Before you can decorate your living space, you need a place to live.
Before people can visit you, they’ll need directions to your location.
Before people can write to you, they’ll need to know your name and address.
For security, it’s a good idea to lock your doors.
Before you can build your website, you need a web hosting account.
Before people can visit your website, you need to register your domain name.
Before people can email you, you need an email hosting account.
For security, you need an SSL certificate.
Below are my recommendations for the various accounts you need to set up a website.
I don’t benefit from any of these recommendations. They’re based on decades of experience with dozens of clients and services.
Even if you’ve already set up your accounts elsewhere, it may be beneficial and potentially cheaper to move them.
Web hosting account
SiteGround features some of the fastest servers available. They discount their prices for the first year, but even at the full price, they are cheaper than many web hosts, as they provide free email and free SSL certificates.
Domain name registrar
Google Domains offers most domain names at $12/year. That price includes privacy, which is an additional cost at most other registrars. If you transfer your domain names from another registrar to Google Domains, they will also honor the time remaining on your current registration.
Email hosting account
If you need basic email hosting, then SiteGround includes it for free, but limits you to 10GB per email account. More advanced alternatives are Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or Microsoft Exchange. One benefit of using an alternative is that your email account is not tied to your hosting account, giving you the option to move your website to another host more easily. Be aware that moving your email account from one host to another can be an arduous process.
SSL certificate
SiteGround offers SSL certificates for free.
As always, feel free to contact me if you have questions or need help with any of these services.