What is Web Hosting?

Think of a website like a house. Just like a house needs a piece of land to sit on, a website needs web hosting to exist on the internet. Web hosting is a service that provides the space and resources needed to store and maintain your website so that it can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, at any time on the internet.

The Components of Web Hosting

To understand web hosting better, let’s break it down using our house analogy:

The Website (The House)

Your website is like a home where you store all your content, images, and information. Just as a home provides a space for living, your website provides a space for your business, blog, or online store.

Web Hosting (The Land)

The web hosting service is the land where your home (website) is built. Without web hosting, your website would have no place to reside. Hosting companies provide the servers (large, powerful computers) where your website files are stored and managed.

URL a.k.a. “Dot Com” (The Home Address)

Your website’s URL (“dot com”) is like your home address. It’s the unique address that people use to find your website on the internet. For example, www.mywebsite.com is a URL that directs visitors to your specific website, just like the home address 123 Sesame St., Raleigh, NC 27605 directs mail, packages, and visitors to your home.

Email Inbox (The Mailbox)

If you have an email address associated with your domain (like info@mywebsite.com), your email inbox is like the mailbox at your home. It’s where all your emails are received and stored.

DNS (The Mail Sorting Room)

DNS (Domain Name System) works like the USPS mail sorting room. When someone types your website’s URL into their browser, DNS translates this human-friendly address into an IP address that computers use to locate the right server where your website is hosted. This process ensures that visitors are directed to the correct website. DNS also ensures that you receive emails sent to email addresses associated with your URL (e.g. info@mywebsite.com).

How Does Web Hosting Work?

When you purchase web hosting, you’re renting space on a server to store your website’s files (you are purchasing “The Land” your home – i.e. your website – will sit on). Here’s a simple breakdown of how it works:

Storing Your Files

Your website files, such as HTML, CSS, images, and videos, are uploaded to the hosting server. This server is connected to the internet 24/7, ensuring your website is always accessible.

Connecting the Domain

You connect your domain (home address) to your hosting server (land). This is done through DNS settings, which tell the internet where to find your website’s files.

Serving Your Website

When someone types your website’s URL into their browser, the DNS system translates this address into an IP address and directs the visitor to the correct server. The server then delivers your website’s files to the visitor’s browser, allowing them to view your website.

When you purchase web hosting through S.MICHAEL Creative Branding, we handle the technical stuff for you on a “white glove” basis. This means you can kick back and relax while our team makes sure everything is configured properly.

Types of Web Hosting

There are several types of web hosting, each suited to different needs:

Shared Hosting

Multiple websites share the same server resources. It’s cost-effective and suitable for small websites with moderate traffic.

VPS Hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting provides more dedicated resources by partitioning a single server into multiple virtual servers. It offers better performance and scalability than shared hosting.

Dedicated Hosting

Your website gets an entire server to itself. It’s ideal for large websites with high traffic, offering maximum performance and control.

Cloud Hosting

Uses multiple servers to host your website, providing excellent scalability and reliability. It’s great for websites with fluctuating traffic.

Here at S.MICHAEL Creative Branding, we provide tailored solutions for each client depending on their business needs. What that means is that we can potentially provide all of the aforementioned web hosting services within the scope of your purchased plan.

That being said, we primarily use a combination of Dedicated Hosting and Cloud Hosting for our client web hosting plans. This includes our entry-level plans, which benefit from a “best of both worlds” hybrid (dedicated cloud server).

We do this to ensure that your website benefits from optimal performance at the lowest possible cost. Higher plan tiers include more powerful and performant servers, and sometimes with advanced configurations including DNS failover and multi-region hosting.

Why is Web Hosting Important?

Web hosting is crucial for several reasons:

  • Accessibility: It ensures your website is available to visitors 24/7.
  • Performance: Good hosting improves your website’s loading speed and performance.
  • Security: Hosting services often include security features to protect your website from threats.
  • Support: Reliable hosting providers offer customer support to help you with technical issues.

Beyond being important and crucial, web hosting is in fact necessary in order for your website to be viewable online (at all). Therefore, you will absolutely need web hosting if you have a website – you simply have to decide who to purchase it from.

Choosing the Right Web Hosting

When choosing a web hosting provider, consider the following:

  • Reliability: Look for a provider with a strong uptime guarantee (99.9% or higher).
  • Speed: Ensure the hosting service offers fast load times for better user experience and SEO.
  • Support: Choose a provider with excellent customer support.
  • Scalability: Make sure the hosting plan can grow with your website’s needs.
  • Security: Check for robust security features, such as SSL certificates and regular backups.
  • Extras: Ask if your web hosting provider offers any extras, such as periodic maintenance or discounts on their core services.

Here at S.MICHAEL Creative Branding, we include a long list of extras for our web hosting clients. Some of these extras include Redundant Daily Backups, 24/7/365 Security + Malware Scanning & Removal, 24/7/365 Dual Uptime Monitoring, Optimized Cache Configuration, and Free SSL Certificates. We also provide discounted hourly rates and project fees to web hosting clients, plus quarterly back-end updates to your website to ensure that WordPress, its plugins, and your core theme remain updated and functional over time.

Conclusion

Web hosting is the foundation that keeps your website running smoothly and accessible to the world. By understanding how it works and choosing the right hosting service, you can ensure your website performs well and provides a great experience for your visitors. Remember, just like building a strong home starts with solid land, building a successful website starts with reliable web hosting.