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You have a business, but you need a website.
What you don’t realize is that there are a number of components to a website. There’s the domain name, the content management system you use to build the website, and then there’s web hosting.
Web hosting is one of the most confusing pieces because it’s technical and difficult to understand. That could be a big reason why 36% of small businesses don’t have a website.
Keep reading to learn how to host a website in this beginner’s guide to learn what hosting is and how you get your site up and running as soon as possible.
How Does Web Hosting Work?
What does a web host do? That’s the first question beginners often have when learning how to host a website.
Let’s break down what your website really is. It’s really a bunch of ones and zeros that make up files, folder, images, your content management system, and design.
Those files and folders need to reside somewhere, which is on a special computer called a server. When someone types your domain name, the server computer will serve those files and the end user will see the website.
You might ask yourself “Do I need to buy a special server for my website?” No, that’s what a web host does. A web host has servers and the infrastructure in place to serve many websites to users.
You basically lease space on the web company’s server, and they’re responsible for serving your site quickly.
How to Host a Website
There’s much more to learn about web hosting. For example, there are two main types of hosting and several types of hosting plans.
Types of Hosting
When you are figuring out how to host a website, you’re likely to come across two terms: hosted and self-hosted.
Hosted companies offer a big package of a content management system with hosting. An example would be Squarespace, BigCommerce, or Shopify. All you have to do is sign up and you can pick a template and design your site.
Self-hosted means that you have a hosting company, but you’re responsible for installing a content management system and building your website. It may seem intimidating, but nowadays website hosts use software so you can install your content management system in one click.
Self-hosted sites give you more control over your site and are typically less expensive than hosted sites.
Hosting Plans
If you decide to go the self-hosted route, you’re going to come across several types of hosting plans. These are the most common ones.
Shared Hosting
If you think of shared hosting as renting or leasing space on a computer, shared hosting is the equivalent of renting an apartment versus a single family home.
You’re sharing space on the server with many other accounts. The advantage of shared hosting is that it’s cheaper. The disadvantage is that you’re sharing resources with other accounts. If one of those accounts gets a lot of traffic, your site can be impacted.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is like renting a single-family home because you have a server dedicated to you. In dedicated hosting, you’ll find unmetered servers, which means that you’re not charged for the amount of data that is sent by the server.
This is a great option for websites that see a lot of traffic. You can learn more about the best unmetered servers here.
VPS hosting
VPS hosting, or Virtual Private Server hosting, gives you a dedicated slice of a physical server with full control over its resources. This makes it ideal for gamers who crave high performance, customization, and root access to tailor their gaming experience. Gaming VPS plans often feature powerful hardware, low latency connections, and optimized software to ensure smooth gameplay and a competitive edge.
Your Business Needs
How do you know which hosting plans are right for you? You need to assess your business needs to determine the best hosting plan for you.
For example, if your business has only one website and is brand new, you’re not going to see a huge amount of traffic right away. Starting with a shared hosting plan would be a good place to start.
On the other hand, if you are preparing for a big launch and investing heavily in digital marketing, a dedicated server can be a good fit for you.
Some hosting companies will suggest that you start with a shared plan and then upgrade to a dedicated server as your business needs change.
Are you planning to run an ecommerce store? There are a few other things to keep in mind like shopping cart support and security.
What to Look for in Hosting Companies
When you’re shopping around for hosting companies, there’s a lot to keep in mind. You want to make sure your business has a reliable partner to work with. Your website has a huge impact on your business.
Customer Service and Support
As a new website developer, you’re going to need a little more hand-holding than most people. Your hosting company should provide support to newbies and experienced developers alike.
One way to tell if they cater to new site owners is the level of content they have on their site. Are there articles that walk you through the steps of setting up WordPress?
How can you reach the company if something goes wrong? Do they offer 24/7 support through live chat, phone or email? This is important to find out because you will need to contact support at some point.
You can test them early on to find out how to reach them and how quickly they respond to solve your issues. Before you sign up, ask them questions about how they operate and what their expectations are for customer service.
Get Your Website Online
It’s 2019 and you absolutely need to have a website. For beginning website developers, putting a website online can be daunting. There’s so much to learn, like how to host a website.
Website hosting doesn’t have to be that challenging. Once you know your business needs and understand the terminology of the different plans, it’s easy to choose a website host.
Most hosting companies have made getting your site online even easier with just the click of a button. The next step is designing your website. Read this article to learn about Dieter Ram’s design principles to help you build your website.