How to host a website: a beginner's setup checklist
Choose compatible hosting, set up your website, connect your domain and test it before sending visitors to it.
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Choose compatible hosting, set up your website, connect your domain and test it before sending visitors to it.
First decide whether you need a builder, WordPress or a custom application. A hosted builder already includes hosting. Otherwise compare a compatible shared or managed plan, the full renewal budget, backup/restore scope and who will update the site. Register your domain in an account you control, install supported website software and use a unique administrator password with multifactor authentication where available.
Upload or build the site, enable HTTPS, test forms and links, and keep a restorable backup. Point only the required DNS records to the new host, preserving email records and leaving old hosting available during migration. Hosting your own website usually means controlling a rented hosting account, not running a computer at home. Home self-hosting additionally requires reliable power, public connectivity, router/firewall setup, security maintenance and permission under your internet agreement; it is rarely the simplest business-site choice.
Common questions
How to host a website: a beginner's setup checklist
Choose compatible hosting, set up your website, connect your domain and test it before sending visitors to it.
What should I check next?
Upload or build the site, enable HTTPS, test forms and links, and keep a restorable backup. Point only the required DNS records to the new host, preserving email records and leaving old hosting available during migration. Hosting your own website usually means controlling a rented hosting account, not running a computer at home. Home self-hosting additionally requires reliable power, public connectivity, router/firewall setup, security maintenance and permission under your internet agreement; it is rarely the simplest business-site choice.