Although many of these websites are owned by huge multinational corporations, it is also the case that individuals operate a wide range of sites, for the purposes of providing information or entertainment, or for generating income.
It is surprisingly easy to set up a website, and it can take very little time to begin the process. However, the fact that there are different ways to achieve this means that important decisions have to be made. For example, the design of the website will determine how user-friendly it is. There are many web editors and design templates to choose from, both free and commercial.
The first step to launching a website is to buy and register a domain name, after which a hosting package has to be decided upon. Once again, there are many to choose from. Although they can differ greatly in cost, this is not the only factor to consider.
What is Web Hosting?
Put very simply, web hosting is the process by which websites are stored ready to be viewed by Internet users. A web hosting company stores its clients websites on its system of powerful computer servers. Without this vital service individual websites would not be accessible, and the Internet could not function.
Web Hosting Factors to Consider
Although a basic web hosting package is all that is needed to create a website, some web hosts offer much more. For example, a web hosting company will allocate a website a certain amount of disk space, and the more that is allocated the greater the potential for expansion as more content is added to the site.
Permitted bandwidth usage is another factor that differs between web hosting packages. A website owner has to consider how much traffic they expect their new site to receive, and if their chosen web hosting package will be able to cope with it. Many web hosts provide the option of upgrading if a site becomes popular, or if extra bandwidth is required for content such as high definition videos.
This highlights the importance of a web hosting company offering expert tech support. Even the cheapest web hosting package should provide customers with help and advice with setting up, maintaining, and operating their sites. The reliability of the service is perhaps the most important factor to consider when choosing web hosting, and many reliable and trusted services are often very affordable. It should be remembered that even the most expensive web hosts suffer server downtime occasionally, at which point the service becomes unavailable.
Is Cheap Web Hosting Worth it?
It is generally the case that the more expensive web hosting packages offer customers more in terms of features such as disk space and bandwidth. However, not every website owner will have the funds or the inclination to spend a large amount of money each month on a premium package, and there will likely be no need to. An individual who decides to launch a personal website as a hobby will not have the same requirements as an established branded company that gets thousands of website visitors every day. Each website owner has to choose the web hosting package that is right for them, both in terms of features and affordability, and the fact that there are so many options available means that this is easy to do.
