Introduction:
Looking to take your business online? In this blog, we are going to discuss the five basic steps you should know to host a website. But before we jump into that, let’s understand what web hosting actually is?
Web Hosting is the service needed for your website to go live on the internet. It enables you to publish web pages, posts, images, or any sort of content making it accessible to everyone online. We can say that without web hosting you cannot be visible online and generate any traffic. Here are 5 simple steps to get your business up online and running 24/7.
5 Simple Steps To Host A Website
Following are the five simple steps you need to follow in order to host your website:
- Research Hosting & Hosting Providers
- Select a Hosting Provider
- Determine Your Budget
- Select Your Plan
- Connect Your Domain to Web Host
- Research Hosting & Hosting Providers
Before you choose 1 option over another, research the different ways to host a website to ensure you make the best decision for your business. Of course, self-hosting isn’t right for everyone, but you should also research the different types of hosting and providers available to you. In addition, hosting options vary from provider to provider, so it’s a good idea to understand their differences before you commit to 1 type over another.
There are various types of hosting offered by providers. The most common types of hosting offered by providers include:
- Shared Hosting: A good option for first-time website hosting is shared hosting. Shared hosting stores your website on the same server as other websites. Ultimately, all the domains will share the same server and its resources, including bandwidth.
- VPS Hosting: Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting gives website owners more control even though they won’t get a full server dedicated to their site. With VPS hosting, every website has its own space on a server, but it still shares space with other websites. However, VPS offers more customization and storage.
- Dedicated Hosting: If you expect a ton of web traffic and don’t want to share server space or resources with other websites, consider dedicated hosting. With dedicated hosting, website owners have ultimate control over the server because you have a dedicated server that’s for your use only.
- Cloud Hosting: One of the more scalable options for hosting a website is cloud hosting. Cloud hosting allows you to run multiple applications with combined resources through a network. Instead of having 1 server, you have access to multiple servers.
- Managed Hosting: Most hosting packages offer managed hosting that allows companies to provide more technical services and take care of the server on a daily basis. Any hosting provider can offer managed hosting with another type of hosting. Therefore, if you choose a VPN, you can still have it managed by a provider.
Depending on how you build your website, you may also choose WordPress hosting, which is only available for WordPress websites.
- Select a Hosting provider
With a basic understanding of the different types of hosting, you can start to research providers. There are many providers out there, but if you do your research, you can find the best one for your business. If you’re unsure which provider is right for you, narrow your search by a few and look for their reviews online. You can also contact their customer service to better understand the different types of plans they offer and help you determine which one is right for your website.
- Determine Your Budget
The third basic step is to determine your budget. It will depend on the features you need and the type of hosting that you want. You can find hosting providers that offer plans for less than $1 per month, and other providers offering plans for $2,000 per month. Having a rough idea of what you’re willing and able to spend will at least help you narrow down your options.
While determining your budget keep in mind that cheaper does not mean better. In fact, cheap web hosting is frequently an indicator of bad web hosting services. Web hosting is like any other type of product or service. In most instances, you get what you pay for. So do not expect to pay $2 per month for the best web hosting experience.
While price doesn’t automatically equate to quality, it’s usually a good implication of how many additional features and benefits you’ll get with the plan. If you want dedicated resources, lightning-fast loading speeds, cPanel, freebies, and 24/7 customer support, you can expect to pay a bit more for those hosting services.
- Select Your Plan
After selecting a hosting provider and determining your budget, you can select your plan. Most hosting providers have a page on their website that describes and compares the different hosting plan options, which will give you an intricate understanding. There are some basic factors to keep in mind when selecting a hosting plan:
- Uptime
- Resources
- Customer Support
- Renewal Rates
- Addons & Additional Features
Most hosting providers will include some extras in their plans as an incentive for you to sign up. Here are some common features to look for:
- Free Domain
- Free SSL certificate
- Free cPanel license
- Free site builder
- Free site migration
- Automatic Backups
- Connect Your Domain to Web Host
The process of connecting your domain name to your web host varies depending on where you got your domain name from. For example, if you got a domain name through your web hosting provider, it will automatically be connected to your web host. If you already own a domain name, you will need to manually connect your domain to your web host.
Conclusions:
To get your website on the internet, the 1st step of any website project should be figuring out how you will host the website to ensure visitors can access your content. Knowing how to host a website is an important part of the process. While there are many different options available, it’s best to start small with a budget you’re comfortable with, especially if you’re just starting your business.
iBeeHost makes it easy to build your website and publish it online at no extra cost. With iBeeHost’s plans, you can access the website builder and acquire domains and hosting to get your business up and running in no time.
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