An essential part of getting your website live is hosting.
Once you’ve registered your domain name, you need somewhere to point it for your website to work.
This is where hosting comes into play.
But what is web hosting? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know…
What is web hosting?
In a nutshell, hosting is online file storage where all the files that make up your website get stored—things like HTML files, databases (if your website uses one), images, and video.
When you purchase hosting you are renting space on the hosting company’s storage servers.
Where to purchase website hosting?
As with domain names, you rent hosting from website hosting providers. There are a huge amount of web hosting providers available to you. Choosing the right one for your business can be tricky. Things to look out for include:
- Storage and bandwidth: the fewer limits here the better. However, you don’t need to pay for huge amounts of storage if you’re just starting out and your website is small.
- Speed: Fast hosting is essential for good website performance.
- Reliability: Nobody wants a website that keeps crashing! Always check uptime guarantees from providers.
- Security: Good web hosts will have built-in security features such as SSL certificates that help keep your website secure from malicious third parties.
- Email: If you want to host email accounts alongside your website, check that your host provides this service. Also, keep an eye out for any limitations or hidden costs around multiple email addresses.
- Support: Make sure your web host provides timely support both for emergencies and routine questions.
A quick google search will provide a myriad of options for your hosting needs. However, we recommend you speak to us about our website hosting and maintenance services. They’re perfect for small businesses!
How much does website hosting cost?
Like with many things, with website hosting it’s very much a case of you get what you pay for.
The cheapest of the cheap, shared hosting, starts at around £2 a month then prices build from around there and dedicated hosting reaches prices of about £400 a month.
For most small businesses just starting out, you can get very good hosting for around £12, and that’s what we charge for our standard hosting package.
It’s fast, secure, and has daily backups and unlimited emails.
In addition to this, we offer a maintenance package with is unlimited and comes with website management and updates as well as premium hosting.
I’m a marketer based in Wales, UK. I love working with ambitious small businesses and helping them unlock the full potential of proper marketing. I created Brandspace as the starting point for doing this, and while we focus on websites and search, I can provide full strategic marketing support for your business.