If you chose to purchase your domain name from my favored domain registrar, Hover Inc., congratulations!! You’re now ready to buy your hosting service. So how do you buy web hosting for your new blog? I’m going to recommend a specific provider to you and walk you through the complete purchase process. As a matter of full disclosure and transparency I do receive receive a commission from them, which has no impact on your purchase price.
My recommended hosting service is Bluehost. They are one of the largest hosting providers and the service I’ve used for the past few years. They are one of the most price competitive hosting services around. I have worked with their technical support several times over the years and have found them extremely helpful, professional and prompt in resolving issues, none of which were related to problems on their end. There are many other popular hosting services, including HostGator, which is also widely recommended provider. Both Bluehost and HostGator are owned by the same parent company, Endurance International Group.
Let’s get started and head to the Bluehost homepage:
Step 1: Select Your Hosting Plan
Note: The plan prices reflected here are for 3-year plans. Prices are higher for shorter term plans. If you are determined and confident to create fresh content over time, then a long-term plan is for you.
Step 2: Sign-Up for a free domain name. As I mentioned in ‘How to Buy Your Domain Name’, Bluehost provides a free domain name. If you used Hover, then this is excellent opportunity to get an extra domain name at no cost. If you purchased a Hover domain, click here and I'll show how to point your Hover domain name to your Bluehost account.
Step 3: Complete your account information.
Step 4: Select Your Account Options. You have an opportunity to change your plan term before your final purchase. If you didn’t use Hover to purchase domain name, then I strongly recommend you purchase Domain Privacy Protection here. I do not recommend any other options. I’ll show how to back-up your site free of cost later in this guide.
Step 5: Finally, provide your credit card information to complete your purchase and activate your hosting service.
You should receive a ‘Welcome’ email from Bluehost providing your new Username and Password. Store it in a safe place. You’ll need that information to administer your account.
Read more articles in the How to Build Your Bulletproof Blog series:
- How to Build Your Bulletproof Blog – Introduction
- How to Select and Buy Your Domain Name
- How to Buy Web Hosting for Your New Blog
- How to Point Your Hover Domain to Your Bluehost Account
- How to Install WordPress
- How to Set Up WordPress User Names
- Configuring WordPress Permalinks
- Configuring WordPress General Settings
- How to Choose a WordPress Theme
- How to Install a WordPress Theme
- How to Install WordPress Plugins
- WordPress Security and Backup
- How to Publish Your First WordPress Post
- How to Create Your First WordPress Page