Let’s get this thing going:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How hosting a website works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t
What is web hosting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hosting setup is what ensures that your site can handle visitors and stay accessible, even during peak traffic times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what’s actually going on there under the hood of a server?<\/p>\n\n\n
How servers store and serve<\/em> data<\/h3>\n\n\n\nHere’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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Typical](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/server-workflow.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOne element that I haven’t mentioned yet is that your domain name acts like a shortcut to find the server.<\/strong> Instead of remembering a long series of numbers (the server’s IP address<\/a>), your domain name gets translated by the domain name system (DNS<\/a>) into an IP address. This happens almost instantly, allowing the browser to know exactly where to retrieve the files.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn 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.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nTypes of servers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to hosting your website, there are two main options for how servers are set up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Running a server on your own machine.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIt’s possible to host a website on your own computer by setting it up as a server. As if, you can technically<\/em> use your main computer for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Renting server space.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe 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<\/a> based on your site’s needs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Shared hosting<\/strong>: Your website shares space on a server with other websites.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- VPS (virtual private server)<\/strong>: You still share a server, but you get your own dedicated portion of the server’s resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Dedicated servers<\/strong>: This is when you rent an entire physical server just for your website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cloud hosting<\/strong>: Instead of relying on one server, your site is hosted across multiple servers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nDeciding how you want to host your site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As I mentioned above, you have basically two main options when it comes to hosting your website. Here’s a deeper look at that:<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nShould you use your own computer or host externally?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This decision boils down to your budget, technical expertise, hardware resources, and, honestly, how much hassle you’re willing to deal with. \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you decide to host your website on your own machine, there are a few things to consider beyond the usual tech challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- 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).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMatch hosting with your needs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understand your website’s purpose.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u26a1 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure your hosting supports your website’s technology.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWebsites run on different technologies, so you’ll want to ensure your host supports the platforms and languages your site needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For instance, if your site uses PHP<\/a> and MySQL<\/a> (common for WordPress sites), your hosting service must support these – luckily most hosts on the market have plans that are ready to handle that.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plan for traffic and scalability.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nSimply 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nChoose WordPress if you haven’t built your site yet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nSo 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, let’s not forget, WordPress is used on 42.5% of all websites on the web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\udc49 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<\/a>. It’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat you need to host a site and how to choose a host<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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:<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nDomain name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Search for availability.<\/strong> First, you need to find a domain name that isn’t already taken. If you’re lacking ideas, DomainWheel<\/a> will help you out with finding creating names that are available.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Register the domain and connect it to your hosting.<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
![\"DomainWheel\"](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/DomainWheel.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMany 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<\/a> does). This can make setup easier since the domain and hosting will already be connected.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nChoosing the right setup for hosting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are the most common options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shared hosting<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nShared 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Pros<\/strong>: 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cons<\/strong>: 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In short, shared hosting<\/strong> is great if you’re just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\nVPS, cloud, and other more powerful setups<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you expect higher traffic, need more control, or want a setup that’s more scalable, you might consider more advanced hosting options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- VPS (Virtual Private Server)<\/strong>: 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<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cloud hosting<\/strong>: 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Dedicated hosting<\/strong>: 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Optimized hosting for specific software<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nSome hosting providers offer managed hosting<\/strong> tailored for specific platforms, like WordPress<\/strong>. Managed hosting is designed to optimize performance for a particular CMS and often includes automated backups, security updates, and specialized support.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/span>\ud83e\udd14 Why consider managed WordPress hosting?<\/strong> <\/div>\n\n\n\nIf 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We talked about the differences between WordPress hosting and traditional web hosting here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHow much it all costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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:<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCosts when hosting externally<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hosting your website with a provider like Bluehost or another hosting company usually involves two main costs: domain registration<\/strong> and hosting plan fees<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDomain registration fees.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTo 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSome 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Initial cost<\/strong>: $10\u2013$20\/year<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Renewal cost<\/strong>: Usually about the same as the initial cost, unless you’re using a premium domain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Hosting plans pricing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nNow, let’s look at the costs of hosting plans using Bluehost<\/a> as an example, which is our top recommended host for most users, by the way. Below is a snapshot of their main hosting plans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOne element that I haven’t mentioned yet is that your domain name acts like a shortcut to find the server.<\/strong> Instead of remembering a long series of numbers (the server’s IP address<\/a>), your domain name gets translated by the domain name system (DNS<\/a>) into an IP address. This happens almost instantly, allowing the browser to know exactly where to retrieve the files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n When it comes to hosting your website, there are two main options for how servers are set up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Running a server on your own machine.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s possible to host a website on your own computer by setting it up as a server. As if, you can technically<\/em> use your main computer for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Renting server space.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a> based on your site’s needs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n As I mentioned above, you have basically two main options when it comes to hosting your website. Here’s a deeper look at that:<\/p>\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This decision boils down to your budget, technical expertise, hardware resources, and, honestly, how much hassle you’re willing to deal with. \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you decide to host your website on your own machine, there are a few things to consider beyond the usual tech challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understand your website’s purpose.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u26a1 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure your hosting supports your website’s technology.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Websites run on different technologies, so you’ll want to ensure your host supports the platforms and languages your site needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, if your site uses PHP<\/a> and MySQL<\/a> (common for WordPress sites), your hosting service must support these – luckily most hosts on the market have plans that are ready to handle that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plan for traffic and scalability.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n 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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, let’s not forget, WordPress is used on 42.5% of all websites on the web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udc49 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<\/a>. It’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a> does). This can make setup easier since the domain and hosting will already be connected.<\/p>\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the most common options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shared hosting<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, shared hosting<\/strong> is great if you’re just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VPS, cloud, and other more powerful setups<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you expect higher traffic, need more control, or want a setup that’s more scalable, you might consider more advanced hosting options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Optimized hosting for specific software<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some hosting providers offer managed hosting<\/strong> tailored for specific platforms, like WordPress<\/strong>. Managed hosting is designed to optimize performance for a particular CMS and often includes automated backups, security updates, and specialized support.<\/p>\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We talked about the differences between WordPress hosting and traditional web hosting here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n Hosting your website with a provider like Bluehost or another hosting company usually involves two main costs: domain registration<\/strong> and hosting plan fees<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Domain registration fees.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hosting plans pricing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let’s look at the costs of hosting plans using Bluehost<\/a> as an example, which is our top recommended host for most users, by the way. Below is a snapshot of their main hosting plans:<\/p>\n\n\n\nTypes of servers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Deciding how you want to host your site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Should you use your own computer or host externally?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Match hosting with your needs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Choose WordPress if you haven’t built your site yet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What you need to host a site and how to choose a host<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Domain name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nChoosing the right setup for hosting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
How much it all costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Costs when hosting externally<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Bluehost](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Bluehost-web-hosting-plans-2025.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>![\"Being](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Being-prompted-to-set-up-a-domain-in-the-Bluehost-setup-process.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n![\"Bluehost](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/bluehost-control-panel.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n