Online visibility of your business has become an essential part of this digital era, and doing so could be overwhelming. Hence, knowing which web hosting would suit your business is crucial.
Many people who are getting started with their online presence find it challenging to pick one hosting, considering it technical.
That is why iGrow247.com has researched and compiled a guide for you, especially for beginners, starting from the basics, including hosting configuration and methods to host your website.
So, let’s get being.
💻What is web hosting?
We all know that when we explore things on the internet, we eventually use search engines for our queries and eventually land on a website with its data files on a powerful system—the server.
The server is the main reason behind making your website live and online accessible to everyone with the help of software known as a web server that receives and sends users’ requests to the browsers.
💻Components of web hosting
To fulfill its purpose of making any website visible online, web hosting requires several vital components. The most important one is reliability.
The web hosting service providers must guarantee minimal downtime (when the website is inaccessible to the user or choked due to heavy traffic) and ensure your website remains accessible at all times.
Additionally, sufficient storage space and bandwidth are essential to accommodate your website’s content and traffic volume.
Security measures ensure and safeguard your site and sensitive data from cyber threats.
Finally, scalability is vital to accommodate potential growth, allowing your website to handle increased traffic and resource demands as your online presence expands.
This is probably too technical to understand as a naïve; that is just for the understanding, and you need nothing to do with it other than just knowing it.
However, you must know that many companies with heavy servers are available to host your website at cheap and affordable prices.
💻Why do we need web hosting? Significance
Web hosting is crucial yet core for anyone wanting to establish an online presence, whether it is a personal blog, an e-commerce store, or a corporate website.
Essentially, web hosting provides the necessary infrastructure to store and make websites accessible on the internet. It acts as a home for your website’s files, databases, and other content, allowing visitors to access your site anytime and anywhere.
When it comes to significance, web hosting lies in its role as the foundation of your online identity, ensuring that your website is available and functional 24/7.
In a nutshell, web hosting provides the backbone for your online ventures, ensuring seamless accessibility, reliability, and security for your website.
💻Things required to host a website
For web hosting, there is nothing much that you need. However, there are two things that you need mainly, which include
- A trusted web hosting service provider, and
- A domain (website name) for your business identity
There are web hosting service providers with heavy software that are ready to host any website. They have already designed their servers to fulfill their technical requirements for the user’s ease.
For domain names, there are licensed companies that are selling domains for your hosting (continue to read our guide for Domain for hosting for details). However, some web hosting service providers offer free domain registration, so you don’t have to buy it separately.
💻 How does web hosting work?
As said, web hosting providers have servers and software that make their websites visible and accessible to the users. These are basically renting their technologies and services to the users to host their websites on the internet. Once it is done and your website is live, the user can put your domain name in the browser and can search your website easily with your unique web address.
💻Types of Hosting Services
As we all are aware, every website has a different nature and hosting requirement based on their traffic sizes. Some have a minimal load requirement, while others have high requirements and more resources.
That is why every web hosting company offers different packages to address different website requirements by providing hosting kinds.
1. Shared Hosting
If you are running your personal blog or a small business website, a shared hosting service. This one is the cheapest option, with a starting cost of $1.99 per month to $6.99 per month.
As you can see from the name, this website hosts the same server for multiple websites to share the server resources. That is the reason why the cost of this hosting package is low.
2. VPS Hosting
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server Hosting. This is somehow also shared hosting, but it is capable of handling large traffic without choking.
It is suitable for medium-sized businesses, such as e-commerce stores.
In this package, the web service provider offers a dedicated section of a server exclusively for your website, which you can oversee through your hosting control panel.
This is more like a hybrid solution that combines the affordability of shared hosting with the control and resources similar to dedicated hosting.
The starting price of VPS hosting is $29.99 per month (varies).
3. Managed WordPress hosting
It is quite evident by its name that this type of hosting is specified for WordPress websites. Managed WordPress Hosting means that your web hosting service provider will take care of backups, updates, and cache of your website itself, putting you out of the hassle.
The minimum price for this package starts from $35/ month. This web hosting type is suitable for business websites and popular blogs mainly.
4. Dedicated Hosting
This web hosting plan offers an entire dedicated hosting server to your website. You’ll have access to the full spectrum of server resources, along with advanced tools for server administration, the freedom to install custom software, and the option to configure your own operating system.
Managing your server entails a certain level of technical proficiency, making it an ideal choice for larger websites seeking heightened performance capabilities to handle substantial traffic loads.
This package is suitable for large enterprises or huge websites with heavy traffic loads. The starting price of this package is $79.99 per month.
Note: The prices mentioned for each hosting type vary among web hosting providers. However, the written cost is the average price.
💻Features of Web Hosting
Hosting not only makes your website visible, but it also offers a few more features that contribute to its growth. Usually, you can get the following features for every hosting service based on your plans.
1. Storage
Storage is the web space, or you can also call it disk space, which is given to the user to save the website’s data. Hence, when selecting your hosting plan, keep your business requirements in mind to give you an idea of your data storage requirement.
2. The Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the volume of data that can be transferred between a website, its servers, and its users within a specific timeframe.
It essentially dictates the maximum data transfer capacity between different points in the online ecosystem. In simpler terms, the size of the bandwidth sets the limit on how much information can be sent and received between the website and its visitors, impacting the speed and efficiency of data transmission.
A larger bandwidth allows for smoother and faster access to website content, which is particularly crucial for sites experiencing high traffic volumes or those hosting multimedia-rich content like videos and images. Therefore, understanding and optimizing bandwidth allocation is essential for ensuring optimal website performance and user experience.
3. Domain
This is the address or brand identity of your website, which can be searched by typing in any browser. Picking a catchy name that is easy to remember, etc., is recommended.
You can also read about Domain.
4. Speed
A web host offers a great speed that boasts sufficient speed to ensure that your website loads promptly, thereby preventing any potential loss of audience engagement.
5. Email
A professional website typically incorporates email accounts associated with the domain. When selecting the type of server that aligns with your needs, it’s imperative to ensure that your chosen web hosting provider offers this essential feature.
💻How to choose the best web hosting?
Since we have elaborated on all the types of web hosting, you need to select a hosting plan based on your business needs, size, and, most importantly, your budget.
As a beginner, the best web hosting package for you would be shared hosting, as it is cheap and a good option for new businesses.
When starting a new business online, for instance, you need to create a website that can hold the traffic easily. Since a new website does not have much traffic initially, this is the best hosting plan, to begin with.
This way, you can save costs while getting familiar with the hosting services. Here, you have the option to go for a hosting that offers free domain name registration or buy it separately from websites like Namecheap, etc.
💻 How do you know if the web hosting provider is reliable?
If you want to evaluate web hosting, here are the four features through which you can check its reliability.
- Customer Support: This refers to how accessible your web hosting support is. Usually, many top hosting providers are available to offer 24/7 customer support through tickets, live chat, email, and or a phone call during working hours of business days.
- Speed: Your website host must offer great speed that does not make your visitors bounce back due to slow loading.
- Security: The best web hosting provider offers regular and free SSL (secure socket layers) certification with backup that secures the information and data of your visitors.
- Scalability: Choosing a hosting provider that can scale alongside your website’s growth is crucial, particularly if you anticipate significant expansion over time. Hence, it is recommended that you select a web host that meets your requirements.
💻 How do I host my website?
This is a question often asked by people: Can I host my website on my computer? The answer is yes, you can. In fact, this is a great way as it will help you to test your website locally as well before you make it live for the users.
However, it is not the best way to adopt and is not recommended as it has drawbacks of its own doing so; this includes
- Continuous High-Speed Internet Connection: Running a web server at your home requires your computer to keep connected to high-speed internet around the clock without power failure.
- Ongoing Maintenance: You will be responsible for configuring and updating server software, performing backups, and planning for backup servers.
- Security Risks: Hosting a website locally puts your computer at more risk for hacking attempts, malware, and DDOS attacks, jeopardizing the security of all devices on your network. This can also make your personal data insecure.
- Additional Costs: Acquiring a static IP address from your internet service provider experiences extra expenses. That means you need to invest more, which is difficult for newbies especially.
- Technical Expertise Required: Managing a locally hosted website demands significant time, effort, and technical proficiency, making it an impractical choice for most individuals.
💻 How much does web hosting cost?
The costs associated with hosting a website can vary significantly based on several factors. Firstly, the hosting plan you select plays a pivotal role. It’s advisable to begin with smaller shared hosting plans and then scale up as your website and business expand.
Moreover, beyond hosting, additional expenses include the cost of website templates, software extensions, and various services that enhance functionality or aesthetics.
To optimize spending, the objective should be to purchase only what is truly necessary. Leveraging free tools and resources wherever possible can help minimize costs while still meeting your website’s requirements effectively.
In order to strike a balance between investing in essential elements and utilizing cost-efficient solutions is key to managing the financial aspect of website hosting efficiently.
💻 Frequently Asked Questions | What is Web Hosting?
1. What is self-hosting?
Self-hosting refers to setting up your own hosting server for your website. This allows the user to have unlimited resources and capabilities to work with, plus the companies take all the responsibilities of uptime, maintenance, etc., on their own.
2. Can I switch my web host?
Yes, you can switch your website hosting provider. You can avail yourself of the free migration services that your hosting provider offers. However, if you have knowledge about it, you can also migrate your website to a new hosting provider.
3. What is a c-panel?
C stands for control in the c-panel. It is the tool that is offered by web hosting with a graphical interface to make required changes to your website.
4. What is SSL?
SSL stands for secure socket layers, which is a security protocol offering privacy, anti-theft, authentication, and integration.
5. Can I buy a domain name and host my website later?
Yes, it is possible to buy a domain first and separately. However, it will not represent your website unless it goes live.
6. Can I buy a domain name and hosting from two different companies?
Yes, you can. However, both domain name and hosting services from the same provider offer the convenience of managing both aspects from a unified dashboard.
This streamlined approach simplifies administration tasks and provides a cohesive experience for website management.
Furthermore, certain hosting providers, such as Bluehost, sweeten the deal by bundling a complimentary domain name with their services, serving as an enticing incentive to opt for their platform.
This not only saves on initial costs but also streamlines the setup process, making it an attractive option for individuals seeking an all-in-one solution for their website needs.
7. How can I host my website for free?
Certainly, while it is possible to host your website for free using various providers, it’s important to consider the potential trade-offs. Free hosting services often generate revenue by displaying advertisements on hosted websites.
Additionally, they may impose limitations on website traffic, which can hinder scalability as your site grows. Moreover, free hosting platforms may lock users into their ecosystem, making it challenging to migrate to a different provider in the future.
Furthermore, these providers may upsell additional products or services, potentially leading to unexpected expenses down the line.
Therefore, while free hosting can be a cost-effective option for individuals with minimal requirements, it’s essential to weigh the advantages against the limitations and carefully assess whether it aligns with your long-term website goals and needs.
Concluding Web hosting
It would be pretty overwhelming when selecting your web hosting, especially for the first time; it is indeed quite a decision. However, our aim today has been to provide clarity and aid in better understanding what web hosting entails.
As of now with this knowledge, you are now equipped to identify key criteria to look for in a hosting provider, facilitating a more informed decision-making process.
For more hosting related articles, continue to explore iGrow247.com
