Either you are just planning to start a small online business or someone who wants to extend their already established brand into the online platform. It is essential to have a good grasp of web hosting. This is among the key concepts that you must know and understand to have a good and stable start in building and launching your website.
Aside from finding a good web designer, one of the first crucial steps is choosing a web host to accommodate your website based on your needs. So, how will you be able to choose among the hundreds of web hosting companies out there? No need to fret, for we will be explaining to you one by one the necessary information you must know about web hosting and how you can sign up for the perfect web hosting services.
Web Hosting
For your website to launch and be accessed anywhere, anytime, it should be hosted on a web server. This server acts as a storage and holds all of your website’s data, including the images, codes, graphics used for its design and function, and allows it to run 24/7.
Web hosting service providers or companies own multiple various types of servers, which primarily differ in size and price.
Major Types of Web Hosting
Shared Hosting
It is the most basic and most affordable hosting service you can avail. As its name suggests, you will be sharing a server and multiple other websites. Since space and bandwidth are more limited, this type of web hosting is advisable to start-up websites for blogs or smaller businesses.
VPS
If your website is gaining more traffic, it is best to upgrade to VPS or Virtual Private Server. Although you still share a server with a few websites, you get to have your dedicated resources exclusive for you to exhaust, like storage space, RAM power, etc. In shared hosting, all resources have to be shared with all the users on the server, where, unfortunately, some can hog more than you do, slowing down all other functions.
Dedicated Hosting
Another step up from the first two hosting services is dedicated hosting. Let us look at it this way: shared hosting is like sharing an apartment with a roommate, VPS hosting is having the entire unit all for yourself, while dedicated hosting is where you own the whole building. This means that with dedicated hosting, you get to have your server exclusive for you. Of course, this is way more expensive than the others and more appropriate for larger and more popular websites.
Factors you should consider when purchasing web hostings services.
Technical specifications your website needs
The type of web hosting service you need to avail of must be majorly based on what specifications suit your website best. Is your website a start-up? Do you serve a larger audience? Are you expecting higher traffic? Will you be using multimedia graphics?
Just by gauging the amount of traffic that you anticipate and the bandwidth and disk space that you need and want, you can already narrow down your choices of web hosts as most companies have their specialization of web hosting servers, whether it’s shared hosting, VPS, or others. For example, if you are more leaning into availing windows 10 VPS, search for a web host that offers and specializes precisely that. Most larger conglomerates of web hosting can offer all of those servers, giving clients opportunities to upgrade if they need it.
Budget
Your budget plays a huge role in choosing web hosting servers. Companies offer different plans that vary depending on the type of server, RAM size, bandwidth, disk space, etc. Expect that the larger the server you avail, the costly it is — VPS hosting is more expensive than shared hosting. There are sign-up fees and renewal fees, and you can choose from monthly plans or annual plans. If you are willing to commit to a web host for a year, given that you are highly satisfied with the service, then sign up for a one-year plan could help you save a couple of bucks. You can also get a plan from an independent host that is in the business of reseller hosting. The chances are you will get a plan that is customized to your needs, hence you avoid paying for features that will not serve you.
Features and add-ons offered
You know that your host’s plan is a great value for money if the service includes multiple add-ons and features. While some can be offered free of charge, there are also add-ons that you can purchase to elevate your experience and management. Each web host companies provide different features as add-ons like SSL certificates, control panel upgrades etc., so you might want to compare one from the other to make sure you are settling on what is worth it while making the most out of the service.
Web security
A secured web hosting is most important if you plan to use your website as a shop or any platform that requires visitors to put in their private information, e.g. credit card number, social security number, home address, etc. Before signing up, look into the security features that your host is offering. It should include detection and protection from malware and DDoS attacks, among others. Their plans should consist of SSL certificates, firewall, PCI compliance (if needed), etc.
Customer support
Out of all these factors, the quality of customer support may be the one that might make or break a deal with a web host. Any competent web hosting company can offer you a server that is an excellent value for money and just what your website needs. Excellent customer service is what sets a reliable and brilliant web host from the others. You make sure that you sign up on a web host that can accommodate you in an instant that you encounter problems with your server.
The complexity of the control panel
If you have been familiar with managing a website and web hosting, then this may not be a big deal for you. However, if you are just a newbie and still trying to work your way around it, you may prefer a more user-friendly control panel. This is an interface that allows you to manage your servers, and it is the web host that provides it. There are different types of control panels, and although most hosts only offer one, there are those that let you choose from a couple of software.
Possible upgrade in the future
When it comes to scalability. You want to choose a web host that can allow your website to upgrade when the time comes. If you play your cards right, chances are your business is going to boom, and you will need to scale-up your website to accommodate more traffic and improve essential features. You may choose to migrate to VPS or a dedicated server from shared hosting — choose a web host that can give you that opportunity in the near future.
Bottom line
Choosing a web host is like an investment for your company and website. Since you will be spending money and your online operation will heavily rely on it. You have to be careful in making your decisions. Write all factors to consider, your needs, and weigh all pros and cons. At the end of the day, you know what is best and most suitable for your website. As long as you follow our tips and become more critical in choosing web hosts. You have nothing to worry about.
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