How to host a website

Hosting a website

Do you want to learn how to host a fast reliable website? Creating a website using website builders could never be easier, but you may find yourself thinking “how do I get my website up and running?” we can give you advice on this.

What does hosting a website mean?

A website needs to be accessed over the internet, hosting a site means the website must be stored on a specialised computer or server. The server ideally needs to have access to a fast internet connection 24/7 and be powered on all the time. A server must also have web server software installed for it to taking incoming requests from users on the site. Servers must be secure and have the best protection against DDOS attacks (malicious floods of requests to overload the server).

The best way to host a site

Before you choose you may want to think about how much traffic you are likely to receive. If you’re a small company or freelancer you won’t need the same resources as a large corporation for example, and this means you won’t need to spend as much to keep it running. You can always change your mind later as your business expands.

Shared hosting

shared hosting is exactly what it says on the tin, you can share a server with others and pay less to rent the server. This is great if you’re just starting out or don’t expect much traffic on your site. This is a great option as it’s very affordable.

VPS hosting

VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server hosting) is still a shared hosting. However, it can perform much better as it has resources to counter large traffic spikes which would otherwise slow your website down.

You get partitioned resources of a private server which you can manage with your website. This is a great option, your still sharing a server which is cost effective, but you won’t be interrupted by others on your server. This is a great option for medium size businesses. While this will cost more than the standard shared hosting we believe it’s worth it.

Managed WordPress Hosting

Managed WordPress hosting is a hosting service made specifically for WordPress. It is like a concierge service for your WordPress website.

The hosting company will deal with updates, backups, and caching of your website. This means instead of occasionally returning to update the site, you can focus on more important work. This option will cost more than the VPS hosting but if you value your time and want a server which will handle most sites this is a good option.

Dedicated Hosting

dedicated server hosting means you are essentially renting an entire server dedicated to your own website. You get all the resources of the server, advanced tools for server management, ability to install your own software and operating system.

You’ll be managing your own server which may require some technical skills. It is an advanced option for larger websites that need high-performance to tackle higher traffic volume. Its the most expensive option on this list but it will give you the most freedom and stability on your site.

Cloudways

We can host your website for you just contact us and we will get it sorted. We use both dedicated and shared hosting and keep a close eye on traffic and website speeds.

Alternatively you can buy your very own server, we recommend Cloudways because of the support they offer.