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In This Chapter

▶ Finding and buying a domain name

▶ Finding web hosting

▶ Brushing up on FTP

▶ Installing WordPress

Before you can start using WordPress, you have to set up your base camp. Doing so involves more than simply downloading and installing the WordPress software. You also need to establish your domain (your website address) and your web-hosting service (the place that houses your website). Although you initially download your WordPress software onto your hard drive, your web host is where you install it.

Obtaining a web server and installing software on it are much more involved projects than simply obtaining an account with the hosted version of WordPress that’s available at WordPress.com (covered in Chapter 1). You need to consider many factors in this undertaking, as well as cope with a learning curve, because setting up your website through a hosting service involves using some technologies that you may not feel comfortable with at first.

This chapter takes you through the basics of those technologies, and by the last page of this chapter, you’ll have WordPress successfully installed on a web server with your own domain name.

Establishing Your Domain

You’ve read all the hype. You’ve heard all the rumors. You’ve seen the flashy websites on the web powered by WordPress. But where do you start?

The first steps toward installing and setting up a WordPress website are deciding on a domain name and then purchasing the registration of that name through a domain registrar. A domain name is the unique web address that you type in a web browser’s address bar to visit a website. Some examples of domain names are WordPress.org and Google.com.

I emphasize the word “unique” because no two domain names can be the same. If someone else has registered the domain name you want, you can’t have it. With that in mind, it sometimes takes a bit of time to find a domain that isn’t already in use and is available for you to use.

Understanding domain name extensions

When registering a domain name, be aware of the extension that you want. The .com, .net, .org, .info, .me, .us, or .biz extension that you see tacked onto the end of any domain name is the top-level domain extension. When you register your domain name, you’re asked to choose the extension you want for your domain (as long as it’s available, that is).

A word to the wise here: Just because you have registered your domain as a .com doesn’t mean that someone else doesn’t, or can’t, own the very same domain name with a .net. So if you register MyDogHasFleas.com, and it becomes a hugely popular site among readers with dogs that have fleas, someone else can come along and register MyDogHasFleas.net and run a similar site to yours in the hope of riding the coattails of your website’s popularity and readership.

You can register your domain name with all available extensions if you want to avert this problem. My own website, for example, has the domain name lisasabin-wilson.com; however, I also own lisasabin-wilson.net.

Domain names: Do you own or rent?

When you “buy” a domain name, you don’t really own it. Rather, you’re purchasing the right to use that domain name for the period of time specified in your order. You can register a domain name for one year or up to ten years. Be aware, however, that if you don’t renew the domain name when your registration period ends, you lose it – and most often, you lose it right away to someone who preys on abandoned or expired domain names. Some people keep a close watch on expiring domain names, and as soon as the buying window opens, they snap up the names and start using them for their own websites in the hope of taking full advantage of the popularity that the previous owners worked so hard to attain for those domains.

Considering the cost of a domain name

Registering a domain costs you anywhere from $3 to $30/year depending on what service you use for a registrar and what options (such as privacy options and search-engine submission services) you apply to your domain name during the registration process.

When you pay the domain registration fee today, you need to pay another registration fee when the renewal date comes up again in a year, or two, or five – however many years you chose to register your domain name for. (See the previous “Domain names: Do you own or rent?” sidebar.) Most registrars give you the option of signing up for a service called Auto Renew to automatically renew your domain name and bill the charges to the credit card you set up on that account. The registrar sends you a reminder a few months in advance, telling you it’s time to renew. If you don’t have Auto Renew set up, you need to log in to your registrar account before it expires and manually renew your domain name.

Registering your domain name

Domain registrars are certified and approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Although hundreds of domain registrars exist today, those in the following list are popular because of their longevity in the industry, competitive pricing, and variety of services they offer in addition to domain name registration (such as web hosting and website traffic builders):

✔ Go Daddy: https://www.godaddy.com

✔ Name.com: https://www.name.com

✔ Network Solutions: www.networksolutions.com

✔ Register.com: www.register.com

No matter where you choose to register your domain name, here are the steps you can take to accomplish this task:

1. Decide on a domain name.

Doing a little planning and forethought here is necessary. Many people think of a domain name as a brand – a way of identifying their websites or blogs. Think of potential names for your site, then you can proceed with your plan.

2. Verify the domain name’s availability.

In your web browser, enter the URL of the domain registrar of your choice. Look for the section on the registrar’s website that lets you enter the domain name (typically, a short text field) to see whether it’s available. If the domain name isn’t available as a .com, try .net or .info.

3. Purchase the domain name.

Follow the domain registrar’s steps to purchase the name using your credit card. After you complete the checkout process you’ll receive an email confirming your purchase, so use a valid email address during the registration process.

The next step is obtaining a hosting account, which I cover in the next section.

Some of the domain registrars have hosting services that you can sign up for, but you don’t have to use those services. Often you can find hosting services for a lower cost than most domain registrars offer. It just takes a little research.

Finding a Home for Your Website

When you have registered your domain, you need to find a place for it to live: a web host. Web hosting is the second piece of the puzzle that you need before you begin working with the WordPress software.

A web host is a business, group, or individual that provides web server space and bandwidth for file transfer to website owners who don’t have it. Usually, web-hosting services charge a monthly or annual fee – unless you’re fortunate enough to know someone who’s willing to give you server space and bandwidth for free. The cost varies from host to host, but you can obtain web-hosting services starting at $5 to $20/month or more, depending on your individual needs.

Most web hosts consider WordPress to be a third-party application. What this means to you is that the host typically won’t provide technical support on the use of WordPress (or any other software application) because support isn’t included in your hosting package. To find out whether your chosen host supports WordPress, always ask first. As a WordPress user, you can find WordPress support in the official forums at https://wordpress.org/support.

Several web-hosting providers also have WordPress-related services available for additional fees. These services can include technical support, plugin installation and configuration, and theme design services.

Web-hosting providers generally provide (at least) these services with your account: