What is Web Hosting? Best web hosting service.

In the simplest of terms, hosting is the land of the Internet. 

A web-hosting service allows you to lease storage spaces/servers on the Internet where you can host your digital space. It allows your consumers to access your website via the World Wide Web.

Think of it this way, If a domain name is the address of your digital space. Then, the hosting service is  the land holding the digital space.

How does a web-hosting service work?

Web-hosting providers or companies rent their internet connected computers or servers to consumers who are looking to host their website.

These servers come with an ip-address. And, you are provided with an interface to make changes to the server, add files and connect it to your domain name. 

Once the company hosts your website, it can be accessed by typing the domain name in the browser to visit your website.

Why does it matter?

You’ll need to understand that a website isn’t just a program that can be connected to the internet. It needs a storage space, processing power and bandwidth for it to transceive requests. 

And, speaking in terms of the performance, you’ll need to understand that your web-hosting service determines your website’s

       i.Performance

        ii.Security

        iii.Speed

        iv.up-Time

How to choose the perfect web-hosting service?

Now, you should understand the law that for any server to be good, it should be resourceful and reliable.

i.Resourceful

Your web-hosting service must provide you with good resources that help you manage it in every situation. Here are a few important services that we believe every web-hosting services must provide:

1.Domain name management: 

A domain management system allows you to manage your connection between the hosting server and the domain.

For instance, if you change your domain name, you should be able to  make the required changes in your web-hosting server.

2.Setting up redirects:

From the above example, let’s say you wish to change the brand’s name and need a new domain name. 

In that case,your hosting service should help you redirect your consumers from the old domain to the new domain by making it easier for you to set up a 301 redirect. 

Else, your consumers will only be visiting a dead-end for weeks to come and you’ll lose a lot of trust-worthy consumers. 

To understand how a redirect works, we’d recommend that you click here.

3.External applications and databases to your website:

    Whilst building a digital brand, it is clear that your digital identity doesn’t just mean your website and the content. It’s also dependent on the applications of your website and how you store and manage consumer data.

Your hosting service must be compatible with all the major applications, plugins and databases for you to easily add new features, plugins and manage data.

4.The backup plan:

No matter what business you are in, a backup is insurance. It helps you by providing a safeside in case of certain negative events.

And, your hosting service must have a seamless backup service that would allow you to backup your website’s data and content to use it as insurance, when in need. 

5.Managing your SSL:

An SSL adds an extra-layer of security. It makes sure that the communication between the client and your server is safely encrypted. But, it does expire with time.

And, being able to manage your SSL certificate from the server’s console will make it easier for you to keep a check on it and update when necessary.

6.Upgrading or revamping your hosting solutions:

Upgrading or revamping is a major need for S&ME as it is difficult to predict growth in the digital space. Your website will grow over time and you’ll need more bandwidth and storage space. And, your hosting service must allow an easy upgrade option to upgrade your existing hosting space with minimal to no time consumption.

ii.Reliable:

Resourcefulness is one aspect. But, being reliable is another river of challenges. 

Your web-hosting provider and its service must be reliable in order for you to actually use their service. And, a web-hosting provider and its service’s reliability is determined by:

1.Pricing:

Here, you’ll need to understand that cheap web-hosting services have their own set of problems and aren’t preferred.  But, that doesn’t mean that we are expecting you to sell all your properties to cash up and pay for your hosting.

We are looking to imply the fact that you’ll need to research pricing between different provider services to understand the market price and pay accordingly.

Don’t pay too little or don’t pay too high.

If you have a doubt in deciding the perfect hosting solution for your company, please feel free to contact us at contact@nexgi.com and we’ll help you out.

    2.Up-Time:

Your hosting service’s up-time determines your website’s uptime. 

Think of it this way, if your eCommerce website announces the country’s largest sale and the hosting service decides to upgrade the server simultaneously with a down time of the entire week.

    And, since the website will not be accessible, you’ll quite literally need to shut shop as at the end-consumer will only see it as your failure.

The consumer will not think about the faults at play here. And, you’ll end up shutting your store as well losing your reputation.

    3.Reputation & Support:

Speaking of reputation, make sure to check the reputation of your hosting provider in terms of the service they provide. And most importantly, make sure that the hosting service provides a 24×7 Service as you never know when you might need help in developing your website.