What is Web Hosting? Why It’s Important for Website!
When you are starting a website online, you think about a few things such as: What platform our website should be on? Where to host the website and what should be the name of our new website?
In this article, you will learn everything about web hosting and domain name. To start your own website you need to purchase Domain and Web hosting. Think of the domain name as your house address and Webhosting as your house.
Web hosting is the place where all the files (images, video, music, CSS, coding) of your website will be placed, and when users type your domain name, they will be accessing those files from your webserver to their browser in the form of a website. In order to have your Website accessible from everywhere in the world, you need to host your website (WordPress, Images, files).
You can do it on your computer too, but you cannot guarantee 24 X 7-hour online access. Moreover, you must set up everything including backup, Internet & security for your home computer. The solution to this is to rent (buy) a hosting space from a renowned web hosting company, as your website will be up 24*7. Moreover, these Webhosting companies will also take care of other aspects like the security of the server, taking a timely backup of your website, they save your data securely and other services to run a smooth website.
How Does The Website Work?
Before you understand more about Webhosting, it’s important for you to understand how the website works. As I explained above, a domain name is an address (ex: merogame.com is a domain name), and all the files are stored on a web server which is what we call web hosting.
This Webhosting has an I.P address such as 172.156.76.78 and when a user types the domain name on their browser (ex: merogame.com) your browser sends a request to DNS (domain name service) which tells the browser to access a website at the following I.P address (172.156.76.78. In short DNS does the mapping between domain name and Webhosting. Note – You can buy domain names from one service and buy Webhosting from another.
All you need to do at your end is, point the Name-server of your domain to your Webhosting. Don’t get confused with these technical terms, as I have explained in detail below.
Web Hosting Space
The amount of space you are allowed to store on your Webhosting server is called Webhosting space. This is usually measured in GB (Gigabyte). Let me simplify GB for you: High-quality photo was taken from your iPhone or Android: Usually takes 1Mb-2MB 1000 MB = 1 GB This would give you an idea about how much space 1 GB offers.
Usually, a simple blog post with 5-6 good quality images is not more than 4-5 MB (Extreme case). For example, if you are uploading an image on your blog, which is of, size 1MB, it means you will be consuming 1MB of your web space. Usually, this size is huge and you can host a huge number of files on your server.
For hosting WordPress blogs, I recommend you purchase hosting from that web hosting company, which offers unlimited hosting space. Webhosting Bandwidth: Another most commonly used term in Webhosting is bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data transfer allowed for your hosting.
For example, if you upload an image of 1MB and one of your readers opens that blog post, he will be consuming a minimum of 1MB of your bandwidth. Similarly, if 100 readers read the same post, your total bandwidth consumption will be 100MB. Usually, for a new WordPress site, I suggest you buy hosting from companies that offer unlimited bandwidth or relatively high bandwidth usage (ex: 300Gb, 500GB).
cPanel
cPanel is a Webhosting control panel that offers a graphical interface to manage your server. It’s because of cPanel that you will be able to manage your Webhosting server without much technical skill.
The graphical interface makes it easier to do various tasks like Installing WordPress, adding or deleting files, creating new FTP users, and so on. cPanel is one of the standard control panels you will find in all the shared hosting. (Read about shared hosting below)
Here is an image that illustrates cPanel
How To Choose Web Hosting?
Choosing the best web hosting service for your website can be a difficult task. Here are some key factors to consider when making your decision:
Type of hosting: The type of hosting you choose will depend on the size and complexity of your website. Shared hosting is a good option for small websites with low traffic, while VPS or dedicated hosting is better for larger or more complex websites.
Server location: The location of the server can affect the website’s loading time and performance, especially for websites with a global audience. Choose a server location that is closest to the majority of your target audience.
Uptime: Uptime refers to the amount of time that a server is available and accessible. Choose a hosting provider that offers a high uptime guarantee, ideally 99.9% or higher, to ensure that your website is always available to your visitors.
Customer support: Good customer support is essential for troubleshooting and resolving any issues that may arise. Choose a hosting provider that offers 24/7 customer support and has a good reputation for providing helpful and responsive support.
Security: Website security is crucial, so choose a hosting provider that offers security features such as firewalls, SSL certificates, and regular backups to protect your website and customer data.
Scalability: Consider the future growth of your website and choose a hosting provider that offers scalable solutions, so that resources can be easily added or removed as needed.
Price: Compare the cost of different hosting plans and choose one that offers the best value for your money.
Additional features: Look for additional features like website builders, analytics, and marketing tools that can help you to grow your business
It’s important to research and compares different hosting providers and plans to find the one that best meets your needs and budget. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from other website owners or consult with experts in the field.
Top Hosting Service Provider
- Bluehost
- HostGator
- interserver
- Namecheap
- SiteGround
- Dreamhost
- Hostinger
- iPage
- A2 Hosting
- Cloudways
- Mochahost
- Fatcow
- hostwinds
- Accu Webhosting