What is Hosting?
Hosting makes the files that comprise a website available for viewing online; a hosting provider allocates space on a web server for storage where these files can be uploaded from a local computer.
This involves renting or buying spaces to house a site on the web in order for this site to be viewed. Web hosting requires colocation centres to provide physical space, electricity and connectivity.
A DNS (Domain Name System) to define the site names and point users to the correct hosting server, a web server running on the host and, for each site on a server: space for files, a database, correct software and email connectivity.
A server is a computer that connects web users to a website from across the world. There are different types of servers provided by hosting plans, usually determined by how the business wishes to use its site.
Factors such as available resources, RAM, hard drive space and bandwidth are then allocated to the sites. Which type of hosting plan you choose will determine the type of server used for your website. I
n order to differentiate between hosting providers, the technology for servers, management level and additional services that are offered will provide an idea of the best one for you. What are the different types of servers and which should you use?
The most common type of server is a shared server, where websites are hosted on the same server as many other small websites. This type of server is ideal for smaller websites that don’t expect too much traffic and are not planning for any huge site makeovers.
A VPS (Virtual Private Server) appears to each client as a dedicated (individual) server but is serving multiple other sites at the same time. Medium-sized businesses can benefit from using a VPS because users are isolated from one another and customisations or makeovers are permitted.
This allows for the users to have more personal control and organisation over their site. The most expensive and sophisticated servers are dedicated servers.
This involves renting or buying an entire server to ensure reliability and high performance for larger businesses with larger, more frequently visited websites. Recently, cloud servers have also become more popular because of their unmetered bandwidth.
These servers operate across many interconnected web servers. Reseller servers allow the owner to use allotted hard drive space and bandwidth to host their website on behalf of third parties.
Occasionally, the amount of space purchased isn’t entirely required, so can be shared with another website through reseller servers.
There are certain factors to consider when choosing a hosting plan to ensure that it is suitable for the traffic and engagement you expect for your website. Bandwidth allowance refers to the number of bytes required to transfer your site to your website visitors for browsing. Any new, relatively small websites should expect to use around 3 gigabytes per month, if they are running no music or videos on their pages.
Free hosting plans often place limits on the bandwidth allowance and the amount of files uploaded without paying extra, so it is important to identify the bandwidth allowance you may require for your site, especially to avoid paying unexpected extra fees.
These free hosting plans also tend to advertise their services through your website to account for the costs it will require to host your site.
This may make your website appear less sophisticated and users are less likely to engage if they are spammed with pop-up advertisements.
This is something to consider when choosing a hosting plan because it is essential that your site can be easily navigated without distractions and appear professional.
Your website is likely to be a long-term investment, so with any website development, a progressive approach must be taken.
This means acknowledging that traffic on your site is likely to increase with time and your site will be changing to accommodate this. Ensuring that your hosting plan has available upgrades to facilitate this is essential, as well as making sure that the upgrades are affordable.
Similarly, renewal prices must also be considered because hosting providers can often charge more expensive renewal rates without outlining this at the beginning of a plan.
Paid plans often have more bandwidth allowance for websites with increased traffic. Different plans will outline different limitations so it is best to choose the plan that will accommodate the needs of your website engagement.
Paid plans also provide a more reliable service to ensure that your site will be operating well all the time, achieved by reliable servers and stable network connections. Uptime reliability refers to the stability of a hosting service and this should be checked before agreeing to any hosting plan.
If a website is down, users cannot access it easily and are likely to use a competitor site to achieve a better experience. Uptime reliability will allow site visitors to navigate to your site easily and reduce the bounce rate – the rate at which users visit your site and immediately click off.
An advantage of paying for hosting plan usually means that the hosting provider is available for technical support if issues arise with your website.
It is extremely important to do research before selecting any hosting plan because the maintenance of your site depends on the reliability of the hosting service provided.
Web hosting can at first be confusing, but speaking to a website developer such as ourselves at Orangedot Media, we can give you more information about hosting plans and which may be appropriate for your website. Contact us today to find out more and identify the right plan for you.
