Do you want to host a website but don’t know how to go about it? Thenyou are in the right place. Hosting a website can be intimidating for a newbie,but by following the four (4) simple steps outlined in this article, you caneasily host your website.
The very first thing to do is to choose a reliable and powerfulhosting provider. Web hosting plans usually come with an offer of a domainname if you do not already have one. The web hosting company you choose willprovide a server that will host your website on the internet and store yourwebsite data.
A typical web hosting provider like Discount Domains will also provide you with other services such as firewall protection, email services, technical support, web applications, website building tools and data backup.
Essential Tools for Website Hosting
The basic tools for website hosting are a web hosting service providerand a domain name. When you have these tools ready, you are good to go!
- Website Hosting Service Provider: A hostingservice provider offers you configured servers for your website hosting onthe internet. It handles your data and file storage, and other technicalissues. A typical provider offers easy tools to help you run your websiteefficiently.
- Domain Name: A domain name is your website’s address thathelps users access the website. When users want to visit your website, all theyneed to do is type in your domain name in their browser, and they’ll be takenright there. Essentially, a domain name is a user-friendly way to linkup browsers to the domain-associated server.
The Four Simple Steps ofHosting a Website
The four crucial, yet simple steps to hosting a website include:
- Get a domain name
- Choose the right web hosting service
- Buy a web hosting plan
- Transfer your website data to the server
STEP 1: Get a Domain Name
Choosing a domain name is a very important step in your websitehosting process. A domain name is a website’s address, so it is best if youchoose a domain name that reflects the purpose of your website, and is easy toremember. After settling with a choice of a domain name, you have to go aheadand register it. You can make use of domain registrars in registeringyour domain name.
As a newbie, it is easier and more convenient to get your domain namefrom your website hosting service provider.
STEP 2: Choose the Right WebHosting Service
A web hosting service will house your website providing thetechnological infrastructure for it to be hosted on the internet and otheradd-on services. You have to choose a suitable hosting service thatmeets the needs of your website. Key features you should look out for whenchoosing a web hosting service are reliability, strength, security and speed.
Most web hosting service providers offer the following webhosting services:
- Dedicated Hosting: With a dedicated hosting service, you have a web server all toyourself. This gives your website better security and speed, even though it iscostlier than the shared hosting service. If you intend to build a business forlarge organizations or for any other purpose with expected large traffic, thendedicated hosting is the best bet.
- Shared Hosting: Unlike the dedicated hosting servicewhere you have a full server to yourself, shared hosting involves sharing aserver with other website administrators. Shared hosting comes with asecure personal account, and an allocated space in the server. It is moreaffordable than dedicated hosting.
- VPS Hosting: VPS –an acronym for Virtual Private Server – hosting is a type of hosting wheremultiple websites are hosted on a very robust and strong server with severalcompartments. The server has a configuration that allows the independentfunctioning of each unit. It is a secure service that serves as the best forthose who desire high security but can’t afford a dedicated hostingservice.
- Cloud Hosting: This service allows the hosting of a website on a group of differentvirtual servers known as clouds. This is particularly useful for websites withthe tendencies of have sudden upsurge in traffic. An unexpected tremendousrise in traffic can overwhelm and even crash a website hosted on a singleserver, but cloud hosted-website is usually safe from such outcomes. If you areplanning on hosting a news or e-commerce website, then you should considercloud hosting.
You can start with any service that is more convenient for you and upgradeto a more preferred service later as your business expands.
STEP 3: Buy a Web Hosting Plan
The next step after reviewing the available web hosting servicesand providers to get a suitable one for your website is to buy a webhosting plan. The hosting plan you eventually buy will depend on yourbudget and the hosting service that meets your business needs. Have you madeyour decision? Kick on the purchase button and buy a home for your website.
STEP 4: Transfer your WebsiteData to the Server
The final step in the website hosting process is to move your websiteto the server. A File Transfer Protocol(FTP) program will help youupload your files on the server. It is a software program that allows thetransfer of files on the internet. There are free FTP programs you canutilize, and you can also use HTML editors with built-in FTP abilities.
With the Internet Explorer browser, you can easily transfer your filesto the server by typing the server FTP address after the word FTP in theaddress bar.
Conclusion
By now you should be able to host your website with little or no difficulty. You can go through the steps over and over again to get a better grasp of them. It is important to remember that the web hosting service provider you choose for your web hosting determines to a very large extent the success of your website. So it is a very good idea to take your time in choosing the best one for your website.