How to Buy Web Hosting: 6 Steps from Domain to Launch

Buying web hosting takes six steps: working out what you need, choosing the hosting type, choosing the package, connecting the domain name, completing the order and putting the site live. This guide goes through what to look at in each step and the common mistakes, in order. If you already know which type suits you, you can compare the web hosting packages directly.

1. Work out what you need with three questions

• What will you publish? A brochure site, a blog, WordPress, e-commerce or a custom PHP application.
• How many sites? A single site and several domain names hosted in the same account call for different packages.
• Will you use email? Addresses such as info@yourdomain.com come with your hosting account; count how many addresses you need.

2. Choose the hosting type

For your first site the right starting point is almost always shared hosting: server updates, security and web server configuration are the provider's job. We explained when you need to move to a virtual server as your traffic grows in the article Hosting or VDS.

3. Choose the package: what to look at in the table

Not all the rows in a package table carry the same weight. Look at the following, in this order:

1. Number of sites. For example, cPanel Linux Micro hosts 1 website, Big 2 and Ultra 3.
2. Disk space and type. All Fiberserver hosting packages are on NVMe disks; Micro offers 3 GB of space, Big 5 GB and Ultra 10 GB. An ordinary business website struggles to fill 1 GB; image-heavy sites and email archives increase the space needed.
3. CPU and RAM limits. CloudLinux gives each account its own processor, memory and disk I/O limits. A busy neighbouring site does not slow you down; if you exceed your own limit, your site slows down. For plugin-heavy WordPress sites this row matters more than disk space.
4. Monthly traffic. Micro has 50 GB, Big 100 GB and Ultra is unlimited. The monthly traffic of a medium-sized site usually does not exceed 10-20 GB.
5. Number of email accounts and databases. Each WordPress installation uses one database.

All packages include the LiteSpeed web server, CloudLinux and a free SSL certificate. If you are wondering what the panel does, the guide What is cPanel hosting explains it screen by screen.

4. Connect the domain name

During the order you use one of three options:

• Registering a new domain name: you find a suitable name on the domain name search page and add it to the same basket as the hosting.
• Transfer: if your domain name is with another company, you move it with the transfer code (EPP).
• Using an existing domain name: the domain name stays where it is, and you only point the nameserver (NS) records to your hosting account. It can take a few hours for the change to spread across the internet.

5. Complete the order

Add the package to the basket and choose the billing period. Choosing a longer period means fewer renewals to keep track of. Once you create your account and pay by credit card or bank transfer, your hosting account is opened; you will find your cPanel login details in the client area.

6. Put the site live

1. SSL: the free SSL certificate is installed automatically once your domain name points to the server; you do not need to order it separately.
2. Installation: if you will use WordPress, you install it in a few minutes with the WordPress management tool in cPanel. If you have ready-made files, you upload them to the public_html folder with File Manager or FTP.
3. Migration: if your site is on another cPanel hosting service, our team carries out the migration free of charge; opening a support ticket is enough.
4. Email: create your addresses in the "Email Accounts" section of cPanel; enable the SPF and DKIM records to avoid delivery problems.

5 questions to ask before you buy

• Is the renewal price the same as the first-term price?
• Are the CPU, RAM and concurrent process limits clearly stated in the package table?
• Is the disk NVMe, and is the web server LiteSpeed?
• Is site migration free, and who does it?
• Is it possible to upgrade the package later?

If the answers to these questions are not on the package page, ask before you order. At Fiberserver the resource limits, disk type and web server are clearly stated in the tables on the hosting packages page; where you are not sure, you can write to our support team.