How to Host a Website: The First Step to Building An Internet Empire
There are 3.95 billion internet users in the world… and some of them want to hear your voice.
But you know that already. That’s why you’re here looking for a web hosting service that can be the foundation for your killer website.
You’re ready to promote your content, reach the masses, and get heard online!
But where to start? How to host a website is actually quite simple.
Here’s a breakdown.
6 Steps You Need About How to Host a Website
We’ve got you covered with the six critical things to consider when it comes to how to host a website.
From a blog to e-commerce, to a mix of the two…
There are platforms to fit every need. Here’s what you need to know before you choose the right one for you.
1. Know What You Need
There are a few key things you’ll wanna answer before going on the hunt for your perfect website host.
Ask yourself:
- What kind of website am I building?
- How large do I expect to scale my traffic?
- Will you need your host to be capable of running certain software?
- Will your host need to be capable of any specific script such as PHP?
This will help you choose between shared hosting, VPS hosting, or dedicated hosting.
Most websites will be fine with a shared hosting service.
However, this doesn’t always cut it for websites that are planning to scale quickly over the first couple years.
So don’t just think about now. Consider the long-term life of your website, too.
2. Reliability or ‘Uptime Scores’
You don’t want a user to try to visit your site and get the dreaded ‘server not found’ error.
They might never come back!
This means you need to consider your web hosting service’s reliability. This is also known in the tech world as an ‘uptime score’.
The score should be over 99% and anything less than that is unacceptable. Premium accounts for most website hosting services will have a 99.99% uptime score.
You need your website to be reliable which is why this score matters. It doesn’t matter how fast, beautiful, or high converting it is if your users can’t visit it.
3. Options to Scale
Most websites hosting services will give you an option to scale your level of hosting based on your needs.
This gives you the flexibility to upgrade as your website grows. And your website can end up growing in many ways.
You’ll want to consider:
- How much traffic you want to get
- The number of pages you plan to build
- The speed you need your website to load
There are other things to consider too. Which is why when you look for a web hosting service you’ll want:
- Upgrades from shared hosting
- Memory capacity with room to grow
- Disc storage
- Processing power
- Memory capacity
- Security features
Even if you don’t need them now, you might in the future. So keep them in mind when picking the perfect web hosting service for your needs.
4. Renewal Options and Process
Be conscientious when paying for your web hosting service. There are often fees that will be included at renewal that aren’t included when you initially sign up.
Read the fine print carefully.
You’re generally getting around an 80% discount when you first sign up for a web hosting service.
And unless you’re willing to switch between hosts every year — which can be a total pain — you’ll want to be aware of how much you’re paying when renewal time comes around.
Check out the terms of service before you hit the ‘buy’ button to ensure you’re in the know. If the price jumps by more than 100%, there’s definitely a better deal out there.
5. Type of Website
When choosing a web hosting service, you’ll want to consider what type of website you’re planning to build.
Is it going to be e-commerce?
A blog?
A mix between both?
When it comes to how to host a website, many platforms are great for certain types of websites.
For a blog, you’ll likely want to consider a WordPress hosting platform. Some of the more popular options include GoDaddy and Bluehost.
For an online store you’ll want to consider an e-commerce hosting platform. The most popular and reliable hosting platforms for e-commerce include:
- Siteground
- Wix
- Ipage
- Volusion
- Inmotion
A lot of the website hosting platforms mentioned will do a mix of both. We recommend checking out JaguarPC for whatever your needs are.
Whatever you choose, make sure it has the following features.
6. Features
In addition to things like analytics to monitor the success of your blog strategy, you’re going to want these features in your web hosting service.
One-Click Installer
Chances are, you aren’t a programmer. You want the process of getting your website started to be as seamless as possible.
These installations will make your life a heck of a lot easier and require little effort on your part.
FTP/SFTP File Access
This makes it so you can easily and safely move large amounts of files.
A plain old file manager just won’t do when it comes to this. Make sure before you commit to a website hosting platform they’ll give you access to this was of managing files.
Unlimited Storage and Data Transfer
This is the new standard for web hosting. If a platform isn’t offering this, they’re somewhat behind the times.
That being said, they both hardly matter for the average website owner. Images can be stored other places and videos can be hosted other places. And there are other solutions for large files.
For example, most people these days have a Google Drive or a Dropbox where they store important docs and large files.
But to keep yourself safe, look for the ‘unlimited’ space in your disc storage.
Next Steps
Almost a billion websites are being hosted worldwide… is yours next?
Now that we’ve given you the lowdown on how to host a website, you can go forth and create!
What kind of website will you be making? What website hosting platform will you choose?
Leave us a comment below.