Websites are a part of our lives, due to the penetration of websites and the online commerce sector. Whenever you open a website, you should keep in mind, that the structure has been stored somewhere. It is the hosting server, which hosts the website. Web hosting is basically an online service that allows others to access your company’s content on the web. When you buy a domain name for your website, you also need to buy a hosting plan. This mainly points towards the renting of a space, for your content on a physical server.
Web hosts provide the service of storing all your data and files, and also facilitate the secure operation of your site. The hosts are responsible for keeping the server running. Moreover, the host also facilitates security procedures, so that the site is guarded from cyberattacks. Furthermore, the host ensures that the images, data, and other files are transferred to the visitor’s browser, in a timely fashion.
Now, it makes sense to find out, what are the types of web hosting services.
Web Hosting Services
There are various web hosting services available online today. So, you may often get confused, about which one to choose. There are various kinds of web hosting packages for business owners and private bloggers, as well. If you are just starting out, you can start with a simple hosting plan. When you scale up and start getting more traffic, you can expand your plan to an advanced one.
Here are a few popular ones.
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Shared Hosting
In shared hosting, multiple users share a server. The memory of the server, storage space, and processing power are shared in varying proportions. If you have a small business or running a personal blog, then you can utilize the low bandwidth initially. These plans are cheap as well. Some of the pros include pre-configured server options and zero maintenance.
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Virtual Private Server Hosting
This is another type of hosting service, in which the web hosting company virtually divides the server. It is a good option for medium-scale businesses. Many new e-Commerce portals and popular bloggers are utilizing such shared servers. Thus, you get some additional benefits, as opposed to the Shared hosting services. You get dedicated server space, no interference, root access to the server, and a high degree of customization.
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Cloud Hosting
This is a new kind of web hosting service. This type of web hosting service uses virtual servers to host sites. So, if there is some kind of issue in the server, like high traffic volume or congestion, the load is transferred to the alternate space. This helps in the fuss-free and smooth running of the website. Cloud-based hosting services are dependent on a group of web servers to function at optimum levels. Large-scale eCommerce sites have such hosting plans. The main pros of such servers, are reduced or negligible downtime. There will be no hardware failure issues. You can scale your web operations at any time.
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WordPress Hosting
You can avail yourself of a WordPress optimized server environment, so that your site loads faster and you can also get some pre-installed themes. Caching and security functions are also quite enhanced. These are beginner-friendly and low cost options for your business. Customer support for WordPress sites is also available.
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Dedicated Hosting
This designates a physical server for each website. Large business firms have a dedicated hosting service, which you can configure for yourself. However, you need a web development team to help you with the functions. Customization and security are both benefits of this hosting service. You stand to get additional support from your web hosting service provider. The company has complete control over the operations and functioning of the website.
How To Choose The Best Web Hosting Service Provider?
As your website starts getting more traffic, and your sales grows, you need more storage space and bandwidth. In such instances, you can migrate to a more advanced hosting service. Therefore, you ought to choose a hosting provider that offers a wide variety of web hosting services. So, you can avail yourself of the option to upgrade at any moment.
But there are a few considerations which will help you to make a good choice.
- The web host’s uptime is something that you need to check prior to finalizing the web hosting service provider. If the host has a record of downtimes and poor maintenance, it can impact your website performance in an adverse manner. You should check the uptime guarantee from your service provider.
- Apart from opting for a good amount of disk space, you should also check the bandwidth offered and the processing power.
- You also need to have a forecast regarding your website’s growth plans. Apart from basic storage, reliability, and speed, you should check with the host, if they can support you in your expansion pathway. The web host and the site builder must meet all your site requirements as well. Management settings and the structure of the control panel are also important. Find out what amount of management control you have, without logging in to the server. The user interface has to be checked beforehand.
- Check the online reviews of the web hosting service provider. Most online reviews will include information about the uptime and speed. So, you can get some real-time data on how the host servers have been performing in the market.
- Security is also another important parameter that you need to check. The hosting service provider, whom you appoint must have advanced security measures to protect your site from malware attacks and other forms of cyberattacks. The web hosts must be able to provide you with services like malware detection, access management, and automated backups.
- Customer support round the clock, is another parameter that differentiates a good web hosting service provider from a bad one. If you face unexpected lags and crashes, you should have access to some assistance.
You need to take all of the above into account, before finalizing your web host. Keep all your needs in mind, and go for the best, rather than going back to choosing again, after a purchase.
