers: This is when you rent an entire physical server just for your website.
  • Cloud hosting: Instead of relying on one server, your site is hosted across multiple servers.

Each option has its pros and cons, but for most people starting out, renting server space from a company is the most practical choice. It allows you to focus on your website while the hosting provider handles the technical aspects of keeping it online.

Deciding how you want to host your site

As I mentioned above, you have basically two main options when it comes to hosting your website. Here’s a deeper look at that:

Should you use your own computer or host externally?

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to host your site on your own computer or to use an external hosting service.

This decision boils down to your budget, technical expertise, hardware resources, and, honestly, how much hassle you’re willing to deal with. 🤷‍♂️

If you decide to host your website on your own machine, there are a few things to consider beyond the usual tech challenges.

  • First, unless you have a static IP address from your internet service provider (ISP), the IP of your computer might change regularly. This means that one day your website might be working fine, and the next day, it’s unreachable because your IP has changed. Sometimes an IP can stay the same for months, but in other cases, it might change multiple times in a single day. To avoid this, you’d need to contact your ISP to set up a static IP address, which usually comes at an extra cost, or work with services like Dynu (more on which later).
  • Second, there are significant security risks to think about. The moment you open ports on your firewall to allow web traffic to your machine, you’re exposing your server to potential attacks from hackers. Hosting a website means you’re putting a target on your machine, and if your security isn’t airtight, it can lead to serious vulnerabilities. It can be rewarding if you know what you’re doing, but it’s also time-consuming and can quickly turn into a “pain in the butt” if things go wrong.

At the end of the day, it’s just not the most practical way of handling things, which is why most people don’t choose this option unless they’re using it for testing or very small projects.

In contrast, hosting externally with a company shifts these burdens off your shoulders. Most hosting providers handle all the technical details – uptime, security patches, DDoS protection, and more – so you don’t have to. You still have choices, like shared hosting or more advanced options, but you’ll generally have fewer headaches. Hosting providers also make it easy to set up domains, handle traffic, and scale up as your site grows.

Match hosting with your needs

When choosing the method you’re going to host your site, it’s crucial to match your setup with what your website actually needs. Here’s what to consider:

Understand your website’s purpose.

What type of website do you want to be running? A small personal blog, an online store, a test project for experimentation, a business site, or a custom website? Each type has different requirements.

For example, an ecommerce site may need more security features and a stronger server to run the shopping cart, while a personal blog might not need as much power or storage, but will need a CMS to handle all the content. If you’re expecting to handle online payments or store customer data, security becomes an even bigger priority.

⚡ Pro tip: Generally speaking, at least based on my own experience, I wouldn’t host anything above a test project for experimentation on my own computer. Anything that’s meant for actual people to see is better hosted by an external company.

Make sure your hosting supports your website’s technology.

Websites run on different technologies, so you’ll want to ensure your host supports the platforms and languages your site needs.

For instance, if your site uses PHP and MySQL (common for WordPress sites), your hosting service must support these – luckily most hosts on the market have plans that are ready to handle that.

If you’re using custom software or frameworks, make sure the host can handle them, too. This is particularly important for dynamic websites that rely on server-side processing and might need specific optimizations or versions of scripts to be installed.

Plan for traffic and scalability.

Simply consider how much traffic you expect your website to handle, both now and in the future. A small info site won’t need the same hosting resources as a site expecting thousands of visitors a month.

Still, though, if you’re starting small but planning to grow, opt for external hosting. This gives you a good setup from the get-go and also has room to easily upgrade as your traffic increases. Most hosting providers offer plans that allow you to upgrade storage, bandwidth, and other resources without downtime.

Choose WordPress if you haven’t built your site yet

This is kind of a side note on the main topic of how to host your website, but I know that some of you reading don’t have a website yet and are simply doing research on what the best path is to get this whole thing going.

So if you’re still in the planning phase and haven’t built your site yet, I strongly recommend considering WordPress. It’s a user-friendly platform that doesn’t require you to be a web developer to get a site up and running. It’s also highly flexible, with thousands of themes and plugins available to customize your site.

But that’s not all. WordPress is also extremely well-supported by hosting companies, meaning most hosts will offer easy WordPress installation and optimization – so you won’t actually have to deal with the technical installation of the software. It’s also built to scale, so whether you’re running a personal blog or launching an ecommerce site, WordPress can handle it. Plus, there’s a massive community of users and developers, which means if you ever run into problems, solutions are just a search away.

And, let’s not forget, WordPress is used on 43.6% of all websites on the web.

👉 If you’re looking for a guide on how to get started with WordPress, we’ve got you covered – check out our other content on how to build a WordPress site from scratch. It’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.

What you need to host a site and how to choose a host

If you’re planning to go the “external host” route (the recommended and most popular approach) instead of hosing a site on your own computer, then here’s how to make all the important decisions along the way:

Domain name

To make your website accessible to the outside world, you need a domain name. Without a domain name, your site would only be reachable via its IP address – a string of numbers that’s hard for anyone to remember or type in manually.

Once you’ve chosen a domain, it needs to be registered so that it’s linked to your website’s hosting server. Here’s what’s involved in getting a domain name:

  1. Search for availability. First, you need to find a domain name that isn’t already taken. If you’re lacking ideas, DomainWheel will help you out with finding creating names that are available.
  2. Register the domain and connect it to your hosting. After choosing a domain, you’ll register it with your personal details (name, address, etc.) Once purchased, the domain needs to be pointed to your hosting provider. This is usually done by updating the DNS settings of the domain.
DomainWheel

Many web hosting providers also allow you to register a domain directly through them, and some offer it free for the first year as part of their hosting packages (for example, Bluehost does). This can make setup easier since the domain and hosting will already be connected.

Choosing the right setup for hosting

Unfortunately, merely choosing that you’re going to host your website with an external company isn’t where your decision making is going to end. You also have to choose the exact hosting setup that you’re going to use.

There are several types of hosting services, each with its own pros and cons. The right one for you depends on factors like your budget, technical needs, and how much traffic you expect your site to handle.

Here are the most common options:

Shared hosting.

Shared hosting is usually the go-to choice for beginners. It’s cost-effective because multiple websites share the same server and its resources, which keeps costs low. Here’s a breakdown of the key points:

  • Pros: It’s affordable and user-friendly, making it a great option for small websites, personal blogs, or new projects. Many shared hosting providers offer one-click installation for popular platforms like WordPress, which makes it easy to get started even if you don’t have technical experience.
  • Cons: Since you’re sharing server resources with other websites, you might experience slower performance during traffic spikes. You also have less control over the server’s configuration, which can limit flexibility if what you’re actually building is a custom creation and not just any ol’ website.

In short, shared hosting is great if you’re just getting started.

VPS, cloud, and other more powerful setups.

If you expect higher traffic, need more control, or want a setup that’s more scalable, you might consider more advanced hosting options:

  • VPS (Virtual Private Server): VPS hosting gives you your own dedicated portion of a server’s resources. It’s like a step up from shared hosting – while you still share a server, your site runs in its own virtual environment, which means better performance and more control.
  • Cloud hosting: Cloud hosting uses a network of servers to host your website. This means your site isn’t reliant on a single server, which makes it more reliable and scalable.
  • Dedicated hosting: This is the most powerful option, where you rent an entire physical server for your website. In most cases, this is not the setup for regular users. In other words, you most likely won’t ever need it.

Each of these options gives you more performance and flexibility compared to shared hosting, but they also come with higher costs and require a bit more technical knowledge.

Optimized hosting for specific software.

Some hosting providers offer managed hosting tailored for specific platforms, like WordPress. Managed hosting is designed to optimize performance for a particular CMS and often includes automated backups, security updates, and specialized support.

🤔 Why consider managed WordPress hosting?

If you want to be running a WordPress site, this option is worth considering. Managed WordPress hosting takes care of many technical aspects like updates, security patches, backups, plus also often gives you access to additional perks like free premium themes or plugins.

Managed hosting is also generally designed to give you the best performance possible for your specific platform, so your site can handle traffic better and run faster than it might on a general-purpose server.

We talked about the differences between WordPress hosting and traditional web hosting here.

How much it all costs

When it comes to hosting your website, the costs can vary depending on whether you choose to host externally with a provider or on your own machine. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you should expect in terms of costs for each option:

Costs when hosting externally

Hosting your website with a provider like Bluehost or another hosting company usually involves two main costs: domain registration and hosting plan fees.

Domain registration fees.

To get your website online, you need to register a domain name. Domain registration typically costs between $10 and $20 per year, depending on the domain extension (.com, .net, something else) and where you purchase it.

Some hosting providers offer a free domain for the first year when you sign up for their hosting services, but you’ll still need to pay for renewal after that. Here’s a typical cost breakdown:

  • Initial cost: $10–$20/year
  • Renewal cost: Usually about the same as the initial cost, unless you’re using a premium domain.

Hosting plans pricing.

Now, let’s look at the costs of hosting plans using Bluehost as an example, which is our no.1 recommended host for most users, btw. Below is a snapshot of their main hosting plans:

PlanBasicChoice PlusOnline StorePro
Price$1.99/mo.*$3.99/mo.*$7.45/mo.*$9.99/mo.*
Renewal$7.99/mo.$13.99/mo.$18.99/mo.$20.99/mo.
Websites10 websites50 websites50 websites100 websites
Storage10 GB NVMe50 GB NVMe50 GB NVMe100 GB NVMe
Visitors100 concurrent500 concurrent500 concurrent1000 concurrent
TrafficIdeal for 40k visits/mo.Ideal for 200k visits/mo.Ideal for 200k visits/mo.Ideal for 400k visits/mo.
Free domain1st year1st year1st year1st year
SSLFree SSLFree SSLFree SSLFree SSL
Support24/7 Chat24/7 Chat, Phone24/7 Chat, Phone24/7 Chat, Phone
*Note: Initial prices reflect discounted rates for the first term of service. Renewal prices are higher.

Shared hosting plans are typically the cheapest option, making them ideal for beginners. If you’re running a personal blog or small site, the Basic plan at $1.99/month might be all you need. However, as your site grows, you might need to upgrade to something more powerful.

Key things to keep in mind when choosing a hosting plan:

  • Initial discounts: Most hosting providers offer discounted rates for the first year or two. After that, the cost increases, so be sure to look at the renewal rates before committing. 👉 If you need help with that, here’s our list of the best budget hosts on the market.
  • Included features: Features like SSL certificates (which help secure your site), email hosting, backups, and CDN support are sometimes bundled into hosting plans, which can save you money on third-party services.

Costs for hosting on your own computer

If you’re thinking of hosting your website on your own machine, there are a few cost considerations beyond just registering the domain. Let’s break them down.

And, spoiler alert, if you’ve thought that it’s certainly going to be cheaper than hosting with an external company…well, not always.

Domain registration fees: Same as when hosting externally.

Additional costs for self-hosting:

While hosting on your own computer might seem like it’s “free,” there are hidden costs to consider. Here are a few expenses you’ll need to factor in:

  • Static IP address. Most home internet providers don’t offer static IPs by default, which means your IP address could change frequently, disrupting access to your site. To prevent this, you’ll need to request a static IP from your ISP, which often comes at an extra monthly fee (around $10–$30/month).
  • Hardware and maintenance. Running your own server requires that your computer is always on (24/7) and capable of handling web traffic. If your hardware isn’t up to speed, you may need to invest in better equipment.
  • Increased electricity costs. Keeping a server running 24/7 will add to your electricity bill.
  • Internet bandwidth. Hosting your site on your home network could affect your internet speeds, especially if you have limited bandwidth. You may need to upgrade to a business-grade internet plan, which tends to be more expensive than regular home internet.

How to host a site step by step

In this part of the guide, I’ll walk you through the process of hosting a website using WordPress as an example. WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for building websites, and many hosting providers make it easy to set up.

Step 1: Choose a hosting provider

The first thing you’ll need to do is choose a hosting provider that supports WordPress. A WordPress-friendly hosting service makes installation and management easier. As mentioned earlier, Bluehost is a great option. It’s well-rated in our user surveys, has good load times, uptime, and overall reliability. Plus, Bluehost offers plans specifically optimized for WordPress, which simplifies the setup process.

Once you’ve chosen a provider, you’ll need to:

  • Sign up for an account: Visit the hosting provider’s website, select the plan that fits your needs, and complete the signup process. This usually involves entering your email, choosing your hosting plan, and providing payment details.
Bluehost pricing

Step 2: Register or transfer your domain

Next, you need to make sure your site is linked to a domain name (the web address where people will find your site).

  • Register a new domain. Many hosting providers, like Bluehost, offer the option to register a domain directly when you sign up for hosting. Often, they’ll even include the first year for free. If you prefer to register the domain elsewhere, this is also possible and doesn’t make the process more difficult.
  • Point your domain to your host. You need to do this only if you’ve chosen to buy the domain from a different company than your web host. You’ll simply need to point it to your hosting provider. This involves updating your domain’s DNS settings. Your host will provide you with the nameservers that you’ll need to enter in your domain registrar’s control panel. This step essentially tells the internet, “Hey, this domain is hosted over here!”
Being prompted to set up a domain in the Bluehost setup process

Step 3: Install WordPress

Once your domain is connected to your hosting provider, the next step is to install WordPress on your server. Most WordPress-friendly hosts offer one-click WordPress installation to make this easy.

  • Access the control panel. Log into your hosting account and access the control panel (usually it’s cPanel or a custom dashboard depending on your host).
  • Use one-click installation. Look for an option like “Install WordPress” or find Softaculous or a similar installer script in the control panel. This tool simplifies the process by automatically installing WordPress on your domain with just a few clicks.
Bluehost control panel

Step 4: Import your local site to the live server

If you’ve been building your WordPress site locally (on your own computer), the next step is to move your local site to the live server so it’s accessible to the public.

  • The easiest way to do this is by using a WordPress plugin like Duplicator. Duplicator creates a backup of your local site, which you can then transfer to the live server.
  • After installing the plugin, you’ll create a package (a compressed version of your site) and download it. Then, you’ll upload it to your live server via FTP or your hosting control panel.

👉 We have a separate guide on this topic that you can use for the migration process. Check it out here.

Step 5: Final testing

Once your site is live, you’ll want to test everything to make sure it’s working as expected. Here are a few things to check:

  • Links: Go through your website and click on various internal and external links to make sure they’re all working properly.
  • Forms: If your site includes contact forms or other interactive elements, make sure they are submitting data as expected.
  • Interactive features: Test any other dynamic elements, such as shopping carts, search functionality, or image sliders, to ensure they’re functioning correctly.

Once everything checks out, your site is officially live and ready for the world to see!

How to host a website on your own computer (discouraged option)

Although it’s technically possible to host a website on your own computer, it’s not recommended for most users due to the complexity and potential issues that come with it. Hosting locally involves setting up a server environment on your machine, ensuring network security, and maintaining uptime, all of which require significant technical knowledge.

That said, if you’re curious or need a temporary local environment to test things out, here’s a general overview of what’s involved:

1. Setting up a local server environment

To start hosting your site on your own machine, you’ll need to set up a local server environment. This is essentially turning your computer into a web server that can serve your website’s files to visitors.

There are several software options that make this possible, but the most popular option seems to be XAMPP. It works for Windows, OSX, and even Linux.

XAMPP local server

It bundles the necessary software to run a server, including Apache (the actual web server), a database (usually MySQL), and PHP for processing dynamic content. Once installed, you’ll be able to run your website locally by placing your site files into the appropriate directory.

ℹ️ Note; depending on the version of XAMPP you’re running, your operating system, and your network environment, you might have to perform additional tasks to enable remote access to your local XAMPP server. You can find specific guides on how to do that on the web.

2. Configuring your network settings

Now that your local server is set up, you’ll need to configure your network to make your site accessible from the internet. This requires two key steps:

  • Assigning a static IP address. By default, most home networks assign dynamic IP addresses to devices, which can change frequently. To ensure your server is always reachable, you’ll need to assign a static local IP address to your computer. This is done in your network settings. Of course, you first need to obtain that address from your ISP. Note that you can still set up a server even if you’re on a dynamic IP, but it adds an extra step to the process. More on that in a second.
  • Port forwarding. For the outside world to access your server, you’ll need to configure port forwarding on your router. This forwards incoming traffic on specific ports (usually ports 20, 80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS) to the IP address of your server. Each router has a different interface for setting this up, but most manufacturers provide step-by-step guides for enabling port forwarding.
  • Allow incoming connections to your server. The default firewall configuration on your local computer might block incoming connections to the required ports. See with your local settings and adjust them if needed. For example, Windows Firewall is known for blocking connections to ports like 80 or 443.

3. Buying a domain and pointing it to your server

Even if you’re hosting the website on your own computer, you’ll still need a domain name so users can access your site via a readable web address instead of an IP address.

  • Domain registration. First, purchase and register a domain name through a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap. Here are all the popular options when it comes to registrars.
  • Pointing the domain to your server: If you’re on a home network with a static IP, then just point your domain name to that. If you’re on a dynamic IP address (one that changes regularly), you’ll need to use a dynamic DNS (DDNS) service. DDNS automatically updates your domain with your current IP address whenever it changes. Services like Dynu.com offer this feature, and you can configure your router or a program like DDClient to keep your domain in sync with your IP address.

Challenges and limitations of hosting your own server

While hosting on your own computer can be an interesting project, there are several serious challenges that make this option impractical for most people:

  • Reliability issues. When hosting locally, your site’s uptime depends entirely on the stability of your home environment. Power outages, hardware failures, or even accidentally turning off your computer will make your site inaccessible. Hosting companies typically have robust infrastructure with backup power supplies, redundant servers, and 24/7 monitoring – things you likely won’t have at home.
  • Security risks. Hosting a website on your home network exposes your computer to external threats. The moment you open ports on your router to allow internet traffic, you become vulnerable to hacking attempts, malware, and other attacks. You’ll need to constantly monitor and secure your system to keep it safe, which requires advanced knowledge of server security and network protocols.
  • Performance constraints. Most home internet connections are not designed to handle the kind of traffic websites typically generate. If your site starts to receive even moderate traffic, your home network may struggle to keep up, leading to slow loading times or outages. Upload speeds (which affect how fast your server can send data to visitors) are usually much lower on residential internet plans than on professional hosting networks.
  • Potential violation of ISP terms of service. Many internet service providers do not allow customers to host public-facing websites from their home connections. Doing so may violate your ISP’s terms of service, which could lead to penalties or service suspension. Before hosting your own site, be sure to check your ISP’s policies on running a web server from home.

Conclusion

Hosting a website can seem complicated at first, but once you break it down, the process becomes much more manageable. We’ve covered both external hosting and hosting on your own computer, and by now, you should have a clear understanding of the steps involved.

To recap:

  • External hosting is the recommended option for most people. It offers reliability, security, and ease of use, with many affordable plans available for beginners.
  • Self-hosting on your own computer is possible but discouraged unless you have advanced technical knowledge. It comes with significant challenges in terms of security, performance, and reliability.

Your next step is to decide which hosting option fits your needs and budget. If you’re just starting out, I recommend looking into a reputable hosting provider like Bluehost to simplify the process. Once you’re set up, you can move forward with registering your domain, installing WordPress (or your preferred CMS), and launching your website.

As you begin your hosting journey, remember that support is always available. If you have any questions or run into challenges along the way, feel free to drop a comment below. I’m happy to help you troubleshoot and make sure you’re on the right track.

Now, it’s time to get started – your website is waiting to go live!

Yay! 🎉 You made it to the end of the article!

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