Want to know how you can host your website?
You probably need to start by having the understanding of what it means to host your site. Web hosting is ultimately the provision of storage space and access for a website. If you want to create a website and allow others to access it, then you need to use a web hosting service.
To get your website seen on the internet, most people will enlist the help of a web hosting company. As hosting your own website is complex, a web hosting company can be much easier to use as they have technical knowledge, tools and facilities, but what exactly do these web host services do? In short, they provide space on the internet needed for your website.
Ultimately, a web host creates a store for your website on a server that is connected to a very fast network. This means that when someone types in your web address, the internet links to the web server where your website information is located. The information is then sent to the browser. As well as this, web hosting companies will usually focus on the software, security, bandwidth and support services, so that you do not need to worry about a thing, ideal if technology is not your strong point.
Can I host my website myself?
While it is much easier, more secure and reliable to use a web hosting provider, it is technically possible to host your website on your own computer. If you are technology-minded, all of this can be performed on different operating systems such as on Mac and Windows using web server software such as MAMP (Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, and PHP).
However, before using these software collections, you must make sure that the computer you are using is capable and ready to start hosting. Running web server software can be resource-heavy on CPU and RAM which is why web hosting companies use specialist hardware to ensure reliability and performance needs can be met.
It can also be highly expensive if you want to replicate what a hosting company does as you may have to pay for specialist hardware and a dedicated fast connection to the internet.
What you need to host your website
The domain
The first thing that you need to create in order to host a website is a domain name. Fortunately, purchasing a domain name is really easy, and there are a number of sites available who can register your domain name for you.
Remember, it is important to be inventive but clear with your domain name. You may find that your ideal domain name has already been taken (there are a lot of websites out there). In some cases, you can offer to buy the domain name from its current holder. Alternatively, you can alter it slightly by choosing .co.uk rather than .com. You can also specify your region, for example, using .london to help zone in on your target audience.
Once you have found an available domain name, you must register it with a domain registrar. There is a fee involved, and usually, you will pay per year. The price can vary on a number of different factors, so it may be worth having a few ideas for domain names to suit your budget.
How to start web hosting
Once you have your domain name, you are ready to start hosting your website. For big businesses, or for large and complex websites, it may be essential to own and manage your own web servers. This means you can control the software and hardware configuration to match your needs perfectly. For smaller businesses and more straightforward websites, it may be much more cost-effective to purchase a web hosting package from a reputable hosting provider.
Different types of hosting
There are several different types of web hosting options that are designed to suit all manner of businesses. These include;
Shared web hosting
One of the cheapest website hosting options is shared hosting. This is where lots of sites (and their customers) share the same server. The benefit of using shared hosting is that in general it has a low cost and the web hosting company will usually take care of all of the necessary maintenance and security aspects.
The drawback of shared web hosting is that you are sharing the server resources with a number of other websites. This means that if one site on your shared server becomes busy or has an issue that takes up more resources than it should, then it can dramatically slow down the functioning of your website.
Dedicated hosting
With dedicated hosting, your website has its own server and related resources. As the server is your own, it gives you greater flexibility and the chance to customise your options to best suit your website. You will also have full control of the software that is used on the server and can tailor-make the setup to suit your requirements perfectly. As you do not have to share the resources with anyone else you have the full performance of the server available for your site.
However, with dedicated hosting, it can be much more expensive as you have to buy or rent the server. You may also need to employ a qualified server administrator with the technical knowledge to manage and configure the server as it will be your responsibility.
Cloud hosting
Cloud hosting means that you share the same physical server space with others. However, the resources are spread over many connected servers allowing resources such as CPU, disk space and memory to be scaled as needed, on-demand.
Traditionally to be able to increase disk space, memory or CPU resources used to mean having to migrate to new hardware, resulting in downtime and potential loss of earnings. Using cloud server technology means that should you need additional resources then this can be easily be added to your account with no downtime.
Also, as resources are spread amongst a number of different servers should one of them have an issue there is always another machine to take over its place, ensuring that downtime is kept to a minimum.
Each cloud host has its own resources and can also be configured to suit your needs. In short, cloud hosting is the best of both worlds between a dedicated host and a shared host. With guaranteed resources available for your website you can choose the perfect configuration for your site.
By selecting a web hosting company who operate a cloud platform you can continue to have a reliable and responsive website, but with the technical knowledge of the web hosting team (like NetWeaver) behind you should you need any assistance.
How NetWeaver can help you
For stress-free and simple website hosting NetWeaver can get you online with the minimum of fuss. With our web hosting platform, the ultimate goal is to get your website online quickly and efficiently so that you can get your business showcased and start building your online brand to boost your SEO and further drive revenue or visibility.
NetWeaver currently offers three different web hosting packages so you can select the one that best suits your business needs. For just one website, the standard package is a cost-effective solution costing only £4.50 per month.
For those with more websites, then the Plus package is ideal, offering 25GB of disk space as well as unlimited data transfer for just £9.00 per month. Whichever best suits your website needs, you can find the right package; all hosted through the use of a private cloud platform for optimum reliability and responsiveness.
What do NetWeaver include with web hosting?
NetWeaver offers an array of benefits that come as standard with all of the web hosting packages, without you having to pay a penny more. For a start, you benefit from instant set up; this means that your site can be live straightaway. If you do have any teething problems of issues with hosting, then you have a UK-based team that can be easily contacted, and with over 20 years of experience in web hosting services, then you can be sure of helpful and friendly expertise.
Other important aspects that NetWeaver includes which can significantly benefit your website is an SSL certificate. This security certificate not only helps to boost your rankings through SEO, but it also gives your site viewers peace of mind that your website is protected and any data they input on your site is entirely secure.
Another benefit is the fact that with NetWeaver web hosting, you receive unlimited email addresses. This means you can set up a range of email addresses to suit different needs for example ‘sales’, ‘support’, or ‘suppliers’. Alternatively, you can offer your staff their own individual email address for your company so each member can be contacted through your website.
While NetWeaver has made website hosting simple for you, you do not have to do it alone. The team are on hand to offer advice and support whenever you need it. If you are not sure which web hosting package is right for you, or how to get your website live, then get in touch with the team by emailing help@netweaver.uk.