The most important screen we should look at is Hosting but WordPress.org is not a hosting company.

In the previous video we talked about the tier hosting on WordPress.com. Cheap hosting will have insufficient memory, restricted use, and not enough technical support.

We don’t start off knowing everything. There are times when things will go wrong with your website, and you need reliable tech support whenever you need it.

When you sign up with a Hosting Company of your choice, they will activate the WordPress software from their servers.

First, research the domain and make sure it is available before signing up with a hosting company.

You can register your domain with a Domain Registrar: whois.com

Let’s look at a Domain Name search database to find out as much information as we can about a specific domain.

You want to make sure the domain name you want to use is available, and is not confusingly similar to a registered domain.

In the first video, setting up a blog on WordPress.com, the blog name is bloggingjoan. Let’s use this in our search as a possible domain name.

You don’t have to host your website with the Domain Registrar.

• Whois.com is a Domain Registrar.
• Do a thorough research.
• Use the Whois Lookup feature.

A self-hosted website is not hosted on WordPress.org

DON’T download WordPress to your computer.

Your website is hosted on a Hosting Company server.

You find a Hosting Company of your choice.

The Wise Theme is custom built by Scott Winterroth and Krishna Gupta.

Visit this site to see how a self-hosted WordPress blog can be used to promote services and connect to other activities.

swinterroth.com

He is the Co-Founder of Content Academy a community of professionals who offer in-person training for blogging, content marketers, future content strategists, and WordPress training.

This site has no restrictions, no memory limitations. The full complement of the WordPress software is available to expand and grow the personal blog platform.

The domain name is realtimeparadigm.com, hosted on SiteGround using the Divi Theme.

The Divi Theme is self-sufficient for the purposes of this website with a blog.

You will be adding Plugins into the Website. In the WordPress Platform video you saw the restrictions on the Plugins you can use with the free plan. In this self-hosted website there are no restrictions.

There are 54,267 + plugins available in the WordPress Plugin Repository. A plugin adds a specific function to your website.

There are no restrictions on the use of plugins on a self-hosted website.
The only restriction would be a plugin that is not compatible with the theme you’re using.

Example: Using the keywords social media to search for social media plugins.

You can use a WordPress plugin that is not in the WordPress Repository. Some plugins are developed specifically for a theme and in that case you would upload a .zip file from the plugins area in the dashboard of your website.

Joan is the Founder of RealTime Paradigm and is a WordPress Instructor with Content Academy.

She is a Website Consultant and uses a self-hosted website with a blog Demo Site to showcase the Divi Theme.

There are no restrictions or memory limitations on RealTime Paradigm and the full complement of the WordPress software is avaiable to grow into long-term expansion. This website can add a membership forum, a storefront, or offer courses.

This website is using the WordPress Premium Theme – the Divi Theme, hosted on SiteGround.

Self-hosted means you register a domain name and sign up with a Hosting Company for your website or blog on the Hosting Company servers.

The Hosting Company provides the WordPress core software. You choose a WordPress Theme you want to use for your blog or website with a blog.

Attend live online Jumpstarts hosted by Scott Winterroth and Joan Margau to help you get started with your Blog or Website with a Blog.

If you’re ready to start and are looking for a Hosting Company, we recommend SiteGround. This is an affiliate link to SiteGround as we use their services for our personal websites and recommend this company to clients.