Hosting a WordPress Site in the Cloud
WordPress is one of the most popular and free blogging platforms available, and the fact that it’s open source makes it especially useful for developers and businesses alike. It has quickly emerged as the go-to blogging solution for people looking to set up their own blog for business, family, or personal reasons. The simplicity and flexibility of the platform make it a perfect fit for beginners who want to get a quick and easy blog up and running.
What most people don’t realize is that WordPress is more than just a blog platform. It’s actually a fully-featured CMS (Content Management System) that can be used to build your own online store, portfolio, or news website for free. In this guide, you’ll discover how to host a WordPress site in the cloud and benefit from all its features.
Choosing Your Cloud Hosting Services
The first step is to select the right cloud hosting services for your WordPress site. There are many benefits to hosting your site in the cloud, so it’s important to weigh them all out before committing. Here are a few of the most significant perks that come with hosting your WordPress site in the cloud:
Improved Performance
One of the main reasons why people choose to host their websites in the cloud is because of the increased performance. Instead of relying on the web host you’re currently employing for your site, Google Cloud Platform allows you to use powerful servers which are well-equipped to deliver high-speed websites.
If you’re looking for a free blogging platform, take a look at Blogger. With Google Cloud Platform, you’ll get a free domain and you can install the Blogger app from Google play or the iOS App Store to start blogging with ease.
Flexibility
Another significant perk of hosting a website in the cloud is the flexibility. Thanks to tools like Cloudflare’s 1-click setup, which you’ll learn more about in a bit, it’s extremely simple to get up and running with a new blog in the cloud. The fact that you can use the same tools for free means you have no boundaries when it comes to your creativity.
Scalability
The last significant perk of hosting a WordPress site in the cloud is the scalability. Thanks to tools like Cloudflare, which we’ll discuss in more detail soon, installing and configuring a WordPress site in the cloud is much simpler and less time-consuming than setting up a similar site on your own web host. This makes it suitable for a variety of use cases.
Now that you’re well-versed in the significant perks of hosting a WordPress site in the cloud, it’s time to learn how to do just that. In the next section, you’ll discover how to install WordPress to host your site in one of Cloudflare’s data centers.
Step 1. Setting Up A WordPress Account
The first step is to create a WordPress account if you don’t already have one. You’ll use this account to log in to WordPress whenever you need to interact with the platform. For best results, use a unique and easy-to-remember email address that isn’t associated with any other accounts. This will make it simpler for others to contact you if they have questions about your blog.
Step 2. Downloading And Installing WordPress
Now that you have a WordPress account, it’s time to download and install WordPress. To get started, visit the WordPress website and click on the Download button to begin the download. Once the plugin is installed, click on the WP icon in the upper right corner to open the WordPress dashboard. From here, you can click on the Install button to begin the WordPress installation process. For best results, use the free version of WordPress.
Step 3. Editing Your WordPress Blog
Once WordPress is installed and ready to use, it’s time to begin editing your blog. From the WordPress dashboard, click on the Blog button and then click on the Settings tab to open the WordPress settings page. You’ll want to make sure that the Theme tab is set to The Blogger theme and that the Blog settings are configured as shown below.
Make sure to save your settings and then close the settings window to continue editing your blog. To add more content to your blog, simply repeat the steps above and create another blog entry.
As you can see above, the Blogger theme gives you a ready-made blog with all the necessary features built in. No coding skills are necessary to use the Blogger theme, and you’ll be able to customize it with some simple CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to fit your blog’s design.
Step 4. Configuring Your Cloudflare Account
The last step in setting up a WordPress site in the cloud is to configure your Cloudflare account. Go back to the WordPress dashboard and click on the Settings tab to open the WordPress settings page. Under the Network heading, you’ll see a section named Cloudflare. To begin configuring your Cloudflare account, enter your email address in the field Email address and then click on the Save Changes button.
Once you’ve entered a valid email address and pressed the Save Changes button, you’ll be taken to the Cloudflare dashboard. In the upper-right corner, you’ll see the Configure button, which you can click to continue. Follow the step-by-step instructions on the Cloudflare dashboard to complete the configuration process.
When you’re done, you can click on the Done button at the bottom of the page to return to the WordPress dashboard.
Congratulations! You have successfully configured your Cloudflare account and can now begin using its free services to improve the performance of your WordPress blog.