How to Host a Website (Simple Guide for Beginners) in 2025

Figuring out how to host a website can feel a bit too technical for new users. But we’re here to let you know that these days, there’s not much technical stuff involved.

Web hosting is basically where your website’s files are stored so visitors can access them online. It’s like renting space on the internet for your site.

In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to host a website, step by step. From selecting a reliable web host to making your site live, we’ve simplified the process for beginners.

By the end, you’ll have a fully hosted website and the knowledge to manage it with confidence.

Here is what you’ll learn in this guide:

What Does it Mean to Host a Website?

When you host a website, you’re basically renting space on a special computer called a server. This server stores all your website files and makes sure people can access your site from anywhere in the world.

These servers run a specific kind of software called a web server. Its job is to handle visitor requests and send back the right web page to their browser. This is kind of like a super-efficient online librarian.

This might sound like a lot of tech talk. But here’s the good news: you don’t need to manage any of this yourself.

Thousands of companies out there handle all the complicated server stuff for you. They make it as easy as signing up for an account and uploading your site.

Even the biggest names on the internet, like Netflix (hosted on Amazon servers) and PayPal (which uses cloud services from providers like Google Cloud), rely on professional hosting infrastructure instead of running their own servers at home.

Sure, a few tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon manage their own servers. But for most businesses (including us), partnering with a web hosting company is the smart choice.

What Do You Need to Host a Website?

You will need the following two things to host a website:

• Web hosting service provider
• Domain name

Web hosting service providers offer you ready-to-use web servers to host your website. They take care of all the technical stuff and provide website owners with easy-to-use tools to manage their hosting.

Now, how do users reach your self-hosted website? This is where domain names come in.

A domain name is the address of your website that people type in the browser to visit your website. For example, wpbeginner.com will bring you to this website.

Basically, a domain name is a human-friendly way to connect users’ browsers to the website server associated with that domain name. To learn more, see our guide on what a domain name is and how domains work.

You can purchase a domain name from one of these top domain registrars. These are companies licensed to sell domain name registrations.

To understand the relationship between your web host and domain, see our guide on the difference between web hosting and domain names.

Note: Later in this article, we will show you how to get a domain name for free.

But first, let’s look at different types of web hosting plans and evaluate which would be the right fit to host your website.

Types of Website Hosting Services

Not all websites are the same. Some are smaller and have low traffic, while others are larger, with more content and visitors.

A smaller website requires fewer resources, such as disk space and bandwidth. On the other hand, a larger and more popular website will need more resources to run efficiently.

Website hosting companies provide different types of hosting offers designed to address specific website needs. Here are some of the most common hosting options.

1. Shared Hosting

A shared hosting service is suitable for small websites, blogs, and small businesses that are just starting out.

They can keep their costs down by allowing multiple websites to share the same server resources. This makes hosting your website affordable.

Pricing: Most shared hosting plans start as low as $1.99 per month during promotional periods. Regular pricing is usually around $7.99 per month after the initial term, which is standard across the industry. You’ll also need a domain name, which typically costs around $14.99 per year.

Suitable for: Starting a new blog or small business website.

Our recommended shared hosting providers are: Bluehost and Hostinger.

To learn more, see our guide on the truth about the best shared web hosting.

2. VPS Hosting

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is the perfect next step when your website outgrows shared hosting, giving you more power and flexibility to handle growing traffic.

Think of it like this: shared hosting is like renting a dorm room where you share resources with everyone. VPS hosting is more like renting a private apartment in a building—you still share the building, but you get your own space, privacy, and dedicated resources.

With VPS hosting, your website gets its own virtual space on a server. You won’t be affected by what other websites are doing, and you can handle bigger spikes in traffic.

This makes VPS a smart choice for websites that are growing fast or need more flexibility than shared hosting can offer.

Pricing: Starting from $6.99 / month

Best for: Medium-sized businesses, popular blogs, and eCommerce stores.

Our recommended VPS hosting company is: Hostinger.

To learn more, see our article about when you need VPS hosting for your site.

3. Managed WordPress Hosting

Managed WordPress hosting is a specialized hosting service made specifically for WordPress. It is like a concierge service for your WordPress website.

On a managed hosting platform, the hosting company takes care of updates, backups, and caching of your website. This allows you to focus on creating content and growing your business.

Pricing: Starting from $35 per month

Suitable for: Popular blogs, business websites, and membership websites.

Our recommended managed WordPress hosting providers are: SiteGround and Rapyd Cloud.

For more details, see our article explaining when you really need managed WordPress hosting.

4. Dedicated Hosting

A dedicated server hosting gives you the entire server dedicated to your own website. You get all the resources of the server, advanced tools for server management, the ability to install your own software, and even your own operating system.

You’ll be managing your own server, which may require some technical skills. It is an advanced option for larger websites that need high performance to tackle higher traffic volume.

Pricing: Starting from $79.99 per month

Suitable for: Enterprise-level businesses, hugely popular websites, and eCommerce stores.

Our recommended Dedicated hosting companies are SiteGround or HostGator.

Note: We use SiteGround custom dedicated servers to host the WPBeginner website.

For a visual comparison, we have created an infographic that you can use to pick the best type of web hosting.

Related: See our guide on shared hosting vs. cloud hosting vs. managed WordPress for more details on the differences.

Choosing the Right Plan to Host a Website

As you can see, all the different hosting plans have different server configurations and pricing. You’ll need to choose a plan that suits your needs and budget.

At WPBeginner, we recommend users start with a low-cost shared hosting plan and then upgrade as their business grows.

This allows you to save money and only pay for the services that you actually need. See our tips on the cost of building a website for a breakdown of all the costs and how you can save a ton of money when starting out.

Shared hosting plans start from $7.99 per month (paid annually) and $14.99 for a domain name.

Now, if you are just starting out, then this is still a significant investment.

Luckily, Bluehost has agreed to offer our users a discount on hosting and a free domain name. Basically, you’ll be able to get started for $1.99 / mo (introductory pricing for the first term).

They are one of the largest hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress web hosting provider. They offer a free SSL certificate and great customer support.

For other shared hosting plans, see our comparison of the best hosting companies.

Once you have signed up for a hosting account, the next step is to create your website. For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to make a website.

Why You Shouldn’t Host a Live Website on Your Computer

Running a live website from your personal computer comes with serious challenges. You’re responsible for every part of the setup, and a single mistake can break your site or expose your network to hackers.

Many beginners wonder if they can host their website directly from their own computer. While it’s possible, it’s not practical or safe for most users.

Here are some of the problems you’ll face if you try to self-host a public website:

• You need to install and configure a web server like Apache or Nginx, plus PHP, MySQL, and other software.
• Your site will only stay online if your computer is turned on 24/7 with a stable, fast internet connection.
• You need a static IP address from your internet provider, which usually costs extra. A static IP is a permanent, unchanging Internet address that your computer uses so others can access your site reliably.
• You’ll have to manage router settings like port forwarding to allow outside traffic to reach your site.
• There’s no built-in backup system, so you’ll need to handle data backups and security updates yourself.
• Exposing your home computer to the internet increases the risk of malware, data theft, and network attacks.

These are the same problems that even advanced developers try to avoid. That’s why most websites, including popular ones like PayPal and Netflix, use trusted hosting providers instead of hosting their own servers.

We strongly recommend using a professional web hosting company. They take care of the technical setup, performance, backups, and security for you. This way, you can build your site with peace of mind and focus on growing your business or blog.

FAQs about Website Hosting

Having helped thousands of beginners start their own websites, we have heard every possible question. The following are some of the most commonly asked questions from people who want to host a website.

1. Why do I need a hosting provider to host a website?

Hosting service providers specialize in maintaining a platform to serve websites. They have engineers and system administrators on their staff who monitor their servers 24/7. This allows you to focus on building your website and growing your business instead of managing server software.

2. How do I host my own website?

You can use tools like LocalWP, Wamp, or MAMP to host a website on your computer, but only for local development and testing. These tools are helpful when you want to build your website privately before taking it live.

However, they are not meant for hosting a public website. If you want your site to be accessible on the internet, you’ll need to sign up with a web hosting provider and move your site to their servers.

3. Can I buy a domain name and hosting from two companies?

Yes, you can buy a domain name and hosting from separate companies. However, purchasing them from the same company allows you to manage both of them under the same dashboard. Also, some providers like Bluehost even offer a free domain as an incentive to use their service.

4. Can I buy a domain name and host my website later?

Yes, you can buy a domain name alone. However, it will not be pointing to your website until you choose a hosting provider.

We recommend Network Solutions for registering a domain name. They offer beginner-friendly domain management tools, which will make it easy to connect your domain to any hosting provider later. You can also use our Network Solutions coupon code to get an additional 67% off new domain registrations.

5. How can I host my website for free?

You can host your website for free by using one of the many free website hosting providers. However, these companies may show ads on your website, restrict your traffic, lock you in on using their platform, or upsell their other products/services.

6. Can I host my website on my local computer and later move it to a hosting provider?

Yes, you can do that. However, if you are serious about publishing a website, then it is better to start with a hosting provider.

7. Can I host a website with one provider and then change it to another provider?

Yes, you can move your website to any other hosting company at any time. See our article on how to move your website to a new host for detailed instructions.

8. Where do I host my website?

For starter websites, we recommend Bluehost. They automatically install WordPress, and they offer a beginner-friendly dashboard, built-in caching, security, and more. On top of it, they are offering WPBeginner readers a discount on hosting + a free domain name.

For more recommendations, see our complete list of the best hosting companies with their pros and cons.

There are a few companies offering free web hosting, but we recommend that you be very careful about those.

We hope this article helped you learn how to host your website. You may also want to see our guide on how to get a free business email address and a free business phone number for your website.

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