How to Host a Website in 2019: A Straightforward Guide
Are you looking to launch a new business? Then you need to make sure people can see you online. But before they can do so, you need to put up your website.
Interestingly, only 64% of small businesses have websites. Regardless of the industry, competition can become cutthroat. If you don’t have the internet on your side, you will likely end up two steps behind.
But before you can set up your website, you need to learn how to host one.
So how do you do it? Continue reading below as we give you the essentials in hosting a website.
Contents
Understanding Web Hosting
Before we teach you how to host a website, let us first understand web hosting. Web hosting enables businesses and individuals to post a website or web page on the internet.
As the name implies, it involves a host. You can hire a professional to handle web hosting or do it on yourself.
How to Host the Right Way
Since it is your company’s website we are talking about, you need to make sure you are hosting it the right way. Check out our step-by-step guide below:
Start with Your Needs
First, you must determine your hosting needs. These needs differ depending on the nature of your business. However, there are elements that all companies must consider in web hosting.
You need to consider the amount of storage for your website. This will depend on how much content you want to place on your website.
Another is the server uptime. This pertains to the amount of time your server can go up and running. A good hosting provider offers over 99% uptimes.
You should also consider the website’s bandwidth. This will determine how much traffic your website can accommodate monthly. If your content only involves simple text, you can go for under 12GB of bandwidth.
After determining your needs, you can look for a plan that fits your requirements. There are three main categories you can choose from: shared hosting, cloud hosting, and VPS hosting.
In shared hosting, the provider stores your website on one server together with several other websites. There, all of you will share the space. The downside is heavy traffic from other websites may affect the speed of yours.
In cloud hosting, you will have access to several shared services. The idea behind this is to meet your bandwidth and storage needs. You also have the freedom to increase your bandwidth and storage manually.
This is useful during times you are expecting an increase in website traffic.
As for VPS hosting, you will enjoy your allocation of storage and bandwidth. This means you don’t need to share resources with other websites. This equates to a more stable overall experience.
One form of VPS hosting is offshore VPS. This involves using servers coming from another country that has a higher speed connection.
Pick a Provider
There are numerous providers to choose from. Each one offering its strengths and advantages. If you are a start-up company with limited resources, Bluehost is a good option.
Apart from affordability, it offers several free features. These include email, domain name, and website security, among others.
If you have a domain but want to ensure website security and domain privacy, HostGator is your best bet. Moreover, it doesn’t monitor and restrict your bandwidth use.
If you are planning to put up an online store with over 40,000 monthly visitors, you should try InMotion. This hosting provider offers large storage and memory that will help you deal with thousands of online customers. It also comes with email, website security, and domains.
Get a Domain Name
Now you are ready to register a domain name. But before you can do so, you need to determine your domain name.
When coming up with a domain name, it is wise to use your company’s name. If you are planning to sell shoes, you may go for something like www.janesshoes.com or www.janesstunningshoes.com.
Check the availability of that name and purchase it.
CMS Counts
The content management system or CMS is what will help you build and manage your website. CMS comes with different tools you can use for designing, managing, and publishing content on your website. CMS also does not require any coding skills on your part.
Generally, a good CSM comes with key features like the user dashboard. This allows you to edit permissions, add and delete pages, and install templates. It also gives you an overview of your website’s performance.
You can check your visitors’ activities whenever they visit your site. From there, you can come up with analytics reports that will help you improve your site further.
CMS also comes with themes and templates you can use to improve your site’s aesthetics. Some templates come with designs that match specific industries.
You also get storage for your videos, texts, links, and images. Generally, you can edit the contents within the CMS.
Additionally, it allows plugins and integrations. This helps improve your website’s usability and design.
Themes Matter
When choosing your website theme, you need to make sure it represents what your brand and business are all about. You can either go online or use a template database when choosing.
Go for themes that come with photo galleries, contact forms, and sliders. These will help increase customer engagement.
If you are using a WordPress CMS, simply click the “download” button then upload the theme.
Publish Away!
Before you publish your website, give your website one final look. Go over the theme and see how it looks. Revisit the features that your visitors can use.
Get a feel if your website is already user-friendly.
Thereafter, hit the “Publish” button and start promoting your website.
Maximize Your Website
Now that you know how to host a website, you can reach more people faster. You can engage with prospective clients and grow your business in the process.
But hosting a website is just the beginning. You need to learn how to maximize your website’s potential.
We invite you to read our blogs and stories on web design and technology. We discuss products and topics that will help grow your brand through your website and beyond.
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