A Note About WordPress
Its time to get our hands dirty and start setting up our actual website from within WordPress. First, I want to mention a couple of things about how WordPress works.
Im sure youll notice that many people say they dislike WordPress for various reasons, such as bad security, a theme not working or their website becoming very slow.
In reality, WordPress is a great system just like many other systems, no matter how small or large the website. The problems you hear about, like poor security, pages grinding to a halt or a bad user interfaces on the front end, are almost exclusively due to poorly coded plugins and themes.
As a result, the theme and plugins you choose matter a lot. You know how some people have really slow computers and complain about them all day? Then you take a look and see that theyve installed every single piece of shady software available? The situation is kind of like that.
Coming across a theme or a plugin with malicious intent is pretty rare. More often than not, the problems one creates are caused by sloppiness or insufficient knowledge of coding standards.
What this all boils down to is this: Look for a theme and plugins with good reviews, a sizeable user base and an active development team. This will negate or minimize any negative impact on your website.
Complete Control Over Your Domain
There are some registrars that only provide partial control over your domain.
This could include the registrar adding their own contact information to portions of your domain details , or even preventing you from making critical updates to your domain settings .
Your potential domain provider should be able to tell you their policies on this before you register your domain name, so dont be afraid to ask if youre going to have full control of your own domain before you register it.
Should You Include A Keyword In Your Domain Name
After the method talk, you may now have several cards in hand for the future domain name of your WordPress site.
But there may be a question on your mind: do you have to think about SEO when choosing your domain name? Should your domain name contain a keyword?
To answer this question, lets recontextualize. To begin with, you should know that the use of a keyword in your domain name acts as a relevance signal for Google.
This is what the American SEO expert Brian Dean says in to rank. Dean even adds the following:
a domain that starts with its target keyword has an advantage over sites that dont have that keyword in their domain .
However, dont consider it mandatory to use a keyword in your domain name. It could also be counterproductive and hurt you, because Google hates over optimization.
In 2012, the Mountain View firm released its EMD filter.
EMD refers to a domain name that uses a keyword. For example: watchmoviesfree.tv.
The goal? To penalize sites that abuse this strategy to rank better on Google.
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Can I Buy A Domain That Is Already Registered
In some cases, you can purchase domain names that have already been claimed. As with car parts, these are called aftermarket domains. They might have been purchased and not used, or were bought with the intention of turning a profit on their resale.
Just as youd research the history of a car or house before purchasing it, you should do the same with an aftermarket domain. You can check its ownership history on Whois, or do some Google research to see if it has been used in the past.
What Does WordPress Hosting Mean
Youd often see WordPress.com and WordPress.org used interchangeably. WordPress.com is a commonly used blogging platform which is free of cost, but comes with certain restrictions. WordPress.org is a platform that allows you to host your website via a third-party web host.
WordPress hosting is a type of hosting that is configured for WordPress websites. It also offers a 1-click install which makes it easy for non-technical users to get started with using WordPress.
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Choosing A Hosting Package
Choosing a hosting package can be difficult, even for seasoned veterans of the net. In this article, Ill omit options that are clearly for huge websites or ones with highly customized needs. Switching hosts is easy enough, so you can change at any time.
There are three ways to go if youre looking for a good package:
- managed WordPress hosting.
The one you pick will depend on your websites needs and your funds. Lets look at what these are and their pros and cons.
Transfer Shopify Domain To Squarespace
Squarespace is a comprehensive, subscription-based Content Management System that offers website design, hosting, eCommerce and analytics tools. Use the steps below to transfer your Shopify domain to Squarespace:
Once the process completes, you can monitor your transfer status in the Domains section of settings. You will see a Transfer Pending in the status field. Transfers can anywhere between 24 hours to 15 days to complete depending on the current domain provider.
Note: Squarespace does not accept domains for transfer that have an expiry of nine years or longer. Furthermore, the service provider does not take registry premium domains transfer.
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Adding Your Domain/url To A Hosting Account
When you purchase a hosting account, you are required to enter an associated URL. If you use the domain you are attempting to set up then you can skip this step. If you are adding this domain as an already existing hosting account, then follow along below.
Step 1: Log in to your CPanel. . You will probably see 2 URLS: yourdomain.com/cpanel and a series of numbers or letters. You want the one that does not contain your domain name. If you dont see it, check for another e-mail that has it.
Step 2: Youll see a screen that looks like the image above.
- On the next screen you will need to add your domain. Paste your URL in the New Domain Name field .
- Choose a password, . Its important to choose a complex password and keep it somewhere safe.
Yay! Youve connected the accounts. Hopefully it wasnt too difficult.
Now, lets install WordPress!
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How To Choose Your Domain Name
When you start thinking about your new website, that you are going to create, you will come across some doubts. One among them is,
How will people access my website?
Thats a good question, I will answer it.
Every website will have its unique URL to access. To be more accurate, every website will have its own domain name. For example, right now, you are reading this post at this URL: https://blogheist.com/how-to-choose-a-domain-name/
Here blogheist.com is the domain name.
Suppose, you are interested in checking out our coupons, you will have to visit,
Here deals are the subdomain name.
If you notice, in both these URLs, I used .com. We call it a domain extension. I will explain this domain extension in detail in the later part of this post. So, now, I guess you have understood, what is domain name and subdomain name.
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What Are The Pros Of WordPress Hosting
Below are some common benefits of WordPress hosting:
- Since the hosting is tailored specifically for WordPress websites, the performance is enhanced drastically
- The security protocols are configured around WordPress websites, so better security can be expected
- WordPress comes pre-installed, so no hassles there. Also, the updates are pretty easy to install, and youre notified everytime a new update is released.
- Web hosting companies keep a dedicated team of WordPress experts. So, whenever you run into a problem, troubleshooting is often a cakewalk
How Do You Own A Domain Name
Anyone can buy a domain name. To do so, you visit a domain name registrar, such as A2, GoDaddy, or Namecheap, key in the domain you want to buy, and pay a fee. You cant buy just any domain, of courseonly one that isnt already registered by another person or business and that bears a valid domain suffix.
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Learn How To Buy A Domain Name Forever
Before we answer the question of can you buy a domain name forever? lets answer the questions that we initiated in the intro.
ICANN, the internet corporation that oversees domain names, allows a domain to be assigned for 10 years at max. So when it comes to the domain name, Forever and Lifetime only mean as many as 10 years.
So just like Google, the same incident can happen to everyone. And if you purchase a domain name, and keep renewing it for every subsequent year, chances are more that you will face this type of situation even more frequently.
Now that the questions are answered, lets show you the way to purchase a domain name forever, 10 years to be more exact.
Lets Back Up A Little
Have you heard the expression Renaissance Man?
It all started with Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, mathematician, and scientist.
A Renaissance Man refers to a person with many talents or areas of knowledge.
Anyway, 150 years later, the Renaissance Man evolved into the geniuses of the 17th century, like Isaac Newton, influential composers and painters like Bach, Vivaldi and Rembrandt, and great philosophers, mathematicians and scientists like Descartes, Galileo, Pascal, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire and Spinoza.
Ok, so whats all this got to do with WordPress, domains and hosting?
Hang on, I promise Ill get there in just one more sentence.
So fast forward another 100 years to the industrial revolution blah blah division of labor age of specialization more subdivision of labor age of hyperspecialization, yada yada information age, and then finally here we are in the digital age .
And there you have it. We now live in an age where things have become so complex and specialized that no single individual can master anything .
Which brings us back to the point about WordPress, domains and hosting.
If you want the very best setup for your WordPress site, you will want your domains to be looked after by people who truly know and understand about managing domains. The same goes for hosting. And as we have explained in , there are lots of options to consider when it comes to WordPress hosting .
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How Do You Build A WordPress Website
While building a website using WordPress is relatively easy, it does require several steps. For example, you have to get web hosting, install WordPress, pick a theme, and customize your sites content and stylingall before building web pages before your site. For step-by-step guidance, read our article on how to make a WordPress website.
Should You Keep Your Domains And WordPress Hosting Separate Or Together
There are several popular providers that offer both domains and hosting for WordPress. Since the beginning of the internet, a quiet storm has been raging under our noses between one-stop shop providers and internet experts domains and hosting together forever, or living apart but still friends?
Providers will tell you that it makes sense to house your site in the same place where you got your domain, especially since many offer seamless user interfaces for managing both and some will also throw in free domains when you purchase hosting.
Many web experts, however, warn that this seemingly natural pairing could turn sour and point to a number of reasons, such as possible security risks and lack of stability as a reason to forego convenience and keep domains and hosting separate.
Continue reading, or jump ahead using these links:
In this post, we investigate the pros and cons of keeping your domains and your WordPress hosting together vs keeping them separate, and whether the argument is still relevant or even considered good practice for WordPress.
Weve also got a video you can watch
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Focus On Branding And User Experience
As explained by SEO consultant Olivier Duffez, rather than having a DN consisting of keywords, it is advisable to prioritize a brand strategy .
Optimizing content and backlinks remain key elements and quality criteria for search engines: it is above all this that will help you rank better, not the fact of using a keyword in the domain name of your WordPress site.
Take the example of Kayak, which sells trips, not kayaks.
Very well ranked, they are big names in their field. And yet, no keyword appears in their DN.
The biggest sites are never called cheap-airline-ticket.com or best-hotel-deals.com.
Theyre made-up names, but they are striking and short.
In other words: Google prioritizes user experience above all and including keywords in your domain names is not a requirement to be well ranked.
You should know that there are different services to buy DNs with SEO potential . But this is especially and primarily aimed at SEOs, especially those looking for backlinks . If you are interested, you can have a look at the services below, which allow you to buy expired domain names that already have backlinks:Snapnames and DropCatch: to backorder an expired .com, .net and .org domain name.
Your best WordPress projects need the best host!
WPMarmite recommends Bluehost: great performance, great support. All you need for a great start.
Mistake #: Overusing Numbers
What industry do you think the company that owns the following site, named 888.com, does belong to?
Mathematics? Alcohol? Youre out of luck. Its a blog that is an online gaming provider, according to its About page.
Moral of the story: the use of numbers must be really relevant and very limited .
Again, try to keep it as clear as possible for your visitors, especially in order to limit comprehension problems when speaking.
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Powerful Domain Suggestion Tool WordPresscom
WordPress.com has built-in search for a powerful tool for the domain name suggestions. If you are searching for the right domain name for your blog or website, you can try one at WordPress.com domain name search.
This tool will display all the related names, ideas to help you pick the right domain name before make a .
Look at the highlight text in the screenshot below, a lot of ideas have displayed when I type in the PET keyword. Something that I want to include in my domain name URL.
After a couple minutes, Ive found the beautiful domain name for my online pet shop.
When you have selected the nice one, click on the buy domain text to order your domain name.
At this step, if you dont want to create a new website, you just want to buy a domain name just click on the button JUST BUY A DOMAIN.
Note: if youre not a developer or blogger with skills and you dont know how to connect the domain name and the website please select 2 other options: create a new site or existing wordpress.com site.
When you buy a domain name and the WordPress.com website or store bundle, everything will auto config for you. If you only buy a single domain name, you must config DNS record like you buy the domain name at other domain name registrars.
One other thing, once you buy a WordPress website bundle, domain name and domain privacy hidden features are offered for free. Not extra cost when buying an all-in-onewebsite bundle.
What Is A Domain Registrar
Do you want to know what a domain registrar is? Or wondering which are the best domain registrars to buy a domain name? If yes, then heres what youre looking for.
Domain names are a crucial part of websites on the internet. To get a domain name for a website, you need to register and buy it from a domain name registration company. Such a company is called a domain registrar.
A domain name registrar is a business that sells domain names and offers domain registration services to the public. It also provides other services, like web hosting, SSL certificates, etc.
In this article, well explain what a domain registrar is in detail. Also, well look at some examples of domain name registrars available on the market.
So, stay with us till the end. Now, lets get rolling!
IN THIS ARTICLE:
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Importing Content From Squarespace To WordPress
As this tutorial shows how to migrate Squarespace to WordPress, were going to assume that you already have WordPress installed on your Hostinger account.
If thats not the case, well show you how easy it is to install the platform using Hostingers Auto Installer.
IMPORTANT: Write down your administrator username and password as you will need them to access the WordPress dashboard.
To import the content from your Squarespace site to WordPress, follow these steps:
Now you can review your WordPress website and make sure all of the needed content is successfully imported.