understanding web hosting basics: a beginners guide
author: Penny Hunt, 28 September 2024
a starter guide to web hosting basics
Web hosting knowledge is not restricted to IT experts but anyone who wants to develop or enhance their online presence must familiarise themselves with it. But for a newcomer, it could be difficult to figure out how to get started. Therefore, gaining valuable insights into the basic principles of cheap web hosting Australia, how it works, its various offerings, types, and much more can make it easier for them to make an informed decision.
This starter’s guide will help you understand all of these concepts, along with tips for selecting the best web hosting provider.
understanding web hosting basics
Website hosting services allow business owners and individuals to launch their new website on the web. The web hosting providers offer all the necessary tools and technologies required for the website or web page to be visible on the internet.
Your websites are stored or hosted on specialised computer devices referred to as servers. When people want to navigate your website, all they require to do is put your website’s domain name into their browser.
After that, their device will get connected to your server and your website will be sent to their device via the internet browser. Almost all web hosting providers expect you to own your domain name for hosting your website with them. But if you don’t own a domain name, then the web hosting providers will assist you in purchasing one using the domain hosting services.
web hosting: how it works
A web server is a specialised computer device that hosts your website(s) and is continuously operational to ensure your website is 24*7 available for your website visitors. After buying the right website hosting plan, you’re required to store all of your website’s data and files on your web hosting provider’s server.
When people put your website’s domain in their search bar, the hosting web server delivers all the necessary files so that your website is visible to them. For self-hosting your website, it is required to have in-depth technical proficiency. It involves various tasks, starting from web server configuration to installing software and operating systems.
Moreover, you’ll also be required to manage all the regular maintenance tasks. A web host makes sure that your website delivers maximum performance with advanced safety measures. Additionally, it streamlines several technical intricacies of hosting a website.
web hosting service offerings
A web hosting provider offers server space to guarantee seamless server performance. They also provide network connectivity for other machines located in their data centers. But having said that, web hosting services aren’t restricted to just providing the storage space on a server.
Furthermore, it assures that your website is protected, dependable, and easily accessed by your website visitors. They also provide various levels of customer support and value-added services to assist you in managing your website.
MilesWeb provides powerful hosting services to fulfil your needs, from small business websites and personal blogs to large enterprise websites. They stand out from the rest because of their commitment to efficient and trusted web hosting, 99.95% guaranteed uptime, 24*7/365 customer support, and free automatic website migration services.
different types of web hosting services
1. Shared Web Hosting
In a shared web hosting environment, the server resources are shared by a number of users. Because of its simple and affordable nature, shared web hosting is an ideal choice for blogging, personal, and small business websites with low traffic that don’t need sophisticated configurations or increased bandwidth. These hosting services are best for newcomers who are looking for budget-friendly hosting solutions to launch their website.
2. VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting
In the VPS hosting environment, your website shares a server with several other users but the web hosting provider partitions it into virtual machines for every user. Because of this virtualization process, websites hosted on VPS receive their own resources, such as CPU, RAM storage, and the option to choose from different operating systems.
This hosting is perfect for medium-sized websites, large eCommerce stores, and resource-intensive websites with heavy traffic.
3. Cloud Hosting
This web hosting type makes use of multiple interconnected virtual servers to host your websites. Hence, if one server gets overloaded or receives more traffic, then the other servers will step in to assure that your website is operational.
Cloud hosting services depend on a set of interconnected web servers for seamless performance. Hence, businesses with more than one website, as well as enterprise-level websites such as eCommerce stores, can derive greater benefits from it because it provides uninterrupted service.
4. WordPress Hosting
WordPress web hosting services offer WordPress-specific server platforms to help your website accelerate performance and reduce potential downtimes. But having said that, other forms of web hosting services are also best for hosting these CMS-based websites.
Mostly, WordPress hosting plans include various powerful features like caching, advanced security, CDNs, pre-installed themes, plugins, and other resources.
5. Dedicated Hosting
In dedicated hosting, a physical server is assigned to every website, which is like having your own on-site web server. You can set up your server, decide your choice of operating system and software, and personalise the entire platform according to your specifications.
You also get the added benefit of expert support from your web hosting provider. Therefore, it is perfect for traffic-heavy, large-scale enterprise websites.
tips for choosing cheap web hosting services
When your website starts to grow, you might require increased storage capacity, bandwidth, and other necessary resources. Sometimes you might plan to switch to premium hosting services like VPS or cloud hosting.
Hence, it is essential to select the right web hosting service provider that offers a wide range of features so that you can scale your resources at any time. Besides these factors, there are several other elements that need to be considered when making a choice between different web hosting providers:
1. Control Panel
Using an intuitive website management control panel, you can easily manage your hosting account without requiring a server login. It is always a smart decision to select a web host that offers an easy-to-manage dashboard for users of varying skill levels.
MilesWeb’s cPanel allows you to effortlessly handle your website files, take backups, and install related software effectively and successfully.
2. Uptime Guarantee
Badly managed or unreliable web servers frequently result in sudden and consistent downtimes, which can negatively affect your customers trust. Therefore, make sure that the selected web hosting provider fulfils the uptime SLA they promised.
3. Technical Attributes
Aside from selecting the best web hosting services with sufficient storage space, CPU, and bandwidth, you must check for other powerful features that allow your website to work efficiently. At Milesweb, the web hosting servers run on CloudFlare integration with LiteSpeed technologies to speed up your website.
4. Customer Feedbacks
Go through customer reviews that provide detailed information on various web hosting companies. The majority of customer feedback is related to uptime, performance, and speed; thus, you’ll be able to evaluate how a particular web host's servers perform in reality.
5. Safety
Another crucial thing is to make sure that the web hosting services are fully equipped with cutting-edge security measures to safeguard your website from malicious attacks, malware, or DDoS attacks. The safety features can include a web application firewall, malware scanning, automatic backups, and regular updates.
6. 24*7/365 Customer Support
Continuous customer support is invaluable for website owners at the time of sudden lags, website crashes, or data breaches. Also verify if the web hosting provider also offers other supportive material like tutorials or knowledge base articles.
7. Additional Offerings
The best web hosting package provides an outstanding return on investment by offering additional offerings such as free add-ons like SSL certificates, website migration services, and free domains.
conclusion:
As you can see, lots of factors are required to be considered when developing a new website, like deciding how to host it and which are suitable web hosting platforms. It could be a blogging website, an online store, or any other type of website; the preliminary action is to register for a leading web hosting service.
Web hosting services help make your website available online. Thus, understanding the fundamentals of web hosting and its types will benefit you in choosing the affordable and trusted hosting solution for your website.
Simultaneously, it is important to consider various strengths and weaknesses of the web hosting providers. By considering various cost-effective hosting features offered by MilesWeb, you can make an informed decision. Don’t wait! Determine your web hosting needs today and make a well-informed decision that supports your growth and success.