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When you purchase web hosting through one of the many companies, what you’re doing is investing in more control over the engine for your email and website vehicles.

You can host your own custom email addresses so that when you give someone your business card, it’s yourname@yourname.com. It adds an extra little something that says you invested in your company or brand.

This VERY same web hosting service that you will have invested in can ALSO house a place for your website to stay running at all hours of the day. This way, you don’t have to start out having to purchase and figure out how to run a server from your home. Maybe one day you’ll want to do something like that, but probably not today. The cost and convenience may or may not be an issue when just starting out.

Hosting your own websites seems daunting when you think about it. I didn’t even know it was called “hosting”. I was using the wrong words to refer to things and it was frustrating. “Hosting” sounded boring! ..until I learned some of the things it does.

After looking up a few things here and there I began to learn some of the lingo, and so will YOU. I mean, I remember asking myself “What’s a PHP?” or plugin? Can’t anyone say “Program” anymore? It’s an “App” now.

Sometimes we want to learn WHY a certain “Module” (it’s like an Icon that takes you to another part of the back end of your hosting account) in your web hosting account’s Control Panel “cPanel” works. Although it is important to have a good working knowledge of ALL back-end functions, it isn’t quite as important as learning how to get around it for the specific things you’ll need it for MOST of the time. Within the cPanel, you’ll mainly need to find these 4-5 Modules.

Addon Domains
Email Accounts
QuickInstall
PHP
Files

Pretty much in that order, too. I don’t typically like to mess around in the Files area too much, but every once in a while you have to go in there and look around for things or change things (carefully).

Not to scare you, but some areas are more sensitive, and yet, there are ways to fix most issues that will come up fairly easily. If you know where to look or even how to figure out the right questions to ask, you can figure out most things. Usually for me, it’s starting out with the main question on your mind and then that will get you closer to some of the questions other people have asked. Never underestimate Customer Service, too. Customer service ratings MAY also be a factor in your Hosting decision.

This will usually result in some sort of 3 or 4 letter abbreviation that you will have to change some information in an SMTP or PHP or XM… We could go on, but until you need to deal with it, keep moving forward in your development.

You’ll get better at doing it the more you do it. This is why i think it’s a good idea to get a hosting plan that allows you to work on more than one website so you can at least have one to work out different ideas and issues on.

The reason most people don’t act on buying hosting is because of the “fear of the unknown” and having to pay out of their pocket for it. It’s not as difficult as some of the other things you’ve done in your life, I’m sure.

I do my best to provide step-by-step pdf’s for most of the things I teach so you can see it before you get there…and sometimes there’s another click here or there. You just have to remember that this “thing” is changing all the time and the answer is out there.

We walk around with computers full of information we can all learn from. Sometimes, instead of looking up a YouTube video on your issue, you may have to do a search on your favorite web search engine. Someone out there had the same question you have. Although there are many videos out there, there’s WAY more information out there to be discovered in forums, FAQ’s and blogs.

Someone else out there did their best to answer that question. Sometimes it even works! I typically would look it up in a few reputable channels to see how close their information is to each other. You’ll want to take into consideration how their site is set up, if they’re using the same themes, plugins and page builder. Don’t forget to look at the dates of the videos. Some things remain consistent over the years and yet a LOT can change very quickly.

Sometimes you may have to chat with an Assistant or even call the number. Whatever it takes to find your answer, I believe it’s worth it. It’s a lot easier than picking cucumbers, feeding pigs or cutting wood for the winter.

Those are all great experiences I’ve had, however, it just takes exercising a different skill set which will improve over time just like learning to walk. You’re standing up and contemplating how you’re going to move in order to take that next step.

There are many options out there for hosting. When I started out, I got a Hostgator account. Depending on what you’re trying to do, I would do a little bit of research and find out which one makes sense for YOUR situation.

If you know you just want ONE website for a business and you have NO INTEREST in learning anything about building websites and you just need a solid website for your business, you may not sign up for multi-website multi-unlimited everything package.

I liked Hostgator’s Baby Package because I knew it gave me some wiggle room for the different projects I had in mind when starting out. Unlimited Emails and FREE SSLs for my websites. This comes in handy if you’re setting up an online store and need extra encryption in order for your site to work properly on different web browsers, like Chrome. I think it’s a good idea. There are individuals out there who wouldn’t mind finding a way to take advantage of vulnerabilities.

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