Home  Other IT What is Web Hosting?
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Written by Trevor Greenfield
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Web hosting is a service which allows users to upload web pages so that they’re visible on the internet. Because buying and administering your own web server and keeping it connected to the internet at all times can be...
What is web hosting? Web hosting is a service which allows users to upload web pages so that they’re visible on the internet. Because buying and administering your own web server and keeping it connected to the internet at all times can be time consuming and expensive, most people find it more cost-effective to use a specialist web hosting company with its own datacentres.A web hosting company provides you with server space on which to store the files that make up your website and the connection to the internet that’s required to make sure the rest of the world can access the site itself. Because they specialise in providing this service, you will benefit from faster and more powerful internet connections, technical support services and experienced engineers to look after your site. A good web host will also make sure that the datacentre housing your server is protected by backup power supplies, climate control systems, and stringent access controls to make sure your data is kept safe.
What is shared hosting?Shared hosting, also known as virtual hosting, is where several customers share the resources of one server. This type of hosting gives you the ability to host your site in the secure, reliable environment of a professional datacentre at a relatively low cost. Accounts can usually be set up almost immediately, and offer the convenience of having all the services you’re likely to need to create your site pre-installed, so you don’t need server administration experience to get up and running fast.
How does it work? Your shared hosting account will give you access to a fixed amount of webspace in which to store your files. It will also come with a certain amount of data transfer to enable you to update your site as often as you need and your readers and customers to access the information you put online. The account will come bundled with a variety of services, such as PHP or ASP.NET, MySQL or MS-SQL databases and anti-virus protection, and will include email management.You will be able to manage your account through a web-based control panel, which will give you the power to view your site statistics, manage and view emails to your domain, and upload files to your site.
What can it do for me and my business? Using a shared web hosting account gives you the freedom to focus on the content of your site without worrying about the hardware and internet connections behind the scenes. It’s a great environment for novice web developers or people who just want to get a personal website out there, as it gives you the security of a reliable and powerful account in which to develop your technical skills.It’s also a good place for businesses, interest groups and charities. By taking good advantage of your web hosting account, you can create a website that really grabs your clients. You could showcase your work in an online brochure, include interactivity by encouraging customer feedback via email or forums, improve communication with your customers by keeping up-to-date information online or setting up opt-in mailing lists, or even tap into the millions of pounds spent online each month by setting up your own e-commerce store.
What should I look for in a web host?
The last thing you want is to spend time creating a strong web presence only to find that people can’t access it because your web host has gone out of business and taken all your hard work with it or is experiencing its fifth bout of unexplained downtime this week. You need to make sure they have the ability to support you and your business when you need them, so before you select a web host, do some research:
- Financial stability – Has your company been in business for several years, with a good financial track record? If so, it stands a strong chance of continuing in the same vein for years to come, so not only will your site not suddenly vanish from the internet but you should be working with a company with the resources to invest in support and innovation.
- Reliability – Does the company have enough confidence in its ability to provide an uninterrupted service to offer service guarantees? A good web host should have precautions such as back up power generators and multiple internet connections to ensure it can continue to deliver your service even if there’s a blackout or damaged fibre. And it should be able to guarantee uptime of at least 99.9%.
- Accessible support – If you have any issues with your account, you need to know that you have someone on hand to help you resolve them as they occur. Does your web host offer 24/7 support 365 days of the year? Can you contact them by phone as well as email? Then you won’t have to lose time and business waiting for them to get in on Monday morning if you have a problem on Friday evening. It’s also worth asking if you’ll have access to an online help resource – quite often customers in similar situations have similar questions, so a forward-thinking web host will have created a knowledge base to act as a resource for its customers’ most frequent questions.
- Experience – If your host is going to support your website effectively, it needs to have experienced staff. If your company has been a successful web host for some years, their staff will be experts at managing the network infrastructure and hardware needed to run a smooth hosting operation. And their support staff will be experts at dealing with the type of queries that you’re likely to face.
- Network infrastructure – To keep your site online at all times, your host needs to have invested in a powerful, ideally Tier 1, network infrastructure and datacentre system, and to keep it protected by careful monitoring, climate controls, backup power supplies and strict access controls. It should also have staff on-site 24 hours a day, providing the extra reassurance of a quick response if something does go wrong.
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Testimonials
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SME Business Solutions is a fantastic resource for SME mangers. It provides a wealth of support tools to assist in both personal development and in supporting decision making.
James Leavesley- Founder of Galvanising Growth
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......a well presented site both informative and directional. A useful source for all small medium business.
Barry Devonport FCMA
Dudley, United Kingdom
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.... It is an excellent cost effective way for SME’s to keep up to date with what is going on in the business world, as well as have access to great articles and the opportunity to promote their business.
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www.wewantwork.co.uk
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