Confused about hosting

  • Unknown's avatar
    victoriacolorado · Member ·

    I apologize if this has been clearly answered. My eyes are spinning like slot machines and my brain is on overload of information.

    Do I need to find a hosting company like: WP Engine, Hostgator and Dreamhost, or are the same services already being provided with my free wordpress site?

    I need to create a website for my freelance writing business.

    I do know:
    – I don’t want WordPress.org because I need technical help and have zero coding skills.
    – I don’t want the expense of a fully managed web hosting. ($20+ per mo.)
    – I understand domain mapping and that I can get that from WordPress.com (for a fee) or GoDaddy type sites.

    I don’t know:
    – If building my business site on WP and adding the domain mapping is enough to be visible and professional on the web, or if I should be paying for one of the services that charge $3.95 to $9.95 a month? (WP Engine, Hostgator and Dreamhost)

    – If it ends up that I should be using that service for a monthly fee; will my WP content move to that host and I do all future editing at the host site, do I keep making changes through my WordPress account dashboard and the rest is behind the scenes, or do I have to start from scratch and build my site on the host?

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • staff-happychia · Staff ·

    You don’t need to deal with any other hosting company when you create a blog on WordPress.com like you already have, devilswithhalos.wordpress.com.

    There are two flavors of WordPress: WordPress.com and WordPress.org also known as self-hosted WordPress.

    I suggest you first check the difference between these two flavors: https://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

    WordPress.com is a great platform for creating professional websites for free without dealing with technical overhead.

    Domain Mapping is needed when you have already bought the domain name like xyz.com from somewhere else but want to use it with your WordPress.com site.

    If you are just starting and haven’t purchased domain already, then you can purchase the domain from WordPress.com. You don’t need Domain Mapping in this case.

    Check this video guide to get started with creating a professional site on WordPress.com: https://createyour.wordpress.com/

    So in short, when you are with WordPress.com,
    – you don’t need to deal with any other hosting company.
    – basic plan is free but you can buy upgrades or plans paying an annual fee. You can check various plans here: https://wordpress.com/plans/compare

    Feel free to ask if you have more questions :)

  • Unknown's avatar
    victoriacolorado · Member ·

    THANK YOU!!!!

    Your response was quick and exactly the information I needed.

    I have looked at both flavors of WordPress, at this time, I have no interest in .org.

    I have not bought a domain, but plan to. I will do that through WordPress.

    I will look over the price plans. I wasn’t aware there were any options besides the .org version.

    I am going to watch the video right now.

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!!!

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