Baby Steps for Blogging – Finding a Host
The name of your blog should reflect the main body of your content or it should be a direct representation of you or your business. The name begins the journey. It is important that you find the right partner for the path that you are taking.
What is a host?
The domain name you purchased needs a place to live. A web host company provides that location that will link your domain to the World Wide Web. The company will own or lease a server and your domain name will be placed in that server. Think of your server as a mall and your domain as your store.
What do I need?
To quote a great literary agent (Jonathan Clements) “it depends.” The more you know about building pages on the internet the less hands-on guidance you should require. Talk to the customer service of the different hosting companies on the market and see if they will be able to fit your needs without costing you an arm and a leg along the way.
Tips for Finding Hosting Companies
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1. Look where you get your domain. Many domain services also offer a varying degree of hosting services.
2. Look around. The different websites that you visit may have an ad for the company that does the hosting.
3. Look in the search engines. Do a search for hosting companies and see what pops up. Be sure to also search for reviews of those companies to get a feel for what others might be saying.
My hosting has always been with smaller companies. I personally like the easy access I have when I know all of the employees on a first name basis. The size of the company is not as important as the backup systems they have in place to ensure that your website stays online.
Where are you in your blogging journey? Share your thoughts and questions about where you are, where you are going and where you have been.