• Hosting service provider
• Domain name
• Hosting package
• Addons like SSL, etc

All these can be purchased as a single package from a hosting service provider. These components are well integrated. Here is what you will generally go through.

• Selection of domain name with the suitable package.
• Creation of account with hosting provider and payment process.
• Installation of WordPress though a single install software.
• Housekeeping.

Hosting service provider

Service providers give you a combination of tools so that you can start with a website. There are various types of hosting. Primary are Linux hosting, Windows hosting, cloud hosting and dedicated WordPress hosting. WordPress hosting is a bit expensive but worth the extra bucks. Hosting account provides with Cpanel access with total and easy access to hosting account. You can create subdomain, SSL certificates, Mail addresses, File manager, edit php files and so on. Sometimes you get a choice of location of servers. US servers are the least expensive. Most important we get a single click WordPress install like Softaculous. Popular hosting providers are Siteground, Bluehost, Hostgator, Godaddy, Hostinger and a few hundred more. Once you have shortlisted you service provider, you move on to the next step.

Domain Name

This is the most trickiest part of the whole thing. A .com domain name is the ultimate prize. But all the common name and combos are gone. A .in name may or may not be desirable as you might find, traffic going to your .com counterpart. Select and shortlist number of options before finalizing getting the one of your choice. As part of the freebie, try to get the hosting package which gives a free domain name, even if it is for a year.

Domain name should be catchy, simple to pronounce and remember, should reflect the nature of your blog and preferably should not have a spelling mistake. There are a ton of extensions available now, but remember, .com is a top level domain name.

Hosting package

All vendors give a 50% discount over the entire package when buying for the first time. Check the freebies carefully. GoDaddy still does not give a free SSL certificate. Check for the best deal with freebies like SSL, Business mail and domain name. Also go for the maximum duration say three or five years. You get the 50% discount either way. So go for the best package. Take help of a technical expert if required because this is going to be the deal of a lifetime. Package integration is a breeze with most of the top hosting providers. But the very reason why I always recommend top hosting providers is that their technology integration and programming is top notch. The tier two hosting providers have integration issues which leads to headache for all th ethree years you take the package. Once the domain and rest all are set, you can go to install the website.

Single click WordPress website install

Automatic installers usually take care of the technical aspects of WordPress installation. You should keep details like email address, blog name and description handy. A few clicks and your WordPress website is ready. It might take anything between a few minutes to an hour for your newly created website address to propagate through the DNS servers. After that you can login to the admin account.

Post WordPress install

• Secure your account with a strong password.
• Anything can go wrong, so choose the best option for a backup and take regular backups of your blog.
• To not overdo with plugins because they are a security risk and also slow down the website.
• Choose a theme which meets your requirement.
• Get the basic pages ready and apply for adsense as soon as possible.

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How is a website made

The pages of a website can be made in different ways. It can be designed using a note pad and writing a series of codes in HTML. By a slight upgrade to IDE (Integrated Development Environment) things get easier, faster and convenient.

But the real fun lies where a site can be made online by anyone. Three main categories of such tools exists, Blogger by Google and WordPress.com by Automattic, Wix, Weebly and others like Shopify and lastly a self hosted website with content management system like WordPress. Lets discuss each one in detail.

Blogger.com and WordPress.com

2003 was a watershed year in the history of internet and publishing. Both Blogger.com and WordPress.com came into being in this year. And they redefined the way a website is made. Suddenly everyone could make a site without HTML coding and without any knowledge of how internet works. Both are free platform and both provide a free sub-domain.

Blogger.com comes with powerful integration of Google Adsense, so this platform has the edge. But the design of Blogger is still very very primitive and it is still a blog. While WordPress.com has beautiful themes which transform the look and feel of your blog to make it look like a website. Hundreds and thousands of bloggers use these two free platforms to host their blog. WordPress also has paid plans.

Amazing world of site builders

Online site builders provide a huge relief to those who want to create something easy on their own. This service is provided by sites like Wix, Weebly, Shopify and so on. They provide ready made templates and blocks. These blocks can be placed on any page, they can be resized or deleted. Blocks and Apps give the necessary tools to improve performance of your site. You get a free subdomain with your account. All website functions are available. Online store can also be created in a few steps.

Self Hosted WordPress website

Finally the most sought after where you can get maximum flexibility is a self hosted website. You need to choose a content management system or CMS. CMS allows you to install and customise your website. It also provides a set of tools to perform various roles right from admin to subscriber. WordPress is the most popular content management system and there is no close second. All hosting providers provide specialized WordPress hosting. Themes change the look and feel of your website depending on its role. Plugins are like apps or software which provide additional functionality to the website. With WordPress, customization is simply a breeze.

https://wordpress.org/

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