This article is for self-hosted WordPress websites.

Website hosting service providers host domains, websites and email. Choose a website hosting service provider that will give you the best speed, performance and reliability for your money.

Don’t opt for the cheapest package, check that you have enough space for your website, and compare hosting package features. Some providers offer shared website hosting, a good option for small blogs, portfolios, or basic business websites with moderate traffic. However, if you have a website with high traffic volumes or resource-intensive applications, you may consider a dedicated hosting package instead. 

Consider your host’s location and choose one that has servers in the same location as your business, or your customer’s location.

Your website hosting process is simplified if you have your domain, website and email with the same provider. That’s not always possible.

If you have already purchased your domain and have an alternative website hosting service in mind, that’s ok because your domain can be pointed to your web host, although this can take up to 48 hours, worth it in the long run if you’re switching for a faster and more reliable host.

If you have not yet purchased your domain, choose your hosting company first and then purchase the domain from them.

From your domain host, your domain can be set up to be used for Microsoft email, email marketing services like Mailchimp, CRM like Hubspot, or pointed to a different hosting service provider. These are controlled by the DNS settings of your domain which can be found on the control panel of your domain hosting service provider.

Don’t lose your domain – if you do not renew your domain it could be bought by someone else. Document the login details of your domain provider and renewal date, or set it to automatic renewal, and sign up for email notifications.

Some of the most popular WordPress hosting packages are:

Ionos
Bluehost
Siteground
Hostinger
Hostgator
Namecheap