WordPress Tutorial #2

Before you can build a website, you need to host it somewhere. Most new sites use a shared hosting account, which is the least expensive way to start. (Click here to see a discussion of the different types of hosting.)

You need to host your website somewhere. Shared hosting is the least expensive.Click To TweetSetting up a shared hosting account is generally straightforward. Here are your step-by-step instructions for setting up a site with Siteground. (If you’re choosing a different host, the basic steps will be similar.)

Siteground has very good customer service reps, so if you’re unsure what type of hosting you need, or which plan to select, feel free to chat with a representative before you start the order. To do that, hover over the big Get in Touch button, and click on Sales Chat.

#1. Choose your Plan

Siteground offers servers that are optimized for WordPress. Using one will help your site to run faster and more smoothly, so take the extra step to ensure you’re on the WordPress servers!

Click Hosting, then WordPress Hosting. Next, you’ll see this screen.

If you have only one site, the Startup plan is fine. Click the Get Plan button.

#2. Enter Your Domain Name

If you already registered your domain, type it in under “I Have a Domain Name.” The format will be mydomain.com. You don’t need any special symbols. For this site, I would type in wpbuildingblocks.com.

#3. Enter Your Account Information

Fill in the requested personal information, which includes:

• First name
• Last name
• Company
• Email address
• State/Province
• City
• Street address
• Zip code
• Phone number
• Password (enter it twice)

#4. Provide Payment Information

Scroll down, and enter your billing information.

#5. Confirm Your Hosting Plan

Scroll down again, and enter information about your hosting plan.

Siteground has already filled in the hosting plan you selected at the beginning, and the data center location nearest to you. If you want to change either of these, click the icon next to that detail, and a dropdown box will open where you can scroll to select a different plan or data center.

Select the time period — trial, 12 months, 24 months, or 36 months.

If you don’t want the SiteScanner Monitoring service, click the checkbox to deselect it. I do recommend it, though. They’ve recently switched to using Sucuri for this service, and Sucuri is pretty much the best in the site security business. If you purchased your own account with Sucuri, you’d pay about $200 annually instead of the $18 annual fee you’ll pay for it this way.

Confirm you’ve read the Terms of Service, and click the blue Pay Now button.

#6. Congratulations!

Once you’ve successfully completed your order, a screen pops up to tell you your account has been created successfully.

“Thank you for purchasing SiteGround Hosting services! We are currently processing your order. In case you have not received your Welcome email within the next 1 hour, please contact us via our LiveChat or call our toll free number.

Shortly after that, you’ll receive an email with your login information.

#7. Log into Siteground

That’s it — you’ve set up your hosting account!

Do you have a question about setting up your hosting account with Siteground? Ask me about it here.

Note: This post was updated on July 8, 2022.