How Exactly Does Website Hosting Work?

14 May ‘21

In: Web Design & Development, / By: Ripe Admin

With advances in modern technology, it’s nearly impossible to run a business without having some sort of presence on the internet. Whether you want to offer advice through a blog and still have a physical store for shopping or would like to move your entire business online, you may want to start out with a website hosting service.

The website hosting industry was $56.7 billion in 2019. By 2027, it’s expected to grow at a rate of 15.5% CAGR.

Website hosting is a simple way to create and run a website without having to be the person running it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The industry that began with only 4 hosts for website hosting grew to reach 126 million hosts over the last 50 years. As more business owners and blog writers are moving online, it is expected to grow exponentially.

Continue reading to learn how website hosting works and why you may need to utilize one for your website.

What Is Website Hosting?

Website hosting refers to an online server that enables you to publish a website on the internet. It’s basically like paying rent for space on a physical server to store all of the files that make up your website to ensure that your website is functioning properly.

The server connects to a physical (or sometimes virtual servers) computer that will run without interruptions so that your website is always available for viewing. The web host keeps the server up and running while actively protecting it from cyberattacks around the clock.

Website hosting services are usually offered for monthly subscriptions that can be chosen based on the needs of your website.

Some website hosts offer free services, but this means that you have less control and it may end up cluttered with advertisements to pay for the free service. This can come across as unprofessional or sloppy to website visitors.

Once you have the website hosting up and running, you will find that you need additional services. Ripe Media can help you to further develop your website, manage your content, or perform maintenance on your website.

How Does It Work?

So, your website basically lives on a server. The server holds all of your website as files that can be sent as needed. When a visitor makes its way to your website, the server needs to actively send information to the viewer.

Say your visitor wants to see your blog. The server will send the blog to their browser screen. Once they chose a specific blog post, the server will display that post on their screen. The type of website hosting service that you need depends on the size of your following and the specifications that you need.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is the least expensive type of hosting service. It is the simplest form of hosting, but it is also the least powerful. This type of website hosting consists of one server that handles multiple websites and all of their files. Shared hosting is ideal for:

• Blog writers
• Small to medium organizations
• Small tech businesses

When websites on a shared host platform start getting a ton of traffic, it can cause unexplained lagging or downtime for the other sites on the server. When your website begins to gain more traction, the website can crash for seemingly no reason.

These shared servers are not ideal for growing your website or handling heavy website traffic. They also don’t have a completely customizable capacity.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is the most expensive type of hosting service. This type of website hosting is ideal for larger organizations that have a server administrator on standby. It is equipped with more power that allows you to have more freedom for your website. Because it is more powerful, it is also more complicated to manage.

With a dedicated hosting server, the website owner has direct access to the server. They are the only website on this server. This is great! However, the website owner is then responsible for upkeep and updates for the server.

VPS Hosting

Virtual Private Servers, or VPS hosting, combines the best aspects of shared and dedicated website hosting, making it the happy medium between the two. The VPS host gives the website owner a dedicated “virtual” server with complete control over the environment.

This type of website hosting gives access to additional resources than you would get with a shared server while being a shared hosting service. There are just fewer websites on this type of server which ensures that you have more bandwidth and power.

Important Features to Look For in Website Hosting Services

Your website needs a domain name. Unfortunately, purchasing a domain name can get expensive with the accrued fees. Domain name registration may be a part of a hosting package that can save you some money.

When a website loads slowly, visitors may be hesitant to stick around. The right hosting service is going to have enough speed to ensure that every page loads in a timely manner. Some websites that are mostly text will load faster than a website that contains a lot of high-resolution photos.

Both storage and bandwidth are essential to the success of a fully functioning website. Your chosen host should be able to accommodate the size of your website. You need to determine whether you will have mostly text, mostly images, or a combination of the two. Your site also needs to have the proper bandwidth to function properly.

Scalability in the website hosting server that you choose for your website is important. If you are worried about storage and bandwidth, make sure your web host offers increased resources or different types of hosting so that your website can handle growth and doesn’t crash when under duress.

The server that you choose to run your website needs to have continuous uptime, meaning that it can run 24/7 without interruptions to the service that your website is providing.

A professional website is going to have an email account that is associated directly with the domain. You should make sure that your web host offers this when you decide on the type of server that best suits you and your website.

Having technical support around the clock is crucial. Your ideal hosting company will have 24/7 support through phone, email, or chat for any problems that you might come across.

What’s Next?

Keeping up with modern technology can be difficult and confusing. Now that you know what website hosting is and how it works, you are ready to set up your website and get started with your blog or online business.

Contact Ripe Media today for more information. We’d be happy to help you set up your website or help you maintain it once it’s u[p and running.

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