2. Web Site Hosting

SusanMar 28, 20214 min read

I've used both Hostgator and SiteGround. I don't have personal experience with GoDaddy, but I can say that I haven't heard many good things about them.

I switched from Hostgator as soon as my 3-year contract was up. The system and tools were fine. The billing was a bit unhinged. Hostgator once charged an inordinate sum to my credit card at a time I wasn't even making a purchase with them! Although they never replied to my repeated inquiries into this mistake, they did retract the charge and within the same credit card billing cycle.

Another time, I paid the annual renewal fee for Domain Privacy -- where the info about the owner of your domain name is not publicly available on the Internet -- but they didn't renew/enact it. I knew this because I started getting a lot of spam calls and emails from those trying to sell me Web site management. It's because the domain privacy was enacted well after payment (i.e. The anniversary of the domain purchase), my privacy renewal is no longer in synch with my domain annual renewal. FYI, you can check here to see contact information for domain owners: https://lookup.icann.org/

I've been working with SiteGround based on the recommendation of others for a l couple of years. Although not the least expensive, I've been very pleased with their tools, documentation and service.

Signing up for Web Hosting

At the hosting providers Web site, they'll have links that allow you to set up an account with them. Through the process you'll set up your profile information, they'll ask you for the domain name you want to acquire assuming you don't already own one, they'll ask you about purchasing domain privacy (yes, to this). They may ask you at sign up about getting an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate. Hopefully, SSL comes with your hosting service by default as it really is a norm in the world of Internet searches today.

You'll know a website has SSL when you address it with "https://" instead of "http://". This security layer is important and browsers may highlight your Web site as being insecure if it doesn't have SSL. Know that SiteGround does include the basic SSL certificate with each of your Web sites with them so you don't need to pick any SSL extras when making your initial purchase.

Picking a Plan

The Hosting company will also offer you a plan. You can see SiteGround's hosting plans here: https://www.siteground.com/web-hosting.htm

Important considerations when choosing your hosting plan:

How many Web sites will you be creating?
Does it include free SSL?
Are backups included?
Can you manage your own backup timing?
Is free email included?
Can you manage a WordPress Website on the hosting plan?
Is there a limit on databases that might impact me? (Your Web site will require one database.)
What's the Web space maximum?

SiteGround's Plans

As of March 2021, all of SiteGround's plans include free SSL, daily backups, free email and the ability to build a WordPress Web site and database. I don't know what the future holds or any new needs that will come up.

For the StartUp plan, you can build a single Web site and use up to 10GB of space. This is the space that will hold your WordPress Theme files (the HTML, and other Web site source code and configuration files), your Web site database and any media you upload to use on your Web site.

The GrowBig plan allows you to create multiple databases using up to 20GB of space. Plus you can schedule your backup along with the daily backup. For example, if you plan on making a lot of changes, you may want to run a backup before making the changes so you can recover back to where you started. Personally, I don't follow this good practice, but my changes are few and far between so I feel comfortable knowing that SiteGround is creating a daily backup should something happen to my site files on their servers.

The GoGeek plan also allows for unlimited Web sites but using up to 40GB of space. They also give you a higher cap on monthly visits to about 100,000 monthly visits compared to the 25,000 with the GrowBig plan or the 10,000 visits with the Startup plan. I never worry about the number of monthly visits because I know I'm not going to see that kind of activity.

GrowBig Plan

I've chosen the GrowBig plan because I do own and manage two Web sites, one for each of my properties. At one point, I actually had a third Web site that I used to display my collection of sunset photos I was taking from each of my rental properties. I had so many and thought they served no purpose unless I had a means of sharing them. This lasted a year or two before I decided I don't have time for this! But because I had the GrowBig plan, I had the option to easily buy a new domain name and create a new Web site on my same hosting plan.

My Two Web Sites For Your Reference

Payment to the Web Hosting Company

The Web Host is going to have you commit to a certain time frame on this initial purchase. It could be for just one year or multiple years. It's your option to choose. When I purchased with HostGator, I did choose the 3-year plan because it was a significant savings. Just know that the cost will be shown per month, but you will be paying up front for the number of years you choose.

On the other hand, the domain and domain privacy purchases will be an annual cost for which you will get reminders annually.

On to the Next Step

Now that you have your Domain and your Web site hosting package, it's time to build your WordPress Web site. It's time to move on to the next Houfy Story in this Guidebook, "3. Enable the use of WordPress and pick a WordPress Theme."