The Ultimate Guide To Web Hosting

What makes an amazing website? Design, content, and features are all a part of the combo, but the reality is that nobody would give you the option to access your site without webhosting.

For a lot of site owners, hosting is a little bit of a mystery. With so many various plans and providers to select from, knowing where to start out is half the battle.

To enable you to work out what hosting is all about and find the correct option in your next project, we decided to construct the last word guide. Spend the following couple of minutes with us, and also you’re guaranteed to come back away with a wealth of information!

What Is Web Hosting?

Every website is stored on a server. That server makes the web site available to users on the internet. Webhosting is the service of storing (aka hosting) a web site on a server.

Your “web host” or “hosting provider” is the corporate that owns and maintains the net server that hosts your site. As well as, these firms often provide helpful resources, support, and services like domain registration and custom email addresses.

Choosing the correct webhosting services in your site is a vital process. Your selection can impact your website’s security, availability, and performance. Picking the incorrect plan or web host could affect the expansion of your website and your ability to draw repeat visitors.

Ideally, you’ll need to use a hosting plan that matches your needs and budget.

The Most Popular Types Of Web Hosting

In the event you’ve never had to join hosting before, the sheer range of obtainable services can seem slightly intimidating.

To enable you to make an informed selection, let’s take a better have a look at probably the most common kinds of hosting:

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting plans are the most well-liked selection amongst website owners. On this kind of plan, a single server is shared between multiple users. Meaning a single computer will host an entire heap of internet sites.

Although you share resources with other users, they don’t have access to your files, information, or other data. The key upside to shared plans is that they have an inclination to be very inexpensive since webhosting firms can divide server upkeep costs amongst multiple users.

Consider it like having a timeshare on an exotic island. You get the good thing about a phenomenal place to loosen up and a few general upkeep, but you don’t have exclusive ownership.

• Performance And Security: Good loading times for smaller sites, as much as 1,000 visitors per day. Shared hosting is mostly secure, but issues might be shared between sites on the identical server.
• Service And Features: All basic services are included, but you have to to put in your individual software and take some responsibility for performance and security optimization.
• Pricing: The industry standard for shared hosting is around $5 per 30 days. That said, you’ll find good plans for less.

At DreamHost, we provide high-value shared hosting plans starting at just $2.59 per 30 days, including free domain registration.

Pros Of Shared Hosting:

• It’s easy to seek out plans for lower than $5 per 30 days.
• Depending in your service provider, you’ll be able to get excellent performance on medium or small business web sites.

Cons Of Shared Hosting:

• Shared plans often don’t perform well for web sites with heavy traffic.
• For the very best rates, you might have to join a multi-year contract.

Who Is Shared Hosting Best For:

For a beginner, shared hosting ought to be the go-to option. With the correct provider, you’ll have all of the tools you would like for getting your project going and lots of room to scale up over time.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting

Virtual Private Servers (VPS) offer enhanced performance and greater customization in comparison with shared hosting plans. In a VPS environment, a single physical server hosts multiple isolated units, each dedicated to individual web sites.

So, if shared hosting is a timeshare property, VPS hosting is like having your individual apartment in a big complex.  In practical terms, VPSs provide the next degree of isolation between users, although you continue to share the identical physical server.

Nevertheless, this setup can enhance performance and security. Plus, depending in your hosting provider, you may give you the option to configure your VPS from scratch and get precisely the resources you would like.

To offer you an idea of what you’re on the lookout for, a single-core VPS with 1 GB of RAM is sufficient to run an easy WordPress website. Nonetheless, determining the precise amount of resources you would like for every recent project might be tricky. This might make a VPS a less attractive option if you happen to are recent to website hosting.

• Performance And Security:  VPS hosting guarantees higher page-loading speeds and fewer downtime. Since each site is kept separate, security threats are rarely shared.
• Service And Features: Unmanaged VPS hosting is loads like shared hosting. Managed VPS hosting takes care of all technical tasks.
• Pricing: Highly variable, however the monthly industry standard is true around $30 per 30 days. Managed plans cost a bit greater than unmanaged plans, although they make up for it with additional features and services.

At DreamHost, we provide 4 tiers of VPS hosting, each with a monthly, one-year, and three-year option.

Pros Of VPS Hosting:

• You get fully dedicated resources in your website.
• Depending in your host, you may give you the option to configure your VPS to your specific needs.

Cons Of VPS Hosting:

• Calculating the quantity of resources you would like might be difficult.
• Configuring a VPS often requires some technical know-how.

Who VPS Hosting Is Best For:

In the event you want full control over your server without spending a whole bunch of dollars on a dedicated plan, think about using a VPS. The high level of customizability also makes it a beautiful option.

Dedicated Hosting

Up to now, we’ve only discussed hosting plans where you share servers with other users. Servers are expensive, so if you happen to want a non-public one all to yourself, you’ll pay more of a premium.

With a dedicated server, you get exclusive access to a single server (or sometimes multiple). Meaning you’ll have complete control over its configuration, and the webhosting provider simply houses it for you.

Carrying on the analogy — as a substitute of a timeshare, you get the entire place to yourself.

• Performance And Security: Optimum speed, stability, and security for high-traffic web sites. The most effective performance comes from plans that use SSD (solid state drive) storage.
• Service And Features: Unmanaged dedicated hosting means it’s as much as you so as to add features. Managed dedicated hosting provides the identical form of service we talked about when discussing VPS hosting plans, plus features like a unique IP address, dedicated server backups, and further support.
• Pricing: The common dedicated server starts at around $100 per 30 days, although plans at that price aren’t prone to include a completely managed hosting package.

Our own dedicated hosting is managed and still is available in at a competitive price. The month-to-month price range for DreamHost’s dedicated hosting starts at $169.

In the event you’re not afraid of commitment, you’ll be able to bag an ordinary plan starting at $149/month or pay $279/month for enhanced features akin to additional memory and faster processing.

Pros Of Dedicated Hosting:

• You get an entire server to yourself.
• In most situations, you’ll be able to configure your server to your liking.
• DreamHost users get uncapped bandwidth.

Cons Of Dedicated Hosting:

• It’s a comparatively expensive option.

Who Dedicated Hosting Is Best For:

Dedicated hosting is the go-to selection for web sites that require the perfect in relation to performance and have the budget for it.

Alternative Hosting Types

The three webhosting options above cover the vast majority of web sites. Nonetheless, there are more kinds of hosting available. Listed below are a few of the alternative options to look out for:

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is where things begin to look slightly trickier. When people talk concerning the “cloud,” they’re often referring to a distributed VPS.

The advantage of this setup is which you could easily scale your server’s resources as needed. Plus, because of the system’s built-in redundancy, you won’t need to worry about downtime and data loss.

Cloud hosting might be either very low-cost or incredibly expensive, depending in your server configuration. It’s the kind of setup that some massive internet-based firms use to power their operations. But unless your website is named Netflix, you most likely won’t need this feature.

Pros Of Cloud Hosting:

• It offers a high degree of scalability.
• You possibly can customize your server as you see fit.

Cons Of Cloud Hosting:

• The payment structures for cloud hosting might be complicated.
• It’s not well suited to users who don’t have experience with configuring a server.

Who Cloud Hosting Is Best For:

In the event you like tinkering along with your server’s configuration and wish a high degree of scalability, cloud hosting is value looking into.

Managed WordPress Hosting

Managed WordPress hosting is slightly different from the opposite options here. It’s not a kind of plan but slightly a form of service.

With managed WordPress hosting, your provider takes care of quite a lot of the day-to-day maintenance tasks that might otherwise fall in your shoulders. Those tasks include backups, security monitoring, software updates, and more.

Managed hosting plans can are available every flavor; there are managed shared plans, managed VPSs, and even managed dedicated servers. In all of those cases, you pay slightly extra, so that you don’t have to worry concerning the nuts and bolts of hosting.

You don’t need a WordPress-specific plan to establish a web site with the platform. Nonetheless, these plans are inclined to be optimized to supply higher performance and make your life much simpler.

On top of WordPress-specific plans, there are also entire hosting platforms that only work with this Content Management System (CMS).

Pros Of Managed WordPress Hosting:

• It comes with some level of managed service.
• You get access to WordPress-specific perks, akin to free plugin licenses and one-click installations.

Cons Of Managed WordPress Hosting:

• It’s only helpful for WordPress users and limits your ability to make use of other platforms.

Who Managed WordPress Hosting Is Best For:

You possibly can arrange WordPress on any kind of webhosting plan. Nonetheless, if you happen to desire a plan tailored to the CMS from the bottom up, WordPress hosting might be a wonderful investment.

Reseller Hosting

In the event you run a business that revolves around constructing web sites, akin to a development or design agency, you’ll probably need to cope with hosting.

Loads of clients don’t quite understand how hosting works and will use help getting every thing arrange and dealing. Reseller hosting offers an answer for these situations.

In a nutshell, you get access to an account that enables you to provide hosting to your clients. Those clients pay you directly, and also you’re liable for managing their accounts.

Most web hosts that supply reseller accounts enable you to charge whatever you want for hosting. Which means if you happen to run an internet development agency, you’ll be able to transform hosting right into a source of recurring revenue.

Pros Of Reseller Hosting:

• You possibly can arrange hosting accounts for third-party users and charge them directly.
• You’re in complete control of the hosting experience.

Cons Of Reseller Hosting:

• You’re often liable for billing clients.
• Generally, you’ll need to care for maintenance and support tasks independently.

Who Reseller Hosting Is Best For:

In the event you run a business that helps with webhosting for clients, it might probably make sense to supply that service in-house. With reseller hosting, you’ll be able to bill clients directly for hosting and care for maintenance for them while having one other company provide the infrastructure.

How To Select A Web Hosting Provider

Your selection of webhosting plan will inevitably impact your website, but remember, these are only services; your selection of provider is every bit as essential.

Listed below are some key inquiries to answer when selecting a number:

Performance

Performance and uptime can make or break your website. Your website’s performance influences Search Engine Optimization (search engine marketing), bounce and conversion rates, and the way trustworthy your site appears to visitors. We’re not exaggerating once we say that your server’s reliability directly impacts your website’s bottom line.

Any provider you concentrate on must have an uptime guarantee of at the very least 99%. Evaluate the host’s performance-related features, akin to caching, SSD storage, and Content Delivery Service (CDN) access.

Don’t just depend on claims and reviews. Test the host’s performance using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights. If possible, you could even need to get access to a test account or join for a free trial, and use that to conduct further testing.

Software

Whether you’re constructing a private blog or the following big tech startup, every website relies on certain technology. Whenever you select a webhosting provider, check their technical documentation to be certain that the service supports the software, services, and languages that you just plan to make use of.

For instance, you have to a hosting solution that supports PHP and

MySQL or MariaDB if you would like to run WordPress.

Top hosts offer easy installation for popular apps and user-friendly control panels for account management. DreamHost provides a one-click WordPress installer, WooCommerce pre-configured plans, and a built-in Website Builder for hassle-free website creation and management.

Security

In response to Norton, over 800,000 sites are hacked yearly. So, even for smaller web sites, cybersecurity ought to be a top priority.

To offer yourself the very best possible protection from threats like malware and DDoS (distributed denial-of-service), select a number that follows up-to-date security protocols and provides features for shielding your site.

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates are particularly vital for keeping your site and users protected. Adding an SSL certificate to your site might be a further expense, but some hosting providers (like DreamHost) will include one in your plan at no extra cost.

One other feature to search for is automatic day by day backups. These ensure which you could at all times bring your site back if it becomes corrupted with malicious code, otherwise you lose your content.

Scalability

Most recent sites start on a shared, low-cost plan. Nonetheless, as your online presence expands, you’ll need more resources, bandwidth, and disk space so as to keep up your site for all its users. A bunch that provides easy upgrades to a Virtual Private Server (VPS), Managed WordPress, or Dedicated Hosting plan could make this process smoother.

In the event you select a number that makes it difficult to vary your plan, you may end up migrating to a brand new provider just a number of months after launching your site. This may ultimately be a waste of money and time.

Technical Support

Your relationship along with your web host will hopefully be a protracted one. Reliable customer support is significant to a mutually useful relationship. Ensuring that your host has multiple contact methods and a 24/7 support team should guarantee that somebody can be available at any time when you would like help.

Moreover, specific support for WordPress, e-commerce, or other niches can come in useful. Selecting a number with a knowledgeable team will be certain that your site has the very best possible support.

For instance, if you happen to go for DreamPress, our WordPress-specific managed hosting, you’ll get priority access to our elite squad of in-house WordPress experts.

Pricing

Obviously, your budget is a key consideration when choosing an internet host. Shared hosting can cost as little as $3-10 per 30 days to start out. VPS plans are $20-50 per 30 days, while dedicated servers range from $100 to over $500 per 30 days.

Just do not forget that you may not be on the identical plan perpetually. If you would like to pick a number for the long run, consider what form of resources you may need in future and check the pricing for plans that may cover your requirements.

On an analogous note, be sure that to look into your potential host’s renewal fees, in addition to the initial sign-up costs.

If it’s worthwhile to cancel your hosting for any reason, you’ll also need to avoid excessive fees. It’s smart to decide on a number that provides a free trial period and one which has a generous refund policy or money-back guarantee.

Other Features

Together with all of the points mentioned above, it’s value considering what other features each host offers.

For example, do you get email accounts along with your hosting plan? Are you able to dive into the file system of your website via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)? If it’s worthwhile to fix errors or optimize your site, does your host provide access to your .htaccess file?

All of those questions are value considering as you make the ultimate selection in your webhosting provider.

How To Set Up Your Website With Shared Hosting

So, you’ve weighed up the professionals and cons, and selected your web host. The following step is to establish your hosting plan.

Probably the most common selection, particularly for brand new website owners, is shared hosting. To point out you ways it really works, let’s walk through the strategy of organising your site — from creating an account and selecting a plan to constructing and securing your website.

Step 1: Sign Up For Your Hosting Plan

Step one in bringing your website to the world is to join a hosting plan. This task varies between hosts.

In the event you resolve to host with us, simply head to the Shared Hosting page and click on on the blue Sign Up Now button underneath the feature list of your selected plan. You’ll be taken to a wizard that can walk you thru purchasing your plan and making a DreamHost account.

Simply follow the steps to get every thing arrange. You possibly can opt to register a site instantly through the process or save that task for later. Which you select is completely as much as you. There’s no right or incorrect method to do it.

The DreamHost account creation is on the third page (Secure Checkout). Below that, you’ll find additional options you’ll be able to configure in your recent site.

In the event you’re planning on using WordPress to construct your site, we highly recommend checking the boxes to pre-install the platform and use the WP Site Builder. This may greatly streamline the strategy of getting your site up and running.

Step 2: Explore The Control Panel

When you’ve created your account and purchased a hosting plan, you’ll be able to log into your control panel using the email and password you provided during signup.

On DreamHost Shared Hosting plans, we make it pretty easy to regulate your site. Through the user panel, you’ll be able to see every thing related to your web sites, domains, and hosting account in a single dashboard.

Along the left side, you’ll find all of the available features and functions:

• Domains: This menu is where you’ll access your existing domains or register recent ones.
• WordPress: Here you’ll be able to access any WordPress services you’ve added to your account, akin to our DreamPress managed hosting. You can too add recent installations of WordPress from this menu.
• Mail: This menu provides you with every thing it’s worthwhile to manage your email services.
• Users: That is where you’ll find options for adding and managing additional users you’ve added to your account.
• MySQL Databases: In the event you ever have to access your MySQL databases, you should utilize this feature, found under the More menu.

There’s plenty more to explore within the panel, so we recommend taking a number of minutes to click on the varied links and get acquainted with where things are situated.

Step 3: Register Your Domain

In the event you didn’t register your domain through the initial signup process, you need to achieve this now. Your domain name gives your site its primary URL and carves out its unique place on the internet. Nobody else can use your domain when you’ve registered it.

Our Shared Unlimited hosting plan features a free domain registration credit. You could have one month from signup to make use of the credit, so if you happen to’re unsure what domain you would like, you’ll be able to take slightly time to give it some thought. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to’t start constructing your website until your domain is registered.

To register a site, head to your DreamHost panel and navigate to Domains > Manage Registrations.

From there, you’ll be able to seek for the domain you would like. If it’s available, you’ll be able to add it to your cart.

Remember that it might probably take as much as 72 hours in your domain to develop into accessible once you buy it. So if you happen to’re in a rush to get your site online, it’s best to care for this task as soon as possible.

Step 4: Customize Your WordPress Site

Together with your domain registered, you’ll be able to start constructing and customizing your WordPress site.

There are numerous ways to approach web site design, after all. We highly recommend using our WP Site Builder tool, because it makes the method rather more straightforward. In the event you didn’t enable this feature when signing up, you’ll be able to contact support any time to have it turned on.

The simplest method to access your WordPress dashboard and admin page is solely to navigate to yourwebsitename.com/wp-admin in your browser, where “yourwebsitename.com” is your site’s domain name. You can too access the dashboard by clicking the link in the e-mail you received when organising your account.

In the event you enabled the WP Site Builder, you’ll be greeted by a “getting began” wizard the primary time you log into your dashboard. This wizard will walk you thru three quick steps to start constructing your site.

Whenever you’re finished, you’ll land back in your dashboard, with a brand new item available within the menu: Inspirations. From there, you’ll be able to edit your WP Site Builder theme and make other changes.

Step 5: Increase Security With An SSL/TLS Certificate

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its successor, TLS (Transport Layer Security), are protocols that help enable secure data transmission online.

Sites using SSL/TLS have “https” within the URL, and most browsers display a padlock icon within the address bar to point that a site is using this security feature.

We provide a free SSL/TLS certificate for private web sites. E-commerce sites can benefit from our partnered offer with Sectigo Verified SSL. Irrespective of which provide you’re using, you’ll follow the identical steps so as to add the certificate.

Open your DreamHost panel and navigate to Web sites > Secure Certificates.

From this screen, you’ll be able to manage any existing certificates in your sites or add a brand new one by clicking the Add button. After that, simply follow the instructions provided.

Step 6: Set Up Your Email

Finally, we recommend organising email in your domain. This offers you an easy and reliable method to communicate with website visitors and customers. Depending in your plan, email hosting is likely to be included or available as a paid extra.

To access your email settings in your DreamHost plan, visit your user panel and click on on Mail.

There you’ll find options for accessing your email, adding recent email addresses, managing spam settings, and more. To establish email in your recent domain, navigate to Manage Email > Create Recent Email Address and follow the instructions inside.

Setting Up Managed Shared Hosting

Whereas shared hosting may be very much a DIY option, managed hosting provides a hassle-free method to get your website online. With these plans, you don’t need to worry about site management and maintenance.

Whenever you join for a managed hosting plan, your account should come along with your chosen CMS or software pre-installed. For instance, we provide managed plans for WordPress.

This implies you simply need to walk through the essential setup process in your software, and you then’re able to go.

Once your site is online, your provider should care for security updates and server optimization. Some hosts offer extra features, akin to one-click staging. This means that you can test recent plugins, add-ons, templates, and themes to be sure that they work properly before deploying them in your live site.

Setting Up VPS Hosting 

The strategy of organising a VPS varies, depending on the kind of hosting you will have chosen.

Some providers offer self-managed VPS hosting, which is very similar to owning your individual server. This implies you will have loads of control over the configuration of your VPS, but you can even be liable for the technical side — akin to deciding how much RAM and what CPUs you would like.

In contrast, managed VPS plans work very similar to managed shared hosting. The first difference is that you will have dedicated space in your chosen data centers.

With DreamHost, managed VPS hosting is on the market as an add-on to a daily shared hosting account.

To establish your first VPS:

1. In your User Panel, go to VPS under Add Product within the left-hand column
2. Click the Add a VPS Server button
3. On the Add VPS page, select your selected VPS package
4. Use the on-screen options to choose whether to migrate data out of your shared server to your VPS, and whether to cancel your current shared hosting
5. Click the Get This VPS button to buy your chosen plan

To establish additional virtual private servers, repeat the steps above, skipping number 4.

Get Began Today With DreamHost

Solid webhosting is the muse of any successful site. It means that you can deliver content and reach the utmost variety of potential customers, without the constant fear of technical failure.

In the event you’re on the lookout for a reliable hosting solution, DreamHost has you covered. Our hosting comes with a 100% uptime guarantee, market-leading performance, and excellent technical support.

We also offer a variety of hosting plans at inexpensive prices: shared, managed, VPS, cloud hosting, and more. Join today to see how easy it might probably be to host a web site online.