One of the most important decisions you can make as a website owner is where to host your site. In this guide, we’ll teach you about what web hosting is and how it works, as well as what factors play into your decision. You’ll also learn some good tips on how to find a good web hosting company and how to avoid scams. At the end of this guide, we’ll talk about what happens after you decide—setting up your site and creating a backup plan for when things go wrong. Ready? Let’s get started!
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is the process of setting up a server on which you can host your website. A server is a computer program that you can use to perform computations, upload files, download files, and interact with others over the internet. There are different types of servers—fixed, mobile, private, dedicated, and hybrid.
Web hosting is the act of giving your website—and its files—a permanent place to live on a server somewhere. There are thousands of different web hosting companies, so before you can start shopping around, you need to figure out which type of web hosting is right for you.
Types of hosting:
Windows hosting:
Most hosting companies sell this type of hosting. It generally includes features such as a web domain, monthly bandwidth, and unlimited disk space.
Linux hosting:
This type of hosting is also sold and includes features like a web domain, monthly bandwidth, and unlimited disk space.
More and more websites are created every day, and web hosts have an essential job to do—allowing them to do their work. Whether you are making a blog for your personal blog or a small business website for your client, it’s crucial to choose a hosting provider that is both reliable and responsive.
The importance of your web hosting provider
When it comes to your site’s security, there’s no one size that does everything a host can do. Different hosts have different features that are best for different users. We’ll start with the basic features a web host provides and add on to them. For example, some hosts are better for beginners while others are better for enterprises.
Internet-Based Servers:
Internet-based servers use the same basic structure as your home computer: an operating system that’s given a number of features to it (generally, Linux is one of the most popular) and a way to store data and interact with computers remotely (for example, if you need to change a file on your computer you can log on to your server and make the change).
Dedicated Servers:
There are many different reasons you might choose to run your site on the internet rather than on your computer. You might be an author who doesn’t have the resources of a big studio or a celebrity who doesn’t have the time to spend tinkering with hosting and servers. For these people, having a dedicated server that you can hire a developer to build or manage for you is the way to go.
A dedicated server can be a precious asset when you’re an author. If you don’t want to deal with updating HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and your web servers’ databases (which, depending on your site’s needs, can take quite a while), a dedicated server is a way to go. What’s more, web hosting is relatively affordable these days.
How to choose a web hosting plan that’s right for you
It’s important to understand what makes a web hosting plan different from the kind of server you’d use to host a personal website. Suppose you’re a WordPress blogger who wants to make money. In that case, you’ll want a dedicated server, which has enough memory and processor power to handle a growing website, so you can make more money while you run your site.
If you’re not a writer, then a shared hosting plan is probably better for you.
The first thing you need to decide before you sign up for web hosting is how big your site will be. Most hosting plans start small, so you’ll still need a server to host your site. But as your site grows, the amount of space you need increases. At that point, it’s time to consider dedicated servers or shared hosting.
As your site grows, you might find that your web hosting company wants to upgrade you to a bigger plan. That’s perfectly fine. If your website doesn’t need it, there’s no harm in sticking with what you have.
You might need an upgrade later.
Still, suppose your site is growing in popularity and attracting more visitors. In that case, you might want to upgrade to a larger plan that gives you more disk space, more bandwidth, more email accounts, or any other additional resources you might need. Some of these plans may come with additional features, like faster storage and faster servers that give you a speed boost.
But you don’t have to go to the extreme. If you keep your web hosting provider’s default plan—a beginner plan for blogs, eCommerce sites, or WordPress sites—you’ll likely be fine.
How to spot a good web hosting company
It would be best if you considered your hosting service provider for your website’s future growth. You should take the following things into consideration: What are they offering? Where do they live? Who’s backing them up? Is it secure? Their fees? How quickly will they respond to my queries? What are the main downsides to the company? Their uptime? How much will it cost me per month?
A good web host company is the backbone of your online business.
They are the ones who provide all the hardware, software, and networking equipment for your site to work. They’ll set up the servers, transfer all your files and data, and optimize your site for speed and performance. They’ll also make sure that you don’t run into any unexpected issues.
Before you begin, it’s vital that you know what you’re looking for. A great web host should provide you with everything you need to run a profitable and successful business. They should be able to satisfy your bandwidth, storage, and server space needs. Still, they also should provide you with everything you’ll need to run a successful online store.
So before you choose a web host, you need to look for these key features:
- Responsive server
- Fully-featured dedicated server
- Dual-hosting options
- Password-protected websites
- Secure server administration interface
- Free dedicated IP space
- Instant setup
- Dedicated VPS
- Uptime guarantees
- Fully-featured shared server
At a bare minimum, all of the above should be present. If they’re not, you’ll want to move on. Phoenixitek has more than the above resources to provide an ideal hosting environment. Check out our packages here.
Backups, downtime, and other things to know before signing up
If you’re installing WordPress, you should make sure you have a complete backup of your site. WordPress is unreliable, and you don’t want to put your site at risk just to get your own thoughts out there.
Make sure that your web host has good uptime.
If you plan to host a website that depends on the internet, make sure your hosting company has a good and robust uptime service. A good company should always have 99.9% uptime, which is the expected time your site should be up and running.
Before you pick a web hosting provider, you need to decide how important it is to you that your site be available 24/7. Most of us who host our sites understand that when you create a site, you’ll probably need to use it for something—in which case, the site must remain available at all times. A legitimate website business, therefore, requires a stable and up-to-date web host.
Do not compromise on backups:
Of course, any legitimate website owner would also expect to have up-to-date backups of their site’s files—with a minimal but not negligible chance of a disaster and having to recreate everything. That said, if you plan to use your site as a job portal or at least something with substantial traffic, you’ll want to use a web hosting provider with a solid uptime record.
Setting up your site
Creating a website is the first step in creating your site. For this article, we’ll use this blog as an example. A website is more than just a bunch of text. A website has to be designed and maintained. Creating your site is what you’re about to learn about. The actual hosting of your site is more technical than you’d think. Before you can start designing your site, you’ll need to decide on a web host.
Web hosts serve as your intermediary in this process. They handle all the technical details that go into hosting a site. They install and maintain the server, make sure your website is hosted correctly, and make sure the site gets updates when they’re released.
Web hosting, in its simplest form, is the collection of resources your site runs on. These resources include an operating system, a browser, and an Internet connection. These resources are owned and maintained by a company called a web host. While these resources are the site’s most vital components, they can take a while to set up. We’ll get into some specifics below, but make sure to understand your provider’s setup process before you start.
It’s also important to know that most web hosting companies have different packages available. These packages contain a bunch of various resources that your site needs to function. A typical host usually offers a minimum amount of resources for the cheapest package, but they all have different limits and options.
Conclusion
There’s a reason why the web is called the Wild West—you can get lost there for days, picking up a few minor bucks along the way if you know what you’re doing. Getting the right web hosting solution isn’t easy, but it’s critical for a successful website. Using any of the scenarios detailed above, you can have a website up and running in no time.
But remember, having a website is the least of your worries. Remember, don’t fall for scam artists. Look for reputable companies and people when choosing a web host. Phoenixitek is a good example. Also, make sure you use the right privacy settings, specifically if you have sensitive information such as financial information. Let us know if you have any questions, and feel free to tell us how you’re planning to fix this problem and why you think there’s a need for it.
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