WordPress, Domain Names and Web Hosting Basics
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The document provides an overview of the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org, including their features, pros, and cons. It also offers tips on selecting a domain name and hosting provider, emphasizing the importance of understanding specific needs when choosing between options. Additionally, it includes jargon explanations related to domain names and website hosting.
WordPress, Domain Names and Web Hosting Basics
- 1. WordPress.com vs WordPress.org + Tips on Choosing a Domain Name and Hosting Provider By Chris Burgess, @chrisburgess (Slides will be posted on Meetup after the talk)
- 2. Who am I?
- 3. what my family thinks I do what my clients think I do what my friends think I do what co-workers think I do what society thinks I do what I actually do Image credit: http://twistedsifter.com
- 4. Chris Burgess • Worked in IT with a passion for web technologies for almost 20 years. • Run my own business helping clients tackle the web and run a few of my own websites. • Run training workshops to help keep me on my toes! • Regularly go to Meetups and comanage WordPress and Melbourne SEO Meetups. @chrisburgess
- 5. What am I going to cover?
- 6. I’ll cover… • What is WordPress? • What is WordPress.com? • What is WordPress.org? • WordPress.com VS WordPress.org • Domains • Hosting
- 8. WordPress… • Started in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg • Single bit of code to enhance the typography of everyday writing • Now grown to be the largest self-hosted CMS in the world • Used on millions of sites • Seen by tens of millions of people every day • Everything from the documentation to the code itself, was created by and for the community. • WordPress is an Open Source project – hundreds of people all over the world working on it (more than most commercial platforms) – free to use it without paying anyone a license fee and a number of other important freedoms Source: h*ps://wordpress.org/about Image: h*p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma*_Mullenweg
- 9. There are LOADS of CMS platforms…
- 10. WordPress is the most popular by far… Image: h*p://trends.builtwith.com/cms
- 11. How do I get WordPress? There are 2 flavours … images.goodfood.com.au/2013/10/18/4840227
- 12. WordPress.com and WordPress.org (commonly referred to as self-hosted)
- 13. WordPress.com
- 14. WordPress.com
- 15. Example of a WordPress.com site Image: h9p://tpvswp.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/blix.jpg
- 16. WordPress.com Get a free website. Some limitations. • Commercial enterprise owned and run by Automattic a company that was started by the founder of WordPress • Shared hosting platform that uses WordPress • Anyone can get a FREE hosted version of WordPress • Uses the same WordPress software that you can download from WordPress.org • Great for people new to websites • Easy to setup from many different themes available • Spam protection, backups, security and upgrades are looked after for you • There are ads with the free account • You can upgrade to a paid account within WordPress.com if you outgrow your free account • You can migrate to self hosted site at any time
- 20. WordPress.org
- 22. WordPress.org… Free download and DIY. No limits. • You’ll need a domain name and hosting (we’ll cover this later). • Ability to use free (and paid) WordPress plugins (software functionality) and WordPress themes (look and feel) • Support forums and the WordPress Codex • You have more flexibility with this option • You may need some technical knowledge (or help) to be able to set up and run the website • You are responsible for backups, upgrades and security of your site (although most hosts help with this)
- 23. WordPress.org typical pricing • It’s free to download a copy of WordPress • Pay around $10 per year for a domain • Pay around $100 per year for “basic” website hosting • With some technical knowledge you can learn to do updates, backups, maintenance and monitoring otherwise you may need to allocate some time or budget to get professional help when needed
- 24. Which one should I use?
- 26. WordPress.com WordPress.org “I just want to blog – can’t someone manage the hard stuff for me?” “I need more functionality, control and a professional site” Beginners Hobbyists Limited Budget Businesses eCommerce Community Applications
- 27. WordPress.com • Free • Free hosting (limited storage) • Free wordpress.com domain • Looks after all the updates, backups and security • Paid upgrades available WordPress.org • Free to download, but… • Pay for hosting • Pay for domain name • You need to look after the updates, backups, maintenance, monitoring and security
- 28. WordPress.com • Easy to setup and maintain WordPress.org • Harder to setup and maintain (although not that hard if you come along to these meetups!) • Need some technical knowledge • Need to have access to your cPanel and/or FTP to be able to install • Some hosting providers do offer a one click install
- 29. WordPress.com • Generally free account not seen as very professional • Displays ads on your site (could be your competitor) • A subdomain doesn’t look very professional e.g example.wordpress.com • There are premium upgrades you can use to achieve some customisation e.g own domain and remove ads WordPress.org • Looks more professional • Complete control of how your website appears • Remove footer links • No ads (unless you want your own) • Complete control to extend and integrate with other systems
- 30. WordPress.com • Harder to modify • You can’t modify the source code • You can’t use plugins • Restriction on themes WordPress.org • Easier to modify • You can modify the PHP source code • You can use/buy a theme and upload it or build your own (using PHP, CSS etc.) • You can use plugins to extend the functionality of your site (in my view the most important feature!)
- 31. In summary, it comes down to your specific needs. For more help on using WordPress visit: http://wordpress.org/support http://codex.wordpress.org http://easywpguide.com
- 33. Jargon Buster!
- 34. What is… • Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) • World Wide Web (www) • Uniform Resource Locator (URL) • Web Server • Web Browser • Internet Service Provider (ISP) • Domain Registrar • Domain Registry • Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) • PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) • IP Address (192.168.1.212) • Domain Name (example.com.au) • Web Host • Content Management System (CMS)
- 35. Think of it like a house… Image: h9p://dodynamic.com/latest-‐news/a-‐website-‐is-‐like-‐a-‐house/
- 36. Domain Names
- 37. The address the internet uses to find a website
- 38. Common domain name extensions… .com.au .asn.au .id.au .net .com .org .io .info .co .org.au .net.au .tv .me Soon you can get .anything
- 39. Examples of good domain names • Here’s a list from DNTrade of the Top 10 domain sales over the last few years in Australia: 1. CarLoan.com.au $200,000+ 2. Cruises.com.au $110,000 3. HomeLoan.com.au - $100,000+ 4. Hobart.com.au - $65,000 5. HomeLoanCalculator.com.au - $33,001 6. CarInsurance.net.au - $30,001 7. MySuper.com.au $28,001 8. CreditReport.com.au - $27,500 9. CurrencyConverter.com.au - $27,500 10. CreditCards.net.au - $22,002
- 40. How to choose a domain name • Keep it short • Clear business use • Easy to spell • Easy to remember • Passes the radio test • Usually best to try avoid using numbers and hyphens • Unique • Generally most prefer a .com for an international business and .com.au for an Australian business • Check the domain is available. Type it in to your browser or check availability at your registrar • Check out local marketplaces for ideas or to make an offer on an existing domain
- 41. Some popular domain name registrars and prices for an available .com.au ears $19.95 2 y ars .95 2 ye $49 ars 19.98 2 ye $ ars 95 2 ye $49.
- 42. Some popular .au domain name marketplaces…
- 43. How do I register a domain name? • Get an account with one of auDA’s accredited registrars • Check the registrar offers the domain extension that you want and the price for registration • For an Australian country code top level domain (ccTLD) like a a .com.au or .net.au you need to: – Be an Australian resident with an ABN or ACN – For .org.au you must be a non-commercial organisation (e.g charity) – Domain must have a close and substantial connection with your business – Visit the auDA domain name eligibility and allocation policy rules for more information • No restrictions for registering Top Level Domains (TLDs) like .com, .net or .org
- 44. How much does a domain name cost? • If it’s not currently registered typically around $10 per year • If it is currently registered you have a couple of options: – Choose different extension or domain – If the domain is not being used yet you could approach the owner to buy it (you can do a WHOIS search at AusRegistry to get the contact details)
- 45. For more help and info on domains visit: http://ausregistry.com.au/ http://www.auda.org.au/ https://www.dntrade.com.au/
- 46. Hosting
- 48. How to choose a hosting provider • Server location: Australian vs International • Features: What storage, bandwidth, email and other quotas do you get? Does it offer cPanel? • Price: How much do they charge? (Expect to pay around $100 per year to get basic hosting) • Support: What support do they provide and how? Tip: Test it out before you buy to see how they respond to you. • Feedback: Check out the online customer reviews and feedback (talk to the people at this Meetup!) • Platform: Recommend Linux/Unix platform.
- 49. Popular Hosting Providers Check out my blog post on Australian hosPng providers: h9p://chrisburgess.com.au/australian-‐web-‐hosPng-‐providers/
- 50. Monitoring • Free uptime monitoring for 1 website with Pingdom
- 54. For more help on Aussie hosting visit: http://www.webhostingtalk.com.au https://www.dntrade.com.au/hosting http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/116
- 55. Recap time! • What is WordPress • What is WordPress.com • What is WordPress.org • WordPress.com VS WordPress.org • Tips on choosing a domain name • Tips on choosing a hosting provider
- 56. The end… Hey Chris! I want more!
- 58. Question Time! Other Sources: h*p://en.support.wordpress.com/com-‐vs-‐org/ h*p://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/com-‐or-‐org/ h*ps://wordpress.org h*p://wordpress.com