Web hosts
Starting a website? You'll need a domain registrar and a web host before any of your ideas can become reality. The good news, is that most web hosts are also domain registrars, and once you've got a good hosting provider the rest of the website creation process might just be easier than you ever imagined.
Let's review some basic terminology:
Domain registrar - this is a company that registers your domain name. They act as a public intermediary between you, the website owner, and ICANN, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN has the ultimate authority to assign and revoke domain registrations, and they license this ability out to domain registrars that handle retail level customers like individual webmasters. Some registrars only focus on traditional domain name extensions like .com, .net, and .org, while others have introduced more modern options like .tech, .name, .xyz, or even .codes.
Web host - this is the company that provides the physical computer your website is stored on. The data stored on your section of disk space will be publicly accessible through the web hosting company's network connections. Depending on the host, they may also include email services, an easy-to-use interface, or other features depending on the brand and the details of the service plan. Many web hosts are also domain registrars, and this can greatly simplify your set up process and long term site maintenance since it allows you to have your domains registered and hosted at the same company.
What to look for in a web host
The main factors to look for when searching for a web host are speed, reliability, easy of use, and additional features - as needed. Since every webmaster has different individual needs, there probably is no such thing as a single "best" option. If there was such a thing by any objective measure, it would also be incredibly expensive. So keep in mind that budget and cost will always be one of the limiting factors and decision points when selecting a host for your website.
Speed
How long it takes to load a website can have a large impact on the website's popularity and performance in search engines. Users don't want to wait for a slow site to load! Invest some time in reading reviews and running some speed tests for websites that you know are hosted with a particular hosting provider. Not all problems are the host's fault, if there are no examples of fast websites on that host then there is probably a problem they're not addressing.
Reliability
It's also vitally important that your website stays online. The great thing about a website is that it works 24/7 - as long as you have a web host that stays online 24/7, too. Most modern web hosts have achieved extremely high reliability numbers, so this is something part of a host's reputation to take in to consideration as well - and not something worth saving a few bucks a month on.
Ease of Use
If you're new to building websites or if you have a plan that involves managing multiple domains, you should look for a website hosting company that provides CPanel or another easy to use administrative interface. These user interfaces are designed to create a browser-in-Windows approach to web development, and they provide a lot of power and control in a simplified system that's perfect for new users.
Extra Features
There are some other features and services that aren't quite standard, but may be worth considering when making your web hosting choice:
- One-click installs
- Cloud delivery
- Data backups
For example, with root access and SSH, you can set up your own email server and have it fully customized as needed. But that's also a lot of work to install and maintain and troubleshoot, so unless you need that level of precise control, it is probably worth while to find a web host who manages those mail servers for you!
Pricing
And of course, if prices weren't an issue, we could all have the fastest web hosting with all of the features included. The good news here, though, is that great hosting doesn't have to be expensive - or even cost anything at all!
That's right, free hosting also exists. This very blog you're reading right now is hosted for free at Hatenablog.com, a website and hosting community that makes it easy to set up your own blog website at absolutely no cost. It's fast, it's reliable, and it's also incredibly easy to use.
But it does also have its limits! There are certain layouts and themes you can select from, and there's nowhere to store a database or edit your own scripts and code. And while you do get your own subdomain, that just isn't quite the same as having a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your own.
On the other extreme side of the spectrum, cloud hosts like Amazon can deliver monthly bills in the tens of thousands of dollars for their largest clients. Even worse, the billing schedule and costs can be incredibly confusing and hard to predict! This type of cloud hosting serves the busiest websites with millions of pageviews per day. Sites with global visitors also need globally distributed data centers so that the website is as fast in Japan as it is in the United States or India.
All that makes sense if your websites are already large and generating lots of revenue, but it makes a lot less sense for new developers and publishers and bloggers.
Shared and VPS Hosting
Somewhere between free and top of the line, most website owners find that the best deals are found with shared and VPS hosting plans. These tend to range from between $5 and $20 per month, and provide a range of services and options that can fit your needs without breaking the budget. These hosts typically come with easy to use interfaces on most shared hosting plans, while a VPS tends to focus on low-budget performance. Some VPS providers also include one-click installs and email management, so be sure to look at the details if those features are important to you!
Hosting Coupons
To attract new customers and get people to try out their hosting services, a lot of providers also offer coupons, promo codes, and other incentives to new users. High quality and affordable webhosts like Dreamhost and Hostgator offer coupons and promo codes designed to provide a big discount on new hosting signups. Dreamhost and Hostgator are similar providers that offer a range of shared and VPS hosting options. Depending on your exact needs, plans can range from $3 per month to $300 - but most users find something in the $5-20 range suits them just fine.
Dreamhost and Hostgator also offer easy to use interfaces for managing and building your websites. Hostgator uses the CPanel software that is popular throughout the web, while Dreamhost has their own custom-designed panel that provides - in my opinion - a slightly more intuitive development environment.
