The Ultimate Web Hosting Guide For Beginners

This guide will look through the basics of web hosting, making this a perfect place to start if you are new to the world of web hosting services.

So, What Is Web Hosting?

In short, web hosting is a service that provides you with a place to store your website so that it can be viewed online. Picture a storage unit full all of your belongings - instead of your stuff you have a website, and the storage unit is your web hosting service. The web hosting service is also in charge of keeping your storage unit - and everything stored within - safe and easily accessible.

Different Types Of Hosting

Generally speaking, there are four different types of hosting. They are:

Shared Hosting - Your website is placed on a shared server. It is inexpensive, but cannot handle traffic spikes and can be affected by other websites on the server.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting - Your website is given its own virtual server, which provides additional security and root access. It is still on a shared physical server, though, so other websites may affect your own site’s performance.

Dedicated Server Hosting - Your website has its own physical server. This is a costlier option, but offers total control and greatly improved performance.

Cloud Hosting – Your page is stored across a cloud of servers. This saves you the cost of a dedicated server, with the benefit of being able to handle high traffic.

Your Domain Name

If you want other people to view your page, they will need some way to get there. A domain is the name and address of your website - for example, Google’s domain is Google.com. You need to select an address that is not already in use, so your page needs to be unique.

Once you have an idea for your domain name, you will need to register it from an online registrar. There are varying prices between the registrars, so take your time to browse. Some of the bigger registrars are GoDaddy and Domain.

The Right Host For You

The final step is deciding what service best suits your needs. There are many different pricing plans and add ons to consider before diving in and choosing a web hosting service. The basic questions to consider pertain to how much bandwidth you will need and the price. Beyond that, it is a matter of how bespoke you need your service to be. Consider what you would like to get out of your website and, in turn, your web hosting service.