What Is Web Hosting – A beginner’s guide

What is Web Hosting?

The Wikipedia definition of Web Hosting is, “A web hosting service (often shortened to web host) is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organisations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web.” In simpler terms, web hosts are the servers where a website is literally “hosted”.

It is where the site lives and stores all the files, including the database, videos, images, blog posts and all the assets on those servers. When a user types a web site address (www.) of a site in their web browser, a request is sent to that server which then returns the site to the specific browser.

A web hosts allocates some specific space on the server to the site. The amount of space allocated depends on the type of hosting. The main types of hosting are shared, dedicated, VPS (virtual private server) and reseller.

A server is a physical computer that runs 24/7, so the website’s files can always be accessed without interruption in service. The servers which save the site’s data, are stored in a highly secure purpose-built facility called the “data centre”. These data centres may be located anywhere around the world. And these centres are in turn owned by web hosting companies, like Bluehost or Hostinger.

Questions to think about when selecting a web host?

Considering that web hosting providers decide how the website must be stored and because there are many options available now, it is important to pick a web host very carefully.

Firstly, it is vital to have a clear idea of what kind of site you have or are aiming to build? Is it online- a blog, an e-commerce portal, a news website, etc? Secondly, consider what the goals of your site is? And where do you see it going further down the line? Do you expect high traffic? After you have clarified your requirements for your website, it will be easier for you to choose a web hosting that satisfies all your requirements.

Factors to consider when choosing a web host?

Here, we discuss some of the major factors to consider before deciding on a web host.

Domain name registration – some web hosts provide the domain name along with the website hosting which is a really good deal as purchasing the domain name alone can get expensive at times, depending on what you choose your domain name to be.
Bandwidth Allowance – this is the amount of traffic you receive each month, along with the number of pages each person views. You’ll typically want to select a web hosting plan that can support your maximum bandwidth needs.
Storage Space – this will typically depend on how big you expect your files on the site to be?
Uptime – this means the amount of time your site remains in operation. We obviously want a high uptime. Uptime is usually stated in percentage, and we look for uptime greater than 99.5%. Check our Hosting Page for more on this.
Speed – this refers to the time it takes for a site to load in the web browser. A slower site reduces the traffic to the site greatly. It disturbs the customer’s experience and also lowers the site’s SEO. It is one of the very important features to consider when choosing a web host. You can test your site using the link here.
Backup Services – the site may go wrong at any time, it may even get hacked worst-case scenarios, thus it is best to have a backup of your site. Some web hosting services provide backup as well, usually for an extra charge. It can range from backing up from once a week to daily. It is suggested to have a site that is continuously backed up so daily is the recommended option here.
Other Services – these include email accounts, FTP, customer service, reviews, testimonials etc.

Types of Web Hosting

Shared Hosting – is a web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. This is generally the most economical option for hosting, as the overall cost of server maintenance is spread over many customers.
Dedicated Hosting – as the name suggests, it is a server that’s literally dedicated to you and only you.
VPS Hosting – it splits the resources of the server between different sites or hosting accounts.
Reseller Hosting – is when you purchase a reseller website hosting package and resell this to your own clients as your hosting company. It is sometimes referred to as white label hosting.
WordPress Hosting – it provides site hosting for a site that is built on WordPress.
Cloud Hosting – it makes applications and websites accessible using cloud resources.