Hosting Harbor
Independent hosting guidance

How to host a website

Choose a domain and hosting plan, publish or migrate the site, point DNS correctly, enable HTTPS, and test the live website.

Affiliate disclosure: Hosting Harbor is independent. We may earn a commission when you make a qualifying purchase through a HostGator affiliate link. That does not change what you pay.

Choose a domain and hosting plan

Your domain is the address people visit. Your hosting plan provides the environment where the website runs. Choose a hosting type that fits the software and resources your site needs.

Publish the website

Upload or deploy the site to the hosting account. If you are using a content management system such as WordPress, follow the host's installation process or migrate your existing site.

Connect the domain and test

Point the domain to the hosting provider, enable HTTPS, and test important pages, forms, images, and links before sending visitors to the site.

Keep researching

Web hosting guide

Read this next if it matches the question you are working through.

Choosing a web host

Read this next if it matches the question you are working through.

HostGator review

Read this next if it matches the question you are working through.

How we approach hosting recommendations

We focus on the website, the hosting plan, and the tradeoffs that matter to the buyer. Hosting products and prices can change, so confirm current commercial details with the provider before purchasing.