Web Hosting Explained (for Beginners) | 4 Types of Web Hosts
So what is website hosting? This is to
make a point I promise. When you go to a party there's always a host. The host is
usually the one who sets the location so everyone can come and enjoy the party.
When you're thinking of website hosting think of your site's host like the host
of the party. Your web host, just like the party host, offers you a place to put
your website so it can be enjoyed by everyone on the internet. If you haven't
guessed, in this video I'm going to tell you all about the basics of website
hosting services, go over a few different types of web hosting, and explain why
choosing the right provider matters for your business. Keep watching to learn
more. (Pleasant Music) Thanks for tuning in to this video. If you aren't subscribed to our YouTube
channel already, make sure you hit that big red subscribe button so you don't
miss out on any content. What is website hosting? As I said before website
hosting allows your site to be on the Internet.
You can have the best looking website out there, but without a host all you
have is a bunch of files with nowhere to go.
When you pay a hosting provider to
host your site, you're paying for a space on that server. The amount of space and
the cost can vary on what you choose. There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of
hosting providers out there. What you choose really depends on what your
business needs. If you're a larger ecommerce site selling football jerseys
internationally, you're gonna need much more space and
control of your website than a smaller site that makes custom sports attire for
local teams.
So choosing the right type of hosting for your business is really
important to your web presence. What are the different types of web hosting? I'm
gonna talk about four different types of web hosting here. The first option is a
website builder. Now you've probably heard of these. Website builders like Wix,
Squarespace, and WordPress are popular options among small businesses and bloggers. With
a website builder, though, you can also directly edit your site without any
specific code so it's a great tool for beginners. The second type of website
hosting is shared hosting. Shared hosting means you share a server with other
websites. So if you don't get a ton of web traffic
this option might work for you. The downside though is if one website
crashes the server you are stuck dealing with that even if you didn't break it.
If
other websites on the same server get a lot of traffic or even if your site gets
a lot of traffic, it can also slow down your site. There are other options if you
don't think this is what your business needs. Option 3… a virtual private server.
Just like a shared host you share a virtual private server or VPS with other
websites. However the server is separated into different virtual servers
for each site. So although you share the same physical location with other sites,
each site has its own little compartment. Think of it like a dresser for your
clotheing, right? You have a dresser that contains different drawers, and inside
each drawer are your shirts, your socks your pants, whatever else you have in there.
Each type of clothing a.k.a each website is separated into
different compartments, but everything is contained in the same storage unit. A VPS
allocates a set amount of space for each site, so if one site on the server is
getting a lot of traffic, it's not going to negatively impact how your site runs.
Kind of like if you have a lot of shirts and your shirt drawer gets stuck, you can
still access your socks thankfully.
Option four… the most expensive option… a dedicated
server. A dedicated server is all yours. You're not sharing any space with any
other sites. The server is entirely dedicated to you ,plus you have total
access to the server. If your server gets over a hundred thousand visitors a month
you might want to look into a dedicated server, but if you run a small business
on a budget and your website gets less than a hundred thousand visitors in a
month, it probably isn't the right server type for you. Choosing the right type of
web hosting for your business can be a tough choice but it can also help to look
into the services that each web host offers. Why is choosing the right web
hosting provider so important? Making the wrong choice for your business's website
can harm your business in the long run.
Going with the cheapest option may work
for your wallet right now, but it can lead to a slower site, and ultimately,
fewer visitors. And there are high expectations when it
comes to site speed. In fact, a lot of people will leave your site if it takes
over three seconds to load. This ties back to your site's search engine
optimization. If you see that people are bouncing from your site, it's a signal
that you're giving them a bad user experience or you don't have what
they're looking for. Even if you have all the answers on your website, it won't
matter if it doesn't load. This will definitely hurt your position in search
engine rankings. The further from the top of the search results you are, the less
traffic you're gonna get, so do your research, and know your business needs before
paying for web hosting services. If you're looking for expert help
maintaining your website, don't hesitate to reach out to our team at WebFX.
And
as always subscribe to our YouTube channel and read our blog for expert internet
marketing knowledge. See you next time!.
