Technology is not my first language, I’m a quilter, for goodness sakes. I’m so illiterate that I’m blissfully unaware of how much I don’t know.
I wrangled a wordpress site out of it.
When I sulkily conceded I needed a “presence” online, way back in 2018, building it myself (👋🏼 genXers) was a natural course of action. Because, of course, I’m so qualified for that.
Please know that this is ONE WAY of MANY to get an online presence going, and the information here is an account of my experience. I hope it’s helpful for you.
This article does not contain affiliate links.
Disclaimer- I am not a tech advisor.
My basic “tech stack” (read: collection of interlocking moving parts that deliver web content) evolved organically.
The core, vague idea was …. a website with maybe a blog? about quilting? and insta? for social. (Oh gosh, that’s still my plan, just with less self doubt.
Now, in 2026, nothing is “done”, everything’s “in progress” and I’ve learned that I’m starkly awful at some of those things. Plus, designing pantographs and doing longarming are different and as I write, my website needs WORK. (Especially the menu.)
However, here’s a chance to watch it evolve, or tell me how bad it is. 😂.
A tech stack is the selection of apps, plug ins, web sites, softwares, servers… and how it all fits and works together.
Get these 3 things (put your details in the brackets):
The domain and host have yearly upkeep costs, and you’ll need to research what you can afford, read reviews, think about what level of service you want. Also, know that you’re not married to anything you choose if you want to change later. Read on…
WordPress.org and “wordpress.com” are not the same but have an almost identical logo. The .org version is open source and free, the .com version, um, is different? Go for .org.
Before choosing a domain name, do searches everywhere to know you’re not creating a naming conflict with another business. Here’s a place to look up your intended name for your website and business. Is it available? Be aware that one name can have several suffixes (.com, .co.nz, ect.) so check that your suffix is what you want too.
OK. Now search all the socials to see if there’s something similar that might be confusing. All clear still? Then you’re ready for domain name registration.
Note that choosing a social name and registering a domain name are not the same. A domain name reserves that particular name for you, on the web. It doesn’t reserve anything for you on social media.
None of this gives you “trademark level” protection.
Also… Yay! You get to make this up! This’ll be your name that you’re known by. What people type into the search bar when looking for you.
Choose carefully, but don’t let it freeze you either. Domain names are cheap, buy a couple. Ditch what you don’t use in a year.
I chose Namecheap for my domain name registration. After registration, regulations bought me into contact with ICANN, (a registry of domain names).
Fun fact, I registered my domain name with a different provider from my web host. I went through 3 web hosts before I found one I liked, so was glad my domain name wasn’t set up with one in particular as changing was really easy.
You can also register a domain name within your web host account, keeping the services together, every web host advertises this. Just know that you don’t HAVE to keep them together.
This is what my Dreamhost dashboard looks like, yours will look different.
In the image you can see I also own “the” quiltingoctopus.com, which I don’t use but at the beginning, wasn’t sure if I’d want the word “the” in my name.
Names like “In Motion” and “Bluehost”, are examples of web hosts. I tried both with ok results but not especially easy interfaces. There are literally squillions of web hosts, again, research and reviews tempered by price will help your decision.
I tried Dreamhost which was a much smoother experience (if a few dollars more) and I love it. I was also able to set up SSL certificate security without trouble on Dreamhost, a task that I’d never achieved on previous servers.
Bear in mind I compared in 2020 😑, these early basic steps really are set and forget.
These 3 things, (domain name, web server, and WordPress account), are your basic infrastructure.
Following the official guides and online tutorials should get these three things linked up and playing nicely. They were “done once and forget” jobs. What you’ve built is a basic container to house your future web content in.
IMPORTANT: Keep these three accounts in one folder and name it something you can find, like “Quilting Octopus Website”. You won’t need this info often, but when you do, you REALLY need it.
But wait, there’s more … 😱
In the next instalment we’ll talk about what you’ll find inside WordPress, and touch on identifying what moving parts your website might need.
This is an enormous topic and there isn’t a one size fits all solution. This article isn’t intended to be a tutorial, but an overview, a guide. When looking at specific products and how use and link them, start with tutorials made by the product supplier.
Best of all, enjoy! Look forward to ownership of your corner of the web.
Longarmers, this free tension test will save you time and help you deliver quality quilting.
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3 Responses
Such a lot to learn! Also, testing my comments!
I use multiple vendors too. I have my domain names registered through DreamHost, but web hosting through Wix. 🙂
I wasn’t aware of Wix when I started my site, but I’ve seen it used a lot. I’m glad I’m not the only person who embraced multiple vendors!