How to Create a New WordPress Site on a Dedicated Hosting Account
WordPress is the most popular content management system around, and with good reason. It’s flexible, customizable, and boasts a thriving community.
But if you’re looking to launch a new site of your own, hosting on WordPress’s own platform may not be the best choice. That’s why we’ve gone out of our way to find the best web hosts for WordPress—these are the specialists in providing premium features, incredible service, and rock-solid performance for your site.
Go With A Dedicated Hosting Plan
Often times, you have to pay more for certain features on shared hosting. While you won’t always need these premium features, there’s no gurantee that you will. The good thing is that you’re not stuck to one hosting plan when you opt for a dedicated hosting account.
Dedicated hosting is ideal for WordPress sites, as it offers all the features you need and none of the restrictions. You won’t find yourself struggling with resource limits, as all the server’s resources will be dedicated to your site. This means your site will never experience lags or sluggish performance.
Pick A Domain Name That Works
If you’re stuck with a.com domain name and don’t want to pay extra for a premium one, try out these alternatives:
- .net
- .org
- .in
- .biz
Any of these extensions might not be available to you, but they all point to domains that are controlled by someone else and can’t be used by you unless you pay extra for them. If you want to create a new site, you will need to seek out a premium domain name that you can lock down for the time being.
Set Up A Security CPanel
As we mentioned above, dedicated hosting is best suited for WordPress sites, as it offers all the required features you need and not a single one you don’t. In addition to offering the best performance possible, these hosts also set up their customers’ security panels, giving you the flexibility to easily manage all the passwords and enabling you to create as many accounts as you need without having to remember countless different usernames and passwords.
WordPress has a built-in security system that is already sufficient for most sites. However, if you’re looking for more advanced features, you may have to upgrade to a premium hosting plan. In that case, you can opt for the free version of Security CPanel, which will still enable you to manage all your site’s passwords and keep an eye on your site’s activity.
Install WordPress On A Dedicated Server
The best and the most professional way to create a new WordPress site is to install it on a dedicated server. When you do this, you’re not bound to any hosting plan and can use any domain name you want. You also get to enjoy all the benefits of a professional server, such as 24/7 support, free backups, and much more.
Dedicated servers are not as cheap as regular hosting plans, so be sure to budget appropriately for this option. In most cases, you’ll need to budget at least $250 per month to make sure you get the most optimal performance from your server.
Don’t Forget About Spam Protection
When we talk about security, one of the most vital elements to consider is spam protection. Spam protection is a system used to combat spammy emails and messages aimed at swindleing or tricking people into buying certain products or services. When you have a dedicated hosting account, you can easily set up spam protection for your email through various services, such as Google Apps.
Now, you might be wondering whether or not Google will allow you to use their services if your site is connected to a VPN. This is a common question, and one that stems from the fact that Google’s policy on VPNs is fairly loose. While you don’t have to have a VPN connection to use their services, you do need to hide your identity. The best way to do this is through a VPN.
In most cases, you won’t need to pay for a VPN connection, as the providers usually offer a free version with some limitations. With these limitations, you may not be able to use all the features of the service, depending on which one you need (and it’s a good idea to read the guidelines first to know what those limitations are).
Create A Niche Site
If you’re looking to create a new site, you have a number of options to choose from. You can create a general purpose site, or you can create a site focused on a specific topic, like real estate or sports. In the case of the real estate niche site, you will want to focus on a specific region, such as London or the UK in general. Going niche means you will have a higher chance of having your site ranked highly in the search engines.
To give you an idea of how much easier it is to rank well in the search engines when you’re niche, here are some examples.
- Real estate – UK
- Realty – Denver
- Realty – Calgary
- Real Estate – Denver
- Real Estate – Calgary
- Realty – Austin
- Real Estate – Vancouver
- Realty – Toronto
- Realty – London
- Sport – Golf
You don’t need a £13.50-a-month VPN to create a niche site. You will, however, need a free domain name. To start with, you should go with a.com extension, as this is the most generic and the most easily marketable. Next, you will want to set up hosting on a dedicated server, which we’ve discussed above. From there, all you need is a simple WordPress installation with a security panel, and you’re good to go!
Make Sure You Optimize Your Site Correctly
If you’re looking to create a new site and you already have a functional one, one of the first things you should do is optimize it for the search engines. For this, you will want to hire a reputable SEO company. A good SEO company will be able to tell you exactly how to optimize your site and how much you should be paying.
As we mentioned above, going niche means having a higher chance of having your site ranked highly in the search engines. To give you an idea of how much more difficult it is to rank highly when your site is not niche, here are some examples of what Google typically returns for a search of “real estate” and “realty”.
- Real Estate – WeBuyHomes.com
- Realty – OnFleetRealty.com
- Real Estate – Zillow (Realty version)
- Real Estate – BlueFly (Realty version)
- Realty – HotPads (Realty version)
- Realty – Red Ventures (Realty version)
- Realty – Keller (Realty version)
When you’re not niche, these entries don’t appear at the top of the search results. Instead, they’re mixed in with the dozens of other sites that are virtually indistinguishable from one another. This is why you need to go niche if you want your site to appear at the top of the search results.
Make Sure Your Site Is Mobile-Friendly
If you’re a business owner or a professional, you might realize that a good chunk of your traffic comes from mobile users. That’s because people are increasingly using their phones to access the internet instead of desktop computers. To better serve these users, you should develop a mobile-friendly site.
There are several ways to make your site mobile-friendly, but you don’t need to do too much. If you’re developing a WordPress site, you can use all the default themes provided by WordPress to create a mobile-friendly version of your site. However, in most cases, all you need to do is make sure the fonts are big enough for people to read the text on a small display and also make sure the colors work well on small devices.