So as a front end developer, or if your just trying to create an online presence with the open source software WordPress, the first thing your going to need to do is put your files/code online. This requires you needing what is called a hosting provider. But wait what is hosting or what does it mean to host a website.
Well I’m glad you asked. This is a fun adventure where we will explore what it takes to get your site online and what it really means to host your website.
What is Hosting?
To put it simply hosting is the plot of land where you can build your house(files) online. Without a host no one can see the amazing work you’ve done or the services you offer. Especially in today’s time your almost irrelevant if don’t have a website let alone your site not being mobile ready or friendly.
But no worries your friendly neighborhood Jamaican front end web developer is here to help.
Your probably telling yourself I have no idea where to even begin when it comes to finding a host provider and this all sounds so complicated.
To help you out, not only in your hosting problems, but in life, my motto I try to stick to is keep it simple.
Out of all the choices out there it can be hard to choose the right hosting provider. However if you want to go off recommendation I highly suggest Host Gator. Throughout all my years working on websites and developing I have had the best experience with them, not to mention their customer service. Their always available and my problems are usually solved in the same day.
Be aware these suggestions are for small businesses that don’t require a lot of bandwidth for large corporations that get a lot of traffic to their site, and I do mean a lot.
Regardless host gator is a good place to start.
Their plans start off at around $10 bucks a month and if you want to go fancy and have multiple domains under one account then go for the big boy which is around $11 to $12 dollars.
This is the plan I have and I’m quite satisfied with.
Or if your looking for a cheaper alternative they have sites like bluehost. I believe they start at around $5 a month. I forgot to mention that host gator does make hosting a wordpress site and integrating it easy as pie, if pie was easy to make. Let’s say easy as scrambled eggs, yeah that’s better.
Don’t get me wrong, it can get a little complicated if its your first time putting files up on your host but with a few clicks and browsing putting your files on the host is as simple as copying and pasting the files, or more like uploading it.
Don’t forget if you do get stuck you can always call customer service.
I know when I first put up my first developed site I was proud and amazed that I created my whole site my self and now it’s online for anyone to see and the process seemed quite simple.
Seriously I think the hardest part was coding the site and having it do what I wanted.
I think that’s about it. I tried to keep this one simple and easy to understand.
So what are you waiting for? Go out and start building your website and get it hosted so the world can see what you do!!!