Setting Up Your Site

After you’ve selected your hosting service & provider, you’re almost ready to get to the fun part!

A. Purchasing a Domain Name

First, you’ll need to select your Domain Name before proceeding. You can purchase your domain from a wide variety of Domain Registrars – and you do not have to use the same registrar for your hosting services, meaning you can shop around for the best deal. Be sure to read the fine print, though, because some Registrars may place limitations on where your site can be hosted.

When selecting your domain name, here are a few important things to keep in mind:

• Make sure it’s memorable – not only should your domain be easy to remember, it should also remind your customers or clients of your company whenever they see it.
• Make it unique – don’t choose a domain name that is very close to another. For example, if you would like to buy Unicorn.com and see that is already taken, don’t buy Unicorns.com instead. This can make it easy for your guests to accidently end up on the wrong website and can lead to confusion (and maybe even loss of revenue).
• Make it easy to type – similar to the points above, you want to make sure your domain doesn’t have any words or special spellings that may confuse your site visitors.
• Consider purchasing multiple domains – If you’ve purchased Unicorn.com, you may also want to purchase Unicorn.net & Unicorn.org too, and maybe even Unicorns.com for good measure. You can then set these additional domains up to redirect to your main domain, which helps to ensure that your visitors always end up exactly where you want them to be.

B. Setting up your Hosting Account

The steps for this will vary depending on the host you’ve selected, but the process is usually very straight forward.

You’ll go to the company’s website and select the pricing package that is right for you. If you’ve already purchased your domain from a separate Domain Registrar, you’ll be given instructions on how to setup your account so that your domain knows where your site is hosted. You will also be given the option to purchase a domain directly from your hosting provider if you prefer.

When you’re done, you’ll usually be sent a confirmation email which will include the details on your site and any information you’ll need in order to complete the registration process for your account.

C. Installing WordPress with “One-Click”

Many hosting companies will provide a “one click” installation option for the most popular website services, including WordPress. It’ll look something like this:

All you’ll need to do is click the icon for WordPress, and then follow the prompts provided by your hosting company (they will vary a bit, from company to company). Setup should be a breeze, but if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our support team.

E. Next Steps

If you have any questions, please browse our support forums or open a ticket of your own. Otherwise, move onto the next sections to learn more about how to install plugins & themes (plus get started with SWS!)