The basic bloggers guide to web hosting

The logistics of getting your own blog up and running are pretty simple and inexpensive. When it comes down to it, all you really need is an internet connection, a small sum of money to create it and keep it live, and a web host you can trust. That last point might well be the most difficult to grasp. So, what is web hosting, and how does it work?

A web host such as Midphase store web pages on servers, and then “serves” them up whenever they are requested by an internet user. An analogy in the ‘real world’ might well be to think of them as offering you a premises to let out.

Obviously it is, in reality, a little more technical than that, but that’s really all it boils down to - servers that host websites. So when you pay for web hosting, you are paying for space on one of these servers. 

You could, in theory, do it yourself, but the ability of your home web connection to be able to handle it is unlikely. Here’s our guide, therefore, on what to look out for to ensure you are happy with your web hosting service:

Types of hosting

There are several types of hosting available:

Dedicated Servers - where one server hosts all the pages for one website.

Shared Servers - where multiple websites are hosted on one server.

Virtual Private Servers - where multiple websites are hosted on one server, but artificial, or virtual, walls are in place to give more functionality and flexibility than on a shared server.

Cloud Hosting - a newer form of hosting where capacity and functionality can easily be scaled up or down according to your needs.

If you’re running a blog then it’s most likely you’ll only require space on a shared server, as you won’t need a great deal of bandwidth or storage.

Different web hosts offer a multitude of packages for individuals and businesses, and the one you choose will be determined by your specific needs in relation to a number of factors, such as the level of bandwidth (this affects how quickly your pages load), the storage you need and how many email addresses you want for your website. Remember, just because a web hosting company appears to offer unlimited bandwidth or storage, that’s not necessarily going to be the case. If you trip over a limit, then you site could temporarily go down, so it’s always best to check the small-print, especially if you’re hoping for high volumes of traffic.

Here are some other factors that you’ll need to consider:

Domain Names

Your domain name is essentially your address on the internet, it’s how people find you. If you’re very lucky, you might be able to get the .com or the .co.uk that matches your company name exactly, but the chances are that it’s already taken, or you’ll need to pay to buy it from someone else who is sitting on it. So you may need to choose a variation on the name, such as yourcompanynameshop.com, or to look at alternative domains such as .biz or .co. Your web host will often help you to secure the domain name.

Security

The simple fact is that your blog could be hacked. That’s annoying at best, but potentially damaging at worst, especially if they are able to get through your website to your home computer. So, to protect your website from security threats such as malware and viruses, you need to ensure your web host takes a proactive approach to monitoring things. Most good web hosts will be happy to shout about their credentials in this regard.

Support

Good support is vital. You need to be able to contact your web host, either by phone, email or a messenger app, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, in case you have a problem and need it solved straightaway. It can be useful to speak to other blog owners for their opinions of their hosts. 

Uptime

Your uptime is, strangely enough, the amount of time you can expect your blog to be up, ie, available, to web users. If it’s not hovering around the 99.9% mark, then you should be asking your web host why, and if they can’t fix that, you should be looking elsewhere.

Website Construction

As mentioned above, it doesn’t cost much nowadays to get a professional-looking blog online. Website builder software such as Wordpress is remarkably easy to use, and intuitive, so you can have a perfectly serviceable site within a couple of days without any particular skills required. Some web hosts will include this software as part of their package, making it an even better deal for you.