The simplified definition of web hosting for beginners
All beginners start their online business by asking about web hosting definitions and how to host their domains.
In this post, I will answer this question in a simplified way and tell you about web hosting types and uses.
Let’s get started
Imagine that you are planning to open a candy shop. You will need to purchase all the pieces of equipment needed to run your business.
Moreover, you need a place to put your stuff in and start. You will probably choose a shop on the corner of a street as an attractive location. This place is what we call a “host.”
The same happens if we presume that your website is a candy shop. You need to find a place to host it, but this time we’re not going to place it on the corner, but rather with a hosting company.
The hosting service allows individuals and organizations to put their own websites on
the internet.
A hosting service provider (Hostinger, Bluehost, HostGator, etc.) offers the technologies and services necessary to allow websites and web pages to appear online.
No one will see or reach your website if you don’t put it on the internet (hosting).
Where are these websites stored?
They are stored on giant computers called servers. To view your website, internet users
You only need to type in the domain name or the address of your website.
Then your web pages will be automatically delivered once the server permits the computer and gives it access.
Now, you get an idea of what web hosting is.
Let’s talk briefly about your domain name.
What is a domain name server (DNS)?
Computers only know one language and exchange information using this language; the language of numbers.
Each computer is assigned an IP address like 199.234.567 etc. But do we all have the ability to keep these numbers in mind and type them every time we need to visit a website? of course not.
The alternative to keeping these strings of numbers in mind is using domain names, but how do computers understand these names?
Simply by using DNS(Domain Name Server).
The role of DNS is to convert our domain names into numbers that computers know and remember.
Your domain name is the name that people will use in order to reach your website.
For instance, if you want to reach Facebook, you just write www.facebook.com in your browser, and that is Facebook’s domain name.
A domain name and a hosting company are essential in order to let people find your website.
If you wish to host freely, you can go to blogger.com or any other free platform, where you can create a free domain name and get free hosting. This can be a starting point where most beginners start with this method.
But if you choose to host with a hosting company, then you must have a domain name.
If you do not yet have one, a company can help you acquire one for free or at cheap prices.
Click to get a free domain name.
What features should you consider before choosing a Web hosting company?
EMAIL ACCOUNTS
As mentioned earlier.Most hosting providers require domain names. You can get your own email account, which differs from your Gmail account and has more features.
provided by your hosting company.
FTP ACCESS
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a way of transmitting information between a server and a client.
Your website’s files are stored on your web host’s servers, and you can use FTP to access those files from your computer.
So, this is the path where your files travel from your computer to the server. You can transfer the files from your computer to the web server through FTP, giving permission for users to access your website through the internet.
WordPress
This web-building tool allows users to create and manage websites with ease. Over 25% of all websites on the internet are powered by this powerful blogging and content management system (CMS).
Most hosting providers reveal the compatibility of WordPress if it exists in their offers.
Some companies like Bluehost offer you free WordPress and a domain name as well. Hostinger offers a free domain, WordPress, and free SSL as well.
It has several advantages, including the ability to create a website with just a few clicks, publish it live with just a few clicks, and do it without any technical knowledge.
Because it requires no coding, one will not need to have any experience in website design. Besides, you will not need to transfer files from your desktop computer to the server through FTP. Just one click and everything will be managed automatically.
How can my online business make use of web hosting?
To publish your website online, you need a web hosting service.
But a web host does more than just host your website.
For example, web hosting firms employ in-house technicians to make sure their clients’ websites function correctly. Furthermore, a professional web hosting service ensures a hassle-free experience for website owners when they need help or troubleshooting (e.g., script launching, email not sending or receiving, domain renewal, etc.) so they can efficiently focus their time and effort on their businesses.
Types of Web Hosting Services
Hosting your website can be done through a variety of services. Before you sign up for a web hosting plan, it is important to understand what kind of service your website needs, what kind of server you need, and what type of services you require.
These are the types to consider:
Website Builders
Website builder services are types of hosting services that cater to beginners with very limited technical skills. In most cases, you can build your website online with a website builder, which provides you with the tools to maintain and update it, and also hosts the website for you without any additional setup.
Shared Hosting
With shared hosting, you and other website owners share one server, including the physical server and the software applications. Shared hosting services are affordable because you and other web owners share the same space; hence, the cost.
The main consequence here is that your website sometimes behaves slowly, but as someone who is a beginner and/or trying to build their own business, it’s not an issue.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting means that you have the entire server to yourself. This leads to faster performance, as you have all the server’s resources to yourself, and you have the same limits as the server without sharing them with other people.
However, this also means that if you own a car, you will be responsible for the cost of maintenance.
If your website requires lots of system resources or you are concerned about security issues, this is a good option.
Collocated Hosting
You will purchase a server and house it at a host’s facility. In this case, you will be responsible for the server itself. An advantage of this type of hosting service is that you have full control over the web server. You can install any scripts or applications you need.
Shared and Dedicated: Which one to choose?
These are the most used when it comes to choosing a hosting plan
Shared Hosting
before you choose your plan, it is important to remind you that with this kind of hosting, you don’t only share the physical server with others, but the storage and bandwidth as well.
Shared hosting is typical for small websites that don’t need large disk space and CPU consumption.
It is also ideal for its cheap price and affordability.
That’s why most people and all beginners go for this choice.
Dedicated Hosting
On the contrary, dedicated hosting gives you one server for your website.
You don’t share anything with others but have all the hosting resources given to you.
This type of hosting is typical for those who run big businesses and use a lot of videos, images, and other scripts that require high CPU consumption.
That’s why it is more expensive than cheap shared hosting.
FAQs
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is a service of keeping your data stored on servers to deliver it at any time requested by a user.
What is a Domain name?
A domain name is the real name of your website. You can buy it from any registrar.
Some companies include free domain names within certain hosting plans.
What is Disk space and how much do I need?
Disk space is the overall amount of space given to you on the server to use. It depends on the hosting plan you purchase.
Remember that all data, including text, images, videos, and even your email storage, is counted.
How much space you need depends on the type and quantity and quality of data you use. That’s why you should use compressed images, remove unnecessary ones, and delete unwanted messages from your email account.
What is Bandwith and how much do I need?
Bandwidth is the amount of data transferred while visiting a website.
When someone visits your website, the calculation starts. The more someone sees your content, the more he is consuming bandwidth.
The amount you need depends on the type of content you have. More videos mean more bandwidth, and texts use less bandwidth.
Some companies offer unlimited bandwidth, some others have limits.
As a beginner, always choose the small plans, get some experience, then you can scale it up when needed.
How to obtain a dedicated email account like “me@mywebsite.com”?
Many companies offer a free dedicated email account with their plans, and some give unlimited numbers.
You can access your email account through the control panel of your web host.
Moreover, you can easily manage your account, change passwords, and send and receive emails from one place.
You may also like to browse these posts:
HOW TO START A BUSINESS ONLINE? MY FULL STORY
SEO VS EMAIL MARKETING-WHICH ONE IS THE BEST?
Final thought
Web hosting is where you store your website data before delivering it to users. It is run by big companies that dedicate a place to your files, save them, and do the technical stuff in order to keep your website running.
These companies have giant servers where you can rent a place, share it with others, or even have it for your own.
The type of hosting you choose depends on the size of resources you are planning to use, as well as the budget you are willing to pay.
Which type of hosting do you use or want to choose? tell me in the comments section below.