What Is a Web Host?
Before we can choose a web host, it’s important you first understand the web hosting basics. Web hosting is essentially the physical side of the web. Every website you see online is made up of various images, media, apps, and other files that take up storage space. While we tend to think of the internet as something that exists outside of physical space, all those files have to be stored in a physical server somewhere.
In order to contain all the files that make up your website and serve them up to every person that visits it, a physical server must have a lot of power. For most website owners, owning and maintaining a server that powerful isn’t practical. That’s where website hosting companies come in.
Web hosts own a large number of servers that have the power required to provide consistent, reliable service for thousands of websites. When you sign up for a hosting plan, you rent some of the space on their servers. A good web host isn’t just selling that space, they’re also selling their expertise in keeping their technology running smoothly, efficiently, and securely—so that your website runs consistently without problems.
Do I Really Need a Web Host?
If you want your website published online where anyone can find it, the short answer is yes. Every website needs web hosting because it’s the mechanism that takes the pages you’ve designed on your personal device and makes them accessible to people on other devices across the world.
But in addition to making it possible for people to access your site, web hosting companies also offer some important additional value. They invest in the proper firewalls and other security precautions that make your website less likely to get hacked. And they keep experts on staff to provide any maintenance needed to ensure your website stays up consistently.
By investing in the right tools and talent to keep web hosting servers functional all day every day, they make sure that your website is available and loads quickly and without problem whenever your visitors want it.
What should you look for in a Web Host?
There are many platforms you can choose from to build your own website. Some of the most popular options out there Squarespace, Wix and Showit. There is no one size fits all answer to choosing a website platform. Different websites with different goals will have different requirements, however here are several questions that can help you determine which website platform is best for you:
- Is your style more free-flowing and organic or do you like design that is orderly and neat?
- Are you savvy with technology and design?
- Will you be able to, or want to, easily update the website yourself?
- Will you have a web developer or web designer manage it for you?
- Does your website need a blog?
- Will you need an e-commerce platform with the ability to sell hundreds of products?
- Will you need a database or membership capabilities?
These are just some of the questions you will want to ask yourself before you fully commit to a website platform.
Luckily, by using a Little Haus Designs template, most of the choices mentioned above are easily already made and help cut your design process and cost by half.
Here is an example of a comment on a post. Looking great!