Hello and welcome to learn WordPress.
Say hello to your new WordPress website.
At the moment, it doesn't have a home and feels a bit lonely.
Let's change that now.
In this lesson, you'll learn how to find a good hosting provider.
And get the right domain. If you're not sure what that means, don't worry.
We'll explain everything in detail.
By the end of this lesson, you'll understand
what hosting and domains are,
why you need both, and how to choose the right provider.
Let's start by taking a closer look at hosting.
Your website needs a place to stay.
This place is called hosting.
It's where all your content is stored and where it functions.
There are many different types of hosting
and, if needed, your website can even be moved.
Your website likes it here.
But is this really the right provider?
Let's ask your website what's important for it.
Reliability.
Your website needs to be online at all times.
A good provider guarantees stable availability and offers reliable support.
Scalability.
If your website grows, your hosting provider should be able to grow with it.
Security.
A good provider protects your website with SSL certificates and firewalls.
User-friendliness.
Managing your hosting should be simple and intuitive.
Value for money.
Your provider should offer a good balance of cost and quality.
Now your website knows what matters.
And it has chosen the right hosting provider.
But how can people find your website?
For that, it needs a domain, its address on the internet.
You can rent one from a domain registrar.
Most hosting providers will handle this for you.
So it's really easy.
A domain is unique worldwide, no one else can use it at the same time.
It's made up of the second level domain name you choose, for example, “My-Website”,
and a top-level domain extension like .com .de or .net.
You've got hundreds of top-level domain options,
as long as the one you want is still available.
If you switch providers, you can take your domain with you.
This way, your website will always be available at the same address.
Let's summarize:
Hosting
Hosting stores your WordPress website on a server so that it's accessible at all times.
Domain
Your domain is your website's address on the internet.
It helps visitors find your website.
Together, hosting and a domain ensure that your website stays online
and is always accessible.
Once you've registered a domain and chosen a hosting provider,
you can start designing your website.
Are you wondering how to do that?
We'll show you on Learn.WordPress.org.