Definition of Website Hosting

If you have developed a website and you wish other individuals to notice it, you must copy your website to a public server.

Where to host your website?

Although you can use your own computer as a server, it is a more common practice to let a hosting service provider host your web site. The primary reason for that is the greater stability and the uninterrupted availability of your website, because web hosting service providers have special hardware and allot a much larger web traffic usage allowance, which ensures the easier access to your website from all around the world.

Website hosting services

Choose a website hosting solution, which allows you to register domains and to create email accounts. A lot of web website hosting service providers, like us at iHosting, offer a charge-free domain registration as a gift if you sign up for a hosting account.

Hosting your web site yourself

Hosting your web site on your own personal server is by all means an option, but only in case you have time and the required experience. There are certain aspects that you have to consider, among them the hardware and software expenses. To possess a "real", proper web site, you will have to buy some powerful server hardware, since you cannot count on a low-priced computer to do the job. You will also need a constant breakneck-speed connection without network outages, which typically comes at a rather steep price. If you are utilizing licensed software for your web site, you will need to pay for the license as well. You may also have to cope with bugs and malware. You will have to keep your server running all the time in an environment where "everything could happen". If you do not have the required technical skills, you will need to resort to a system administrator to deal with these issues on your behalf, which will make the price of hosting your site on your own even steeper than that of a dedicated server provided by a web hosting distributor.

A dedicated web hosting server furnished by a web hosting solutions provider

Renting a web hosting server from a hosting vendor is an appropriate option if you want to establish a heavy resource-requiring site or a corporate web page that has very precise security requirements. The prime benefits of utilizing a dedicated server hosting solution are the breakneck-speed Internet access, the constant power supply and the very powerful hardware. Certain hosting suppliers, again like us at iHosting, furnish VPS web hosting and semi-dedicated hosting solutions, which are based on very powerful web servers that can be shared by several customers. You can also anticipate them to provide effective server load balancing solutions and the needed data backup servers.

Security and stability

Web hosting service providers are specialized in delivering hosting services and since this is what they do to make a living, you can expect them to offer uninterrupted Internet connection, the newest software patches and the best anti-malware software, as well as system administrators available around the clock to aid you in emergency occasions.

Pick your web hosting accounts provider

What you have to consider when picking your web hosting plans provider is the reliability of the offered services. Make certain that the hosting services provider of your choosing offers a 24-7 client support service. Do not place yourself in a scenario where you cannot solve critical problems immediately because you have to wait until the next working day. In addition, if you choose a shared website hosting package, which includes a 24-hour customer support service, this suggests that there always will be system administrators available to fix any critical problems as soon as they manifest themselves, which is a very advantageous thing.

Day-to-day backups

Make sure that your web hosting services provider offers routine backups with the offered services, otherwise you may forfeit some valuable content in the event of a hardware crash or because you have deleted something accidentally. The availability of everyday data backups is typically pointed out in the hosting supplier's ToS.

Web traffic and web server hard drive space

When choosing your hosting provider, give specific attention to the traffic allowance limits. Make sure that you don't have to pay a fortune for unexpected high volumes of web traffic if your site becomes more frequently visited. There are lots of hosting suppliers that offer unmetered bandwidth nowadays, so the wisest step to take is to make sure that you have made the most appropriate decision prior to signing up.

Content restrictions

Pay special attention to the hosting provider's content limitations. If you wish to post pics or to stream live video or audio content, make sure that you can do that. Moreover, the majority of hosting companies set limitations when it comes to using their services for storage purposes, so if you upload too many files that are not related or directly linked to your web site, your account could get deleted. So, double-checking the web hosting distributor's Terms of Use, regardless of how time-absorbing and tiresome this might be, is very important.

Electronic mail capabilities

The majority of hosting service providers nowadays also provide e-mail services with all their website hosting offerings. It is a good idea to check if the hosting services provider of your choosing offers such options as well, so as to confirm that you'll obtain all the functionalities that you need in return for your cash.