FreelancerKenya

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How to Host Your Website or Blog (With Pictures)

Last Updated on By 55 Comments

Once you register your domain name, the next thing you want to do is to host your blog or website. Web hosting simply means providing storage space for your website so that users can access it.

host your website

An excellent web host will ensure that your site remains online most of the time (99.9% uptime) and it works seamlessly without unnecessary interruptions. You also need an excellent support team that can take good care of your property (website). Once your site starts earning good money, even 1 minute of downtime can result in significant losses.

Factors to consider when selecting the best web host

Do not just go for anyone advertising their hosting services. Go for the best. Below are some things to look out for:

  • Price: Just like anything else in life, go for something you can afford.
  • Uptime guarantee: Go for web hosts with 99.9% uptime guarantee. This means that your site will always be online and accessible.
  • 24 hour, excellent support: This really comes in handy in case there is a site issue at any time of day. In fact, make sure the support is active 24/7/365. Make sure your host has excellent support, i.e., sharp and accurate answers to your queries.
  • Number of domains and sub-domains hosted: All web hosts have different plans. If you’d want to have multiple sites hosted, choose a plan that will allow that.
  • Storage: Web hosting will host your site files, the same way your computer hosts your personal files (documents, images, program files, etc). Therefore, select a service that allows maximum (or even unlimited) storage. Of course, this depends on your budget.
  • Bandwidth: Bandwidth is simply the amount of data you and your visitors are allowed to upload or download. If you have low bandwidth, you can only have a certain number of visitors in a month. Go for unlimited bandwidth.
  • Emails: It feels great to have a customized email, e.g. wafula@yourwebsite.com. To look professional, set up different email addresses e.g. wafula@yourwebsite.com, info@yourwebsite.com, support@yourwebsite.com. Just like the above, go for unlimited emails. You can even set up one for your wife. If she’s Alice and your site is africansuits.com, it will be great to have alice@africansuits.com. Thank me later ☺.
  • An affiliate platform: This is not mandatory. However, if you want to earn some money recommending your web host to others, it’s best to look for a web hosting company that has an affiliate platform. That way, for every visitor who you recommend, and they pay and set up their sites, you earn a commission.

These are the basics you’ll need. If you have a good budget, you can also look for additional services such as daily site backup, advanced security features, etc.

For many years, I hosted my site with HostGator and it was been great to me. I hardly had any issues and whenever they cropped up, I got them sorted out real quick. Yes, I’m a proud HostGator affiliate and I’ll earn a commission if you use my link.

You’re free to use any other web host that meets the above criteria. You’re free to register your domain name and get hosting at the same place.

How to host your website

Here is how to host your site step by step. As stated above, I’ll use HostGator in my example, but you are free to choose any other alternative. The process is similar for all web hosts, therefore you should still be able to follow.

Step 1: Check out the plans

Head over to HostGator and choose your plan. If you’re new, go for the Hatchling Plan. You can always upgrade later. Click on Buy Now.

HostGator plans

Step 2: Enter Your Domain Name

This can be a brand new domain name you want to register, or one that you already own. You may get offers sometimes. For example, at the time of updating this post, domain names were being given for free for selected annual plans. Act fast when you get such offers.

Enter your domain name

You don’t need the domain privacy thing, you can uncheck it to save on your final bill.

Uncheck domain privacy

Step 3: Choose your hosting plan and create your HostGator account

If you’re new, go for the Hatchling plan as stated above. You can upgrade later if you need more features. For now, you’re trying to get a site up at the most affordable cost.

Hatchling plan

Step 4: Create your HostGator account

Create your HostGator account

Step 5: Enter your billing info

Enter your billing info

Step 6: Skip the additional services (optional)

For my new site, you do not have to put up any additional services. Good thing is that you can choose them anytime if you need them.

Additional services

Step 7: Enter coupon code, agree to terms and conditions, then checkout (pay)

Note that if you use my coupon code freelancerkenya as below, you’ll get a huge discount. This guide has shown you how to do a one year subscription. But if you were doing monthly subscription and already had a domain name registered elsewhere, your hosting fee would be $0.01 for the first month.

However, I recommend doing it yearly as per this precise guide. That way you save way more money in your first year. You literally save $80+ USD and will not have to worry about hosting payment for a whole 12 months.

Once you’ve validated your coupon code, accept the terms and conditions then make the payment. Following everything here step by step will get you paying only $42.96 to cover your entire first year’s domain and hosting.

Enter coupon code

Step 8: Set up your nameservers (for those who registered a domain name elsewhere)

Only do this if you already owned a domain name from elsewhere e.g. Namecheap.

After a successful purchase, you’ll get an email with your nameservers. After that, log in to your domain registrar. If you’re using Namecheap, locate the domain you want to host and click on “Manage”.

Select “Custom DNS” then paste the nameserver details you got from HostGator. Click the small green tick on the right so that the details can be saved.

Namecheap custom DNS

In a few minutes, your site will be live! (this can take up to 24 hours).

Yippee! Your site is live

Congratulations! Your site is now live and ready for the world.

It feels great to have your first site online, doesn’t it? The world will soon read from you. You’ll soon be collecting lots of leads and making sales using your new website.

Hosting your website is not as hard as you may have imagined. Simply follow the above procedure and you’ll be done in a few clicks.

The next step is to add content. For that, read this easy guide on how to install WordPress.

Share this with all your friends and leave a comment below.

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About Walter Akolo

I'm a freelance writer, blogger, trainer, and internet marketer. My joy is to see you making money online. Feel free to browse around and leave a comment. I strive to reply to all queries. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter .

Comments

  3. Pascal says

    Hello Walter,

    Hope your festive season was awesome, mine too. Happy new year.

    I was reading your article above about domain and hosting at large. It’s a good guide and I appreciate you for giving out this kind of knowledge.

    Well, my question is on billing info.
    Do you mean that I should fill in the exact details of my equity debit card (VISA) and they’ll deduct automatically?

    Another question is on the email address requested above on billing info, I’ve seen you filling it like this “wafula@freelancekenya.com, do you imply that we should use your “freelance kenya.com with our last names or I should use my last name with my new domain name e.g ouma@peoplecare.com? Or in this email space I should fill in my normal personal email address I use on google which is eklpascals@gmail.com?

    Thank you for your feedback.

    Regards

    Pascal Ouma

    Reply

    • Walter Akolo says

      Hi Pascal,

      My holiday was amazing. Totally relaxing.

      Yes, put the required card details and they’ll deduct the payment.

      You use an existing email. In this case you can use your usual Gmail address.

      Once your site is hosted, you can create any email address you want with your domain name e.g if your site is called example.com, you can have pascal@example.com, ouma@example.com, whateverelse@example.com…

      I hope this helps.

      Many thanks!

      Reply

  4. Sylvester says

    Hi Walter,

    Looks like Hostgator is always down. I would love to host with them soon, but any time the site fails and doesn’t proceed to checkout. Might you have heard of this before?

    Reply

    • Walter Akolo says

      Hi Steve,

      I can only imagine the excitement.

      Super congrats!

      So happy for you.

      Yeah, si ngumu ???

      Reply

  8. Petronila says

    As always the information is crystal clear and easy to follow. God bless you for your generosity. I am glad I have adequate guidelines so when I get to this point it will be easy.
    Many thanks, Walter.

    Reply

  14. Doris says

    This couldn’t have come at a better time!I needed this info like yesterday.Thanks for sharing Walter.As always I enjoy your artices.Be blessed.Keep at it,keep inspiring!

    Reply

  16. Sylvia says

    Hi Walter,

    Am accessing hosting services through the link provided in this post. Followed all the steps on hatchling plan for 12 months and getting a billing figure higher than the offer $36. Am i missing something. I have already bought the domain name.

    Reply

  20. Mozie says

    Hi Walter, I get many of my subscribers asking me how to get their websites up and running and think your post would serve as a great resource for them. They purchase PLR products with sales page and need to get their pages hosted html or on WordPress. Thanks for sharing an illustrated post, I’m sure it will help many other there. I was wondering, do you perhaps know of any cheaper hosts for every small niche sites? PLR products sales pages are very small and hostgator prices are a bit steep for very small niche sites. I personally use a managed VPS for my sites, but for my customers they are just getting started with internet marketing and info-marketing.

    Warmly,

    Mozie

    Reply

    • Walter Akolo says

      Hi Mozie. Thanks for your sharing your observations. I don’t really use PLR stuff but some guys claim that they have been useful to them. For those who find HostGator prices steep, there are many other cheaper options out there. One can even start with a free blog and start growing from there. This blog started as a free WordPress.com blog and I’m happy at the progress here, 5 years later.

      Reply

  21. sammy mwatha says

    Hi Walter,

    As usual, another gem!

    I have two running blog on Blogspot and WP respectively.

    How can I move them both (together?) to hosted on Hostgator, using your discounted offer?

    Regards,

    Sammy Mwatha

    Reply

  22. sammy mwatha says

    Ever a blessing!

    I have two running free blogs on Blogspot and WP, respectively.

    How can I move them to hosted, say, using Hostgator and your coupon?

    Sammy Mwatha

    Reply

  24. Ren Mumbo says

    Walter this comes, at a time when am hosting one of my websites, I have learned 1, 2 crucial aspects. Thanks much sir.

    Reply

  25. Titus says

    Thanks for the wonderful insights and crucial information Walter. I have a question, i have a free blog on WordPress and i want to host it, so can i buy the domain name from a company of my choice or must it be from from WordPress because am using their platform?

    Reply

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