Login to Your Hosting Panel, WordPress, and Transfer Your Website
When you sign up with a hosting company, you’ll get access to a control panel, which is a big help in designing and running your website. Many hosting companies provide a one-click install for WordPress, which makes it easy to set up a blog or a website with WordPress. Even if you’re not familiar with coding, you’ll be able to customize the appearance of your site with the help of the control panel.
If you’ve ever set up a website before, then you know how tedious and time-consuming configuring FTP to move your files to the server can be. Setting up your WXR (Windows, Apple, and Linux) or SSH (Unix-based systems) accounts, figuring out the right folders and file structure, and testing your site once it’s live are all tasks that can be handled more efficiently by a web developer or computer expert. When you use a hosted service, all of these tasks are handled for you. You don’t need to worry about any of them.
The Pros Of Hosting
Many websites and bloggers rely on hosted services because they want to keep their content independent from any one company. Bloggers like Mark Wordsworth rely on the fact that WordPress is open-source, which means that they don’t have to worry about hosting agreements affecting the layout of their site. As long as they keep the server running, they can continue to update their content without worrying about paying extra fees or running out of space.
Another advantage of using a hosted service is the level of security they provide. Unless you’re actively searching for vulnerabilities, you’re not going to find any security issues with the hosting company you choose. Everything is taken care of for you, so you don’t need to worry about getting hacked. You can rest assured that your personal information is safe.
What To Look Forward To
One of the major perks of using a hosted service is the fact that you don’t need to worry about installing and configuring WordPress yourself. As we mentioned before, many hosting companies provide a one-click install for WordPress, so you can start working immediately without any extra hassle. Another perk is the level of support provided by the hosting company. You don’t need to worry about asking Google questions or looking up error messages on your own. The support team is always available to help you, so you can rest assured that you’re going to get the assistance you need whenever you need it.
If you need some extra help understanding what’s going on, most hosting companies offer live chat support, which means you can get an instant reply to any question you might have. If everything else fails, you can always contact the hosting company directly from your control panel.
In summary, there are many advantages to using a hosted service to host your website or blog. If you want to keep your content independent from any one company, then open-source platforms like WordPress are a perfect choice. Security and speed are also incredibly important, so be sure to choose a hosting company that stands behind their product and offers great uptime and support. If you’re looking for a free and secure alternative to house your blog, then you should try out WordPress.
In case you’re interested, here are some popular and reliable shared hosting providers that guarantee uptime and support:
- 1and1 (formerly Amazon Web Services)(www.1and1.com): One of the biggest names in the industry, 1and1 guarantees 99.9% uptime and offers a money-back guarantee if you meet the right conditions. This is one of the most popular choices among bloggers because of its ease of use and the unlimited storage available. 1and1 also has an excellent customer support team, which is available 24/7 via chat or phone.
- A2 Hosting (formerly Alaska Communications)(www.a2hosting.com): A2 Hosting offers an excellent shared hosting plan that comes with free domain names, free backups, free site transfers, and free security cameras. In addition, A2 Hosting provides a money-back guarantee for 30 days if you meet the right conditions. This is another popular option among bloggers because of its generous terms.
- Bluehost (formerly Bluebox Webhosting)(www.bluehost.com): Bluehost is very similar to A2 Hosting in terms of pricing and features. However, Bluehost offers greater flexibility in the amount of storage and bandwidth you can purchase. The support available from Bluehost is also very good, with 24/7 live chat and a 365-day money-back guarantee.
- Cheapandsecure (formerly GoDaddy Shared Hosting)(www.cheapandsecure.com): With this plan from Cheapandsecure, you get a free domain name, free backups, free transfers, and a free dedicated IP address from GoDaddy. The catch is that you have to install WordPress manually, which means there’s a bit of a learning curve involved. But, if you’re looking for a no-fuss, no-hassle alternative to house your blog or website, then this plan is perfect for you. You can install WordPress on your live site in just a few minutes.
- Dreamhost (formerly Linode)(www.dreamhost.com): Dreamhost offers an excellent all-in-one package for bloggers and small businesses that want to run their own websites. With this plan, you get a free domain name, free backups, free transfers, and a free dedicated IP address from Cloud hosting provider Linode. In addition, you get a free WordPress install with one-click installation, which means you can launch a blog or a website immediately. The best part about this plan is that you get a free SSL certificate from DigiCert, which gives your site an added layer of security.
Last but not least, let’s discuss the downsides of hosting. Like any other product or service, there are some drawbacks to using a hosting service. The first issue is that the costs can be higher than buying your own domain name and maintaining it yourself. However, if you’re just starting out and don’t have a huge audience, then the additional costs are definitely worth it. The other downside is that your content is completely dependent on the service you choose. If you’re looking for a free service, then you’ll need to trust the security of the host. Once you start paying for hosting, the benefits of having your own domain name outweigh the drawbacks.
If you’re interested in using a hosting service to host your blog or website, then be sure to research and compare the terms and conditions of various plans before making a decision. This way, you’ll be able to find the best pricing plan and the most suitable service for your needs.