There is often a question of whether you should use Wix or self-host. You even have WordPress and other sites where you can host a website. These websites could be for blogs, portfolios, or even a website based on information. There is a lot that goes into building a site of any kind. You have domain names, hosting, and even down to what program should you use to build your website.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why self-hosting is best. Self-hosting is on your own server. If you self-host then you will have full control over your website. You will be able to add custom themes including having access to your own back end files. Access to these files is good because you can change them any way you want or need.

Using a third party host will usually only cost you a few bucks a month. These are websites where you can self-host. Confusing right? Not as confusing as you might think. A third party host allows you to rent out digital storage space. This space allows you to run a website; you do need storage space to be able to run the website. The self-hosted sites do can be intimidating and overwhelming at first.

Anything that you add can add to your costs. You will need to invest the cost of using a third party host as well as your domain name for a unique website name. Hosting can cost under $5 a month, so it’s not that expensive. There are specific plugins that you can install on your site. This will expand its functionality as well

.Self-hosted sites do look more professional so they might be best for businesses. If you want to improve your professional appearance self-hosting is best.  (Knapp, 2016) There are sites that offer both self-hosting and them hosting you completely for free. You can pay a little extra for you to self-host based on their website.

Using a website like Wix as easy as they are to make a website that looks great, it can perform poorly. You should never take the easy route to building a website. Building websites is not supposed to be easy.  You j throw together the website then publish it. If building websites are supposed to easy, we wouldn’t offer college degrees in website design. There would not have a ton of blogs and tutorials on how to do this. All in all, the biggest reason why you should not use Wix is that building a website is not supposed to be easy. You need to learn about SEO (search engine optimization) or Content optimization. You won’t learn these throwing them together.

When I set up a website to host, I was using https://www.godaddy.com/ . It’s a great self-hosting site where you can even get a domain name. It only cost me around $100 a year though the prices could change. If you are familiar with HTML or programs such as Dreamweaver, you can connect to go daddy. You could run your website straight from your computer without much work. It was easy once the site itself was up and running. They even provided me with a business email to my website.

You can get your own domain name and then install wordpress.org on your own web host and self-host this way.  This is one of the ways that Blog Tyrant recommends for a set up. (Ramsay) Though they specific blog, but as such this will work the same for a regular website as well. The reason he recommends this is because it is flexible and powerful.

Who do you use to host your website? Do you self-host or use a site like Wix to host? After reading this article, will your mind change?

Works Cited

Knapp, J. (2016, Aug 6). should I choose a free or a self hosted blogged platform. Retrieved Sept. 7, 2018, from blogging basics: https://www.bloggingbasics101.com/should-i-choose-a-free-or-a-self-hosted-blogging-platform/

Ramsay. (n.d.). 15 very faqs on starting a self hosted blog. Retrieved Sept. 7, 2018, from blog tyrant: https://www.blogtyrant.com/15-very-faqs-on-starting-a-self-hosted-blog/