In today's digital age, having a website is now a must for small- and medium-scale businesses. A website serves many functions beneficial for your business. It can be your digital showroom, social proof, and even a proven effective marketing tool online.
Now, you realize the need for a website.
But publishing a website means you need a web hosting service. However, it should not be just any random web hosting service provider you find online. You have to find the right web hosting service for a smooth website publishing experience.
While the process may sound overwhelming, it is not. With adequate knowledge, it is easy to choose a web hosting service that perfectly fits your needs. And in this guide, we got beginners as you covered.
Learn about web hosting, its types, and the factors you should consider when choosing the right service for you.
What Is Web Hosting?
A web host is a specialized computer where websites are stored. This powerful computer aka "server" stores digital files such as documents, images, videos, and HTML. Think of it as the space in your house where you place your stuff, but instead of furniture and clothes, you store digital files in a web host.
A web hosting service provider, or simply web host, is a business that provides these servers. Simply put, web hosts are like landlords that allow you to rent digital space to store your files. They also provide technologies and services needed to host a website on the Internet.
Web Hosting vs. Data Center
While web hosting refers to the server that hosts your website, data center refers to the facility that houses the servers. A data center can be a room, a house, or a building equipped with environmental controls (i.e., security devices, fire suppression, and air conditioning), communications connections, and backup power supplies that support the servers.
Data centers play a crucial role in web hosting. It is an important factor when buying web hosting services, which we will further discuss below.
Types of Web Hosting
The key to choosing the right web hosting plan is not just about looking at the features but rather, knowing what type of web hosting you need. Luckily, web hosting is divided into four types or levels that most service providers offer. This makes the selection process a lot easier as it gives you the general idea of what a service plan includes.
Take a look at the types and determine which one suits your business needs the most.
Shared Hosting
- Performance: +++++
- Security: +
- Cost: +
- Server Control: +++
- Skill Required: +
This is the most basic type and considered to be the entry-level option of web hosting. As the name implies, multiple websites ranging from hundreds to thousands are hosted in one server.
In shared hosting, the server is split into several small accounts. Websites on this hosting option share the server's resources, including the bandwidth and storage. This limits its ability to handle high traffic levels or spikes, and often, site performance is affected by other sites on the same server.
However, as the entry-level option, payment for shared hosting is extremely low, requiring not more than $10 on signup. It also has all the basic features perfect for simple websites with moderate traffic and standard software.
VPS
- Performance: +++++++
- Security: ++++++
- Cost: ++++
- Server Control: ++++++
- Skill Required: ++++
A virtual private server, like shared hosting, VPS divides the server for multiple users. However, the difference is that VPS hosts websites into virtual servers that act like a website's own dedicated server.
This means resources are allocated, and users may have root access to their own virtual space. It also gives greater control at the server level and better secured hosting environment at $20-$60 per month.
Websites hosted in VPS may still be somewhat affected by other sites on the same server. The ability to handle high traffic levels or spikes is also limited.
Dedicated
- Performance: ++++++++
- Security: ++++++++++
- Cost: ++++++++++
- Server Control: ++++++++++
- Skill Required: ++++++++++
In dedicated hosting, you are renting the entire server for your website. This means you get all the resources, bandwidth, and storage for your exclusive use.
This type of web hosting gives you maximum control and the highest performance, security, and flexibility.
However, all these great functions come with a price, literally. Dedicated hosting may cost you $80 and above per month, excluding server specifications and additional services.
Cloud
- Performance: ++++++++
- Security: ++++++++++
- Cost: ++++++++++
- Server Control: ++++++++++
- Skill Required: ++++++++++
In cloud hosting, a team of servers works together to host a group of websites. This team, aka "cloud," stores files in clustered servers located all over the world, which allows high traffic levels or spikes for your website.
Users can access files from anywhere in the world by connecting to the nearest cloud hosting account. You can enjoy this type of hosting for $30 and above.
Factors to Consider When Buying Web Hosting Services
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to web hosting. Choosing the right web hosting service depends entirely on your business needs. Gone are the days when you depend on the amount of bandwidth and disc space alone. It is not just about affordability, either. Now, you have to consider several factors to get the right fit for your business and optimize the deal.
Type of Web Host
As explained above, there are four types of web host: shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. The right type of web hosting depends on how you intend to use your website.
Are you building a simple website with low to medium traffic? Be it a personal or commercial website, shared hosting is a great choice for you.
Do you need greater control and overall performance but don't want to invest in a dedicated server? Go for VPS. It is also good for e-commerce sites and online forums.
Is handling huge website traffic and page load a concern? If you're dealing with an image- and video-rich website, opt for a dedicated server.
Got international customers accessing your website? Cloud hosting is perfect for providing great user experience to the audience outside the country where the server is located.
Determining the type of web host can give you the resources you need. You don't need to suffer from a lack of excessive web hosting resources if you can identify your needs right before you close a deal.
Technical Specifications
Understanding the technical specifications that come with a web hosting service plan is key to an informed buying decision. Here are common but important features you should know.
Uptime/Reliability Scores Staying online is the bread and butter of your business. Going offline, aka downtime, even for just a few minutes, can cause you significant losses. Take a look at Amazon. In 2013, the e-commerce giant went down for 30 minutes due to a technical issue. This short period of downtime cost them $66,240 per minute in revenues.
When choosing a hosting provider, always check the uptime scores. It's best to check reviews from previous clients and find out if they are experiencing downtime. Never go for companies offering below the 99.95% annual uptime industry standard.
Backups Site backup is one of the most important features of web hosting that is often overlooked. With cyber threats like ransomware putting your website at risk, it is crucial always to have a backup of your data.
A reliable web hosting service provider can back up your files and fully restore your website should you experience an attack or an accident. It should be able to do this with minimal downtime to avoid significant losses.
SSL Certification SSL or secure socket layer protects personal information and allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. It is typically used to secure sensitive information such as data transfer, logins, and credit card transactions.
SSL certification is an important feature to build trust among your audience. This is especially true for e-commerce and social networking sites that require personal information from visitors.
Bandwidth Bandwidth is responsible for the quality of traffic and data that travels to and from your site, users, and the Internet. In simpler terms, it is responsible for the speed of your network connection.
If your website will be relying heavily on images and videos, opt for web host deals with higher bandwidth.
As a rule, the higher the bandwidth, the faster the loading time is. With higher bandwidth, you can expect more visitors to access your website simultaneously without experiencing slow loading times, delays, and errors.
Data Storage Most web hosting service providers offer unlimited data. However, unless you are storing lots of videos or music files, you won't need this unlimited offer. It is still best to get a plan with sufficient storage based on the disc space you need. For starters, disc space below 1GB can be more than enough.
Besides, "unlimited" storage doesn't mean it is unlimited. It still has restrictions, and sometimes, exceeding these restrictions can cost you more because of some hidden charges that will surprise you come billing time.
Domain Name Setting up multiple domain names for different accounts can be tough. Therefore, it is important to look for web hosting companies that allow you to add multiple domains as you scale over time.
Email Options Businesses with the email linked to their websites tend to get more feedback and subscribers' conversion. Look for web hosting service providers that offer email addresses with your domain name. Also, ask their general email practices and spam solutions.
Customer Support
As much as you are concerned with the technical specs of web hosting, you should also put customer support on top of your priority list. A reliable web host should keep their support lines up 24/7.
At times, you will be facing technical difficulties that you cannot deal with on your own, and customer support is your saving grace. A web host offering various methods of support such as live chat, telephone, and email is an excellent choice.
When choosing a web hosting service provider, customer support should not be just an afterthought.
Price
Price is often the first thing people look at when looking at web hosting plans, but you should not decide just because it's affordable. Low-cost web hosting services might be enticing, but it doesn't mean it provides the right resources you need.
You get what you pay for. Do not expect a web host that charges $1.99 will give you 99.95% uptime, faster loading time, or quality customer service. If you want quality, you may need to pay a premium price.
It's always best to check the price versus what's included in the plan. Don't jump on the cheapest plan to cost cut, or you might end up spending more in the long run.
Server Location
As stated above, data centers play a big part in keeping your website in its best working condition every time. It acts as a support to your servers, but another thing about the data center to consider is its location.
The general rule is: the closer the server location to your audience, the faster the page loading will be. It pays to check how close the data is to your target audience, especially if you think they will be coming from a single area.
Customer Reviews
What do their customers tell about their service? One way to learn about the web hosting company's services is by their clients themselves. By searching for customer reviews, you will get a good grasp of how a web host delivers to its clients.
Do a quick Google search or find that particular company's social networking sites. There, you will learn how they handle customer support or if they get frequent downtime.
Deciding which web hosting service to pick takes time and thorough research. But it does not have to be hard.
First, you need to know what the function of web hosting is and how it works. Second, you need to determine the type of web hosting your business needs. Lastly, you have to consider several factors to get the most out of your deal.
It may be overwhelming for beginners, but with the information above, you would get a better understanding of what you need to look for the right web hosting service.
Now, are you ready to publish your business website?
