If you’re new to website ownership, much of the terminology and technology involved is probably new to you. From domain names and URLs to content management systems (CMS), there’s a whole new language to learn when it comes to the web.
One of the most important aspects of any website is hosting. Without hosting, your website is just a document and no visitors will be able to see or experience the site that you’ve spent so much time and energy putting together. Good hosting can make a huge difference to a website, helping it to work smoothly, boosting its SEO and making the managing and maintenance of it quick and easy.
What is web hosting?
Essentially, web hosting is the service by which an individual or an organisation can make their website available to the public via the World Wide Web. Web hosting companies provide their clients with space on a server where they can store their website and offer the internet connectivity that makes the site accessible to the web.
The type of hosting you’ll require will depend on your exact needs. Small, personal sites are generally inexpensive. The larger and more complex a site becomes, the more expensive and powerful your hosting will be.
Why does hosting vary so much in price?
The smaller and more basic a website is, the less space it takes up on the World Wide Web. A website that’s just made up of text and images also won’t need a great deal of support or require any complex features to function.
An eCommerce site on the other hand, or a site that’s rich in video, widgets, apps and other special features, will take up a lot more space on the web and will require a more complex content management system to help it function.
The more space a website needs, the more expensive the web hosting will be. If a website requires specialist functions, the owner of the site will be more limited as to which hosting services they can use.
Extra services
Other services like multiple mail boxes, high bandwidth, or data transfer, and domain names may also be available from your web host, with good hosting companies providing a comprehensive range of related services.
Though adding extras to your hosting package will make the service more expensive, it will still be more cost efficient in the long run to buy all of the extras you need from the same supplier.
Recommended Hosting
If you’re a Clockwork Moggy client we choose and setup your hosting for you when we start your project, we explain what we’re setting up and why. All our websites come with 12 months free hosting included. If you’re looking to setup your own site, or even if you’re still in the planning stage of setting up a new business and just want to register your domain name to keep others from getting there first we recommend you check out Vidahost. They are reasonably priced and have good support which is really important.
To find out more about web hosting services and anything else related to the web, get in touch with us today.
