Whether you’re in the web biz or not, WordPress is likely a household name, a common element in the conversation surrounding website creation. And that’s no surprise, considering that WordPress currently powers more than 30 percent of the web — a significant chunk of cyberspace.

Not only is WordPress a good option for beginners, but it also boasts scalability and advanced offerings for seasoned website owners looking to upgrade, grow, and expand. WordPress offers anyone-can-do-it usability with versatility and functionality perfect for building your own unique, high-performance website. You also have the added benefits of customizability, open-source flexibility, and a knowledgeable, diverse web community to collaborate with and reference if you get stuck.

Plus, getting started with the WordPress platform is free and often takes less time than vacuuming your living room or choosing the next show to binge watch.

We care about safety big time — and so do your site’s visitors. With a Shared Hosting account, you get an SSL certificate for free to add to your site. In this day and age, having an SSL for your site is a no-brainer best practice. Not only does an SSL help your visitors feel safe interacting with your site — this is particularly important if you run an e-commerce site — but it avoids penalizations you might otherwise earn from search engines without one. No website wants an “unsafe” or “insecure” label to bruise their reputation. While a SSL certificate isn’t an end-all, be-all defense against internet baddies, it’s certainly a great first step in the right direction to putting your site visitors at ease.

Ready to get up and running with WordPress? Like we said, getting started is simple — no fancy tools, high-end budget, or technical expertise required.

1. Pick a domain name. Your domain is the unique web address where your website can be found — for example, YourName.com or WeLoveDogs.com. You get the idea. You buy domain names from a domain registrar or a web hosting company like us — we happen to be both! Keeping your domain registration and web hosting account under one roof makes managing your online presence even easier.

2. Purchase web hosting. You’ll need access to a web server via a web host so that your site’s data and files can be transmitted to anyone who visits your domain name. Hosting providers often offer a variety of packages based on the type of site you want to create, and on the individual needs and goals of your website. Want a top-of-the-line hosting account for your website? We’ve got you covered.

3. Download and install WordPress. With Nytro Host’s hosting plan, WordPress comes pre-installed. Yep, kick back and relax; there’s no extra work. If you choose to go the Shared hosting route, you would have to install WordPress yourself using our one-click installation option. Simple!

4. Customize your site to match your brand. Outfit your website with a quality theme and a few plugins to add extra features. Start simple. You can always build more over time.

5. Start creating content — blog posts and web pages — for your site. Give your site’s visitors a reason to engage with you.

A domain name is the unique .com (or dot whatever) address where your site can be found on the web. But in order to get your website online, you’ll also need a web host to provide the server space necessary to store your site. For a fully-functional site, you need both a domain name and a good web host. Like peanut butter and jelly, they’re better together. To make things simple, you can keep your needs in-house, letting one provider supply both your domain name and web hosting needs. Let DreamHost multitask for you — at a great price.

Let’s talk numbers. What is the actual cost of setting up a WordPress site? Short answer: it depends. But no matter the route you choose, WordPress isn’t a budget-breaker.

WordPress is free, open-source software that anyone can access and modify.

To get your own fully-functional website running, you’ll need to register a domain and secure web hosting — if you team up with DreamHost, you can get your domain name included free with an annual hosting plan.

When you’re ready to customize your site, you can utilize the free themes and plugins offered in the WordPress directory. If you’re looking for premium themes or plugins, the cost increases.

With that knowledge in hand, you can balance the range of functionality you want out of WordPress, the extras you need, and the plan that fits best with your budget. Setting up a quality website with WordPress doesn’t have to cost you your life savings. It just makes good (dollars and) sense.

No pressure, but you’ve got a big decision to make. The web hosting service you choose will affect how well your site performs, how large it can grow, and how easy it will be to build and maintain.

We know you’ve got a lot of hosting companies to choose from. How can you sift through the noise to find the hosting service that works best for you?

NytroHost stands out from the crowd. We’re one of the last independently-owned and operated web hosts in the business. We’ve grown from spare room beginnings in 2015 to helping more than 5 customers in over 100 countries. We proudly host over 5 websites, WordPress blogs, and applications for designers, developers, small businesses, and more from our data center in Ashburn Virginia.

We are committed to powering your web goals — whether you’re ready to take total control of a server or want our experts to handle the details. All the things you need in a web host — performance, privacy and security, scalability, and platform-specific optimization — are what we offer in spades.

It’s open-source software. This means the platform isn’t restricted under copyright or trademark and is freely available for anyone to download and modify (under what is called the GNU General Public License). Because WordPress runs on an open-source creed, it’s developed and maintained by a dedicated community of volunteers. This diverse village of contributors and enthusiasts design with user-friendliness and the most needful features in mind, and they even meet up around the globe to collaborate and learn together. Consider it a super-tight club — minus the exclusivity and secret handshakes.