Website hosting is a type of service that pushes websites to be accessible on the internet. It’s also a critical factor to consider when you build your site.
Web hosting, in general, is provided by web hosts, such as Xploited Media. These hosting providers support, configure, and run physical servers that house websites to ensure each client site is running well on the internet.
So, if you plan to purchase a hosting plan from a web hosting service provider, it implies that you’re renting their server space. This is where you store your site data, such as CSS files and HTML, media content, and other documents.
But, how do website hosting work exactly? Let’s find out!
How Does Web Hosting Work?
As stated above, a web hosting company offers website hosting and leases out their computing servers. This type of company also provides the services, software and connectivity required to make your website go live.
The web hosting company’s server is a computer that stores your web files and makes them available on the web. Once your hosting provider hosts your website, web users can access it by typing in your web address, which is your domain name, in the web browser.
After that, their computer links to your site’s server. However, the configuration process can be complex for most users.Â
That’s why most website owners and businesses favour using a website hosting provider’s server space instead of an in-house server. But, it’s best to know that purchasing a website hosting isn’t enough to run your site on the internet and get accessed by web visitors.Â
Before anything else, you need to have a domain name.
Domain Hosting
Domain hosting is a type of internet service that hosts and manages your domain name like sample.com. Domain web hosting providers use Domain Name System (DNS) records to link your domain name with websites, email, and other web services.
Domain hosting is furnished by domain hosts or domain name registrars, such as GoDaddy, DreamHost, and Xploited Media, to name a few. A domain name is your website address, which users type on the web address bar to go to your site.
Tips in Picking the Right Domain for Your Website
- Use a domain name generator to have more domain name ideas.
- Select a short and easy to remember domain name.
- Make sure your domain is easy to spell and enunciate.
- Pick a popular top-level domain, such as .com.
- Avoid using hyphens and numbers.
You can get a domain name for your website from a web hosting company that offers domain registration services. You can look up existing domains using search tools equipped by web hosting service companies like Xploited Media.
Getting a domain name from your chosen website hosting company allows you to manage both services in one account. Thus, you don’t need to worry about modifying the settings of the nameserver intended for your domain.
Different Types of Website Hosting.
Various types of hosting services are available for website owners—which include:
- Shared hosting
- VPS hosting
- Cloud hosting
- Reseller hosting
- WordPress hosting
- Dedicated hosting
Each of these website hosting types caters to your particular needs. Moreover, picking one depends on several aspects like the type of your website, technical knowledge, and of course—the budget.
To uncover which hosting service you need to host your site, let’s look at the summary of the most common website hosting types below:
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most basic web hosting type that’s affordable and is the best choice for small or newly opened websites. As the name suggests, shared hosting means that websites will share resources with other sites on a single server.
This type of hosting works well since the majority of websites don’t require a whole server of their own. This is why this website hosting type stays so affordable.
Pros:
- Most affordable.
- Easy to set up.
- Technical knowledge isn’t required.
- Excellent for small websites and beginners.
Cons:
- You’ll be sharing server resources with other sites.
- Performance problems are out of your dominion.
- Slower loading times and lower uptime rates.
- It isn’t scalable.
VPS Hosting
When your website outgrows its shared plan, it’s a common choice to upgrade to the Virtual Private Server (VPS). With this type of website hosting, your site will still share a single server with other sites, but the number of websites is significantly lower.
The central server is divided into multiple virtual servers, which respective websites can customize. As a result, your website will function better due to having more resources than before. This practically implies that you’ll benefit from higher uptime rates and faster loading times.
Furthermore, you don’t have to stress about another site causing your website to crash. Although most websites don’t necessarily need a dedicated server, a VPS provides you with some of the advantages of dedicated hosting at a much lower price.
Pros:
- It comes with dedicated server resources
- Allows custom configurations to your server
- Faster loading speeds and higher uptime rates
- Cheaper than a dedicated server.
Cons:
- Central server sharing with other websites.
- Difficult to set up as a shared server.
- It comes with limitations in terms of what you can control.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is like an upgraded version of a Virtual Private Server (VPS) but a cheaper version. This hosting plan comes with multiple remote servers.
Each server has distinct responsibilities, and if any of the servers is compromised, other servers on the network will take over those obligations and fill the shortcoming. This makes cloud website hosting an appealing option to traditional web hosting.
The uptime rates of your website will be much higher, and you won’t have as much unforeseen downtime due to server errors with cloud servers. In addition, your site will stay running and function at a high level.
Pros:
- Secured.
- Scaleable.
- Lesser downtime.
Cons:
- Unfixed pricing.
- Unexpected traffic can raise costs.
- Limited customization.
Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting is the best for you if you need web hosting and have business clients! This type of web hosting involves selling hosting services to clients.
However, this type of website hosting service isn’t clearly for everyone. If you’re making a small website from scratch or just wanting to host a website on your own, this hosting type isn’t for you.
But if you want to sell website hosting to other sites, then reseller hosting is good for you. This is basically all about buying hosting from a hosting provider and reselling them to your clients.
As the reseller, you have a say about the pricing options for your clients since you’ll be paying the provider at wholesale rates. After that, you’ll have the chance to make considerable profit margins in this business.
Pros:
- Set uncapped rates for your clients.
- Obtain regular and sustainable income.
- Improve your current services.
Cons:
- Require many clients to make it worthy of your time and effort.
- If anything goes wrong, the clients will turn to you.
WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting is one of the types of web hosting you can use to host your website. To build a website in WordPress, you can either use WordPress web hosting or opt for another web hosting provider as you like.
However, WordPress isn’t exactly the best option for beginners. But, if you have some experience with web hosting and plan to build a business website or a blog with high traffic, the WordPress Engine is your best shot.
It has the most speed and security and offers managed WordPress web hosting services, so all is taken care of at the level of the server. This insinuates that you don’t have to install lots of extra plugins, resulting in the weighing of your site down.
Pros:
- Excellent customer support.
- 24/7 live chat and phone support for higher-tier plans.
- High speed.
- Easy SSL Certificates Integration.
- Automatic backups.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- Low plugins flexibility.
- Strictly WordPress only.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated servers are generally considered the best choice in website hosting. This is a dedicated server that belongs to you alone. You’ll benefit from more uptime and faster speeds in this type of hosting.
The downside of this web hosting type is that it’s the most expensive. Furthermore, websites hosted on this type have complete technical control over the server’s settings.
You can pick the configurations, software, and other things you need. If you purchase a dedicated server, you can expect exceptionally high uptime rates and fast as lightning loading speeds.
You won’t also have to concern yourself about traffic from other websites affecting your performance.
Pros:
- Full control over the server.
- Sole ownership of resources
- High security.
- High uptimes, fast load times and optimal performance.
Cons:
- Most expensive.
- Technical knowledge is required.
- You are liable for everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Web Hosting Essential?
Having good website hosting is crucial for your brand’s quality service offers to the public. Hosting can be used for many applications, like virtual stores, blogs, systems and websites, with benefits ranging from much better performance to greater security.
Is Web Hosting Really Important for My Business?
Web hosting from a reliable supplier enables you to rank higher in search engines, such as Google. As you might already know, site loading times and availability are factors that affect your ranking on search engines.
Moreover, a good web hosting can help run your site smoothly and prevent too many unprecedented issues from happening.
In Need of Reliable Web Hosting Services?
Website hosting services are critical to having a successful business website. If you ever need reliable web hosting services, you can freely explore and try the written options above and connect with a trusted hosting provider.
For more info and understanding about web hosting services, you can contact us, and we’ll be right there to assist you!