How To Host Your Website

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Today it has become more and more common for individuals to have their own websites. Whether your website is to support a small business, or simply to share something with the world, there are three easy steps to setting up a website.

Register a Domain – This is the process in which you become the owner of a domain name. Go to a site like whois.org to see if the domain you want is available. If it is, you can register it for a small (usually yearly) fee at any of the thousands of accredited domain registers. Keep in mind that if the .com version of your desired name is taken, it may still be available as a .net

Host Your Domain – Registering your domain only gives you a website address, now you need a place to store the data contained in your actual website. A domain hosting company will provide you with space on a server for a monthly fee, so that when people type your web address into their browsers they will be directed to physical server where your website is stored. Web hosting fees vary widely depending on the amount of space, traffic, and other features offered (amount of email addresses, FTP accounts etc. . . ) Many hosting companies also register domain names, and offer packages and discounts for registering a domain and acquiring hosting at the same time. It is not necessary to register your domain with the same company that hosts your website, but it is often easier to do so.

Design & Maintain Your Website – There are many software packages and online resources where you can learn how to design your website. When your website is finished, you simply have to use an FTP client to upload the site to your space allocated by your web hosting company. Your site may be changed and updated as often as you wish by repeating this process.