f you already have a blog or a company website, then you must have come across the term web hosting, domain name, and website management services. On the other hand, if you are new in this field or you are planning to start a blog, you may be wondering why you need a web hosting service or how web hosting works; this article goes into the details of web hosting, bandwidth, domain names, and more.
Do I need a web hosting service?
Many people think that registering a domain name is enough. However, a domain name can be equated to a title or a way of recognition. A domain name is a gateway through which a person will access your website.
In order to get your website active and live on the World Wide Web (www), you need to store your website files in a server. A web hosting company therefore rents server space where you can store your website files. The company also makes it possible for your website to be accessed by everyone on the web. Additionally, some web hosting companies may provide website management services making it easier for you to manage and plan your content.
Why do I need a host for my blog/ website?
It may sound like a simple question to the tech individuals but to a beginner it is a genuine concern. If hosting is just about storing files, why not do it with your own server? Why do you have to pay another person to do it?
- It is possible to host your own websites. However, in order to do so, you need the right hardware, software, and special arrangements with an internet service provider. Other requirements include
- A dedicated internet connection
- Your connection should be fast and accessible for 24hrs in a day. This can cost several thousand dollars in a month.
- An IP address for your server
- This is a unique number, which identifies a computer. You can access a few free IPs from your ISP. However, you will need to pay in order to access more.
- A web server
- This is software used to run a website. It can be sold as a separate package from companies such as Microsoft.
- A domain name
- A skilled webmaster to maintain the service
- A computer with a good processor and a hard disk
- A dedicated internet connection
So, do I need web hosting for my domain?
From the above discussion, self-hosting is clearly uneconomical for a person who has a simple blog or a single website. Hosting also relieves you of the worry of running a server, thus letting you concentrate on other aspects of the site. If you are wondering why you need a web hosting service for a single website, then this article is the right resource for you.
- Security- if you do not have a well-maintained hosting service, web hacking risks are high. This means that Google will ‘distrust’ your website, which will lead to low ranking. Moreover, web hosting involves use of software’s and other equipment that ensures your website is running smoothly. This may include antivirus protection, firewall, two step verification prompts, and spam protection. This gives you ample time to focus on creating quality content.
- Speed – many web visitors will leave a page if it does not load in as little as three seconds. Google has also made speed an SEO ranking factor, which means that if your website is slow, your SERP rank is affected. Having a good host ensures that your page is fast, well designed, and equipped.
- Location-although the idea of World Wide Web supposes that you can store your website anywhere in the world, the effects of your IP address location run deep. A web host ensures that your location and IP address is stable.
What type of web hosting do I need?
There are four main types of web hosting. These are shared hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated hosting, and virtual private server (VPS) hosting.
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is the most basic type of web hosting. We recommend it for bloggers, small and entry-level websites. It is cost effective since it shares resources with other websites on a single server.
Virtual private server hosting
VPS is a step above the shared web hosting. Although it uses shared resources on a singular server, the websites sharing a server are few. We recommend VPS hosting for medium sized business that need a dedicated but affordable server.
Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting is the most expensive type of web hosting. This is because you have a server that belongs to your website alone. We recommend this for enterprise level websites that have more than 100,000 monthly visits.
See: Best Dedicated Web Hosting in 2021
Cloud hosting
Cloud hosting is a hybrid version of VPS. It is more cost-effective as compared to VPS since it has multiple remote servers with different responsibilities. We recommend it for medium sized businesses and blog pages that are growing at a rapid pace.
Do I need web hosting for shopify?
Shopify provides secure website hosting with unlimited bandwidth and automatic backup. When you buy a domain name, you gain access to unlimited number of forwarding email addresses. In addition to this, you can get instant updates, buy new domain, use an existing or a free domain, and access a content delivery network among other website management services.
How does web hosting work?
When you create a website, you add a collection of different media, databases, music, and other file formats. Your files cannot be hanging in space. Neither can they be stored in www since the web is a tunnel for information. As such, you will need a storage server. This server is managed by an experienced webmaster. The server will store your information and avail it to your audience when they search or visit your website.
In simple terms, web hosting is renting out space, and other website management services that pertain to a good user experience.
See Also: Best SSL for 2021
Best hosting companies for my blog
While choosing a hosting company, it is important to consider factors such as uptime, speed, customer support, and scalability. Here is a list of the affordable hosting companies in USA.
Blue Host
It is among the affordable hosting companies in USA and also top rated webhosts with an uptime of 99.99% and a speed of 405s. It is advisable and easy to use on WordPress for all types of websites. All their hosting plans include a 30-day money back guarantee.
Hostgator cloud
It is rated as the best hosting companies for my blog in cloud hosting. They offer an uptime of 99.99% and a speed of 399ms. They offer unlimited email account unmetered bandwidth and unmetered disk space. All plans include a 45-day money back guarantee.
Hostinger
It has an average uptime of 99.95% and an average loading time of 350ms. It is among the cheapest hosting website management services. All plans offer a 30-day standard money back guarantee
See Also: Hostgator vs. Godaddy
How much web hosting space do I need?
Hosting space refers to amount of data that you can save on the server at a given time. The amount of space will depend on the type of website and various aspects of your website. For example, a site that runs lengthy videos will need more space as compared to a site that comprises of text.
Web pages for smaller and medium sized business should run under 2mb. When they use more data, more bandwidth will be used hence the page will take longer to load for a person with slow internet connection.
Cases where you may need high storage
- Where a website is made up of numerous pages
- If multimedia content prevails as opposed to plain text only
- Where there is high web traffic
What is the difference between web hosting and domain name?
A domain name is the address of your website. The URL guides people to your website. Since internet is a huge network of interconnected computers, each computer is assigned some numbers in order to identify it. An IP address is a combination of numbers that are readable by a computer. To make the work easier for human beings, words that are easy to remember were invented. These words are domain names.
Web hosting is the place where all your files are located. While using the analogy of a home, web hosting is the actual house whereas domain name is the address that leads all visitors to your house.
What is monthly bandwidth in web hosting?
This is the amount of data that you can transfer to and from your web host server in a given month. To calculate the amount of space you need (bandwidth), multiply the normal storage of a single page by the number of visitors per day. This will give you the amount of space you need per day. Multiply the result by a month in order to choose a monthly plan.
This includes all uploads and downloads depending on your web pages, size, and number of visitors.
