In the more than 10 years that I’ve been doing business online, I’ve explored lots of different options for building a website. And I always come back to WordPress. Whether it’s for an online store, a blog, or just a one-page information site to get leads, I choose WordPress for my clients and me.
This post is going to show you step-by-step how to get a new domain, set up hosting, and install WordPress in under 10 minutes. And the good news is that once you’ve set up your site, you won’t have to go through these steps again, unless it’s to set up a new website.
How Much Does It Cost?
This method isn’t free – not like if you went to Wix or WordPress.com to start a blog – but it’s consistently been one of the best ways to start a website. Plus, I can help you start your website with discounts so you save some money.
Most people who start their websites with a free builder realize the limitations and end up having to switch to a hosted site or start over from scratch. Switching your site after you’ve already built it is way more time consuming and difficult than setting it up the right way from the beginning.
Why WordPress and Why Hosting?
It’s easier.
Managing a website is much easier when you have software like WordPress to handle the organization of each of your pages.
And if you want to add a blog to your site to offer ongoing content, you can easily manage everything from the same platform. Many big brands like Time, Facebook, Disney, The New York Times, Vogue, and Forbes use WordPress to manage their websites.
You have more flexibility.
To maintain freedom and flexibility with your website it’s best to pay for hosting. In exchange, you have more ownership over your site, including the ability to make money from it. Some free sites make it difficult to earn money from your site – plus they may place ads or banners on your site that you can’t remove.
It’s cost-effective.
WordPress is free, but you have to do pay for hosting on a monthly or annual basis.
The host allows you to use a certain amount of space on their web servers and allows you to store different kinds of files – like your WordPress software and all your pages and images.
You want to choose a reliable host that’s going to be online all the time. When visitors go to your site, you don’t want them to get errors. This is why I choose HostGator year after year. Every time I consider switching hosts, I always come back to HostGator.
I’ve never had problems with my site going down and the two times I’ve had to contact customer service in 10 years, they were nothing but helpful and friendly.
Plus, most HostGator hosting packages include email hosting, something many other hosts charge extra for. So if you want to have an email address associated with your URL, you can easily create one.
Will WordPress Work for My Online Store?
WordPress is flexible enough to handle basically anything you want. So, absolutely, you can use WordPress to launch your store by adding Pay buttons directly to your page, for example, from PayPal, Stripe, or another provider.
Or, if you need a way to manage inventory and multiple sizes of each product a plugin like WooCommerce is a good option – and it’s free. You can also integrate a Shopify lite or Basic store for an additional monthly cost.
The Basic Pieces of Setting Up a Self-Hosted Blog
HostGator has a QuickInstall that lets you set up WordPress with just the click of a button. You don’t need any technical knowledge and you don’t have to know any coding. Thank goodness!
The final piece – or it may be the first thing you purchase – is your domain. The domain is the www. name you choose for your blog. You’re going to use this for awhile, so choose carefully.
Let’s Get Started
1. Set up the domain and hosting
Start by going to HostGator.com. Choose a WordPress Plan if you plan to have fewer than three websites with WordPress. Or choose a Web Hosting Plan for the ability to add unlimited domains to your plan over time (I’m up to 20 domains on the Business Plan).
You can always change your plan in the future if you need more features.
2. Next, enter the domain you want.
…or choose “I already own this domain” if you have a domain that you’ve already purchased. If you purchased the domain from another provider, but want to use HostGator as your host, you’ll have to do a couple of extra steps. I’ll post the key steps at the end.
Buying a domain gives you an easy to remember address that goes directly to your site.
HostGator will alert you if you’re trying to select a domain that’s not available. If that happens you’ll have to choose a different domain name. Many of the easy to remember domains are already taken, so you’ll have to get creative with your domain name. Make it memorable.
3. Select your hosting package and the billing cycle.
Paying for more months upfront gives you greater amount of savings. If you’re in it for the long haul, you can pay for up to 36 months of hosting with your initial registration.
For example, if you choose the Baby plan and want to pay monthly, you’ll pay $430.20 over the next 36 months – and that’s IF there are no rate increases. Taking advantage of the current deal, the total would be $107.28 and your hosting is covered for the next three years.
4. Choose a username and security pin.
5. Next, enter your billing information. HostGator will use this billing information to invoice you when it’s time to renew your hosting.
You can add additional services or uncheck all the boxes to pay only for your domain and hosting.
Disclaimer: I earn a commission when you use my link or promo code to sign up for HostGator. I’m recommending HostGator because of my experience using their services. If you make a purchase through my affiliate link, thanks so much for your support.
5. Review your order and the Amount Due, agree to the Terms, and Checkout.
You now have hosting and a domain! You’re halfway there.
Check your inbox for an email from HostGator.com – it may be in Spam or Junk, so check there, too. The email contains your username, password, and a link to the control panel (HostGator calls it cPanel) where you manage your account.
Installing WordPress
Use the details from your email to log on to your cPanel. At the top, you’ll see a grid of Popular links and one of them will be the WordPress Installer.
On the next page, you may be prompted to select the domain to install WordPress.
Enter your details into the form and you’re done. WordPress has been installed.
Log in to WordPress for the First Time
Check your inbox for an email including your WordPress username and password. You will login to WordPress by going to: yourdomain.com/wp-admin.
You’ll be taken to your WordPress dashboard where you can set up your theme (there are hundreds of themes available for free) or you can start posting using the default theme.
Note: If you purchased a domain from another provider, but want to use HostGator as your host.
Once you’ve purchased your hosting package, HostGator will assign you two nameservers. Jot them down, then login to your domain registrar (the company who you purchased the domain from, e.g. Google, GoDaddy, Namescheap, etc.) and find the place to edit your nameservers and enter the information you wrote down from HostGator.
