Are you looking to create your own website and make it available on the internet 24/7 ? web hosting is a service provided by companies that own a network infrastructure, with a secure public access.
In this complete guide, we are going to explain you what web hosting provider is, and giving you all details about how to find the best provider to host your websites with confidence.
What Is Web Hosting
Web hosting is a service providing a storage space to save websites, and make them accessible to the public on the internet. When you access a website from your computer, you get pages on your browser. In other word, these pages making the website, are stored in servers owned by a web hosting provider.
How Does The Web Hosting Work
To make web hosting services working, we need two things. A company having a network infrastructure with servers, web services, high speed internet, redundant equipment, security and more. With websites from clients to save and store in these servers.
The web hosting provider rent a storage space to clients to host (store/save) their websites. It also maintain the infrastructure, make it available to public 24/7, ensure high speed internet connection and secure platform. The clients in other hand, pay for this web hosting services with monthly or yearly subscription.
Host Your Own Website
Hosting you own website is possible, but need a lot of work, budget and high technical skills. You can achieve that by having a good servers, all needed applications, high speed and quality internet connection. You also need to install your server with Windows or Linux, activate and configure the web services allowing you to make the server as a web hosting, buying all licenses and maintain the service available 24/7.
All this will cost you a lot of money and take a lot of your time. Creating a quality web hosting platform allowing your website to be accessible all the time from anywhere in the world, need a complete system and a lot of servers. More than that, you need network and security equipment to avoid hackers.
When you think about it, purchasing a monthly or yearly service with very affordable prices, without spending time installing, configuring and maintaining the system. Is the best thing to do when it’s time to host your website.
What Are The Web Hosting Types
Now you know what web hosting is and how it works, there is also different types of hosting. In this section, we’ll detail almost all types you can choose from when you host your website. Depending on the provider, all or some types maybe available.
In this web hosting type, multiple websites share the same server. The provider store many website files and folders in the same physical server, which make many websites using the same resources. This type allow hosting provides to offer low price service, with good performance and features.
This type is used by a lot of startups since it’s the most affordable. If you are starting an online business, shared hosting is the best option for you, it can handle your new website, whether is a Blog, Business, Service, e-Commerce and more.
– Dedicated Hosting
In this type, you get a whole server with all its storage space and resources dedicated to your website. This offer a high performance and speed, a lot of storage, but is the most expensive. Depend on your website, use this type if you have a big website, with a lot of traffic and products. If you just start a new website, the better is to start with the Shared Hosting since it’s the most affordable.
– WordPress Hosting
If you are creating your website using WordPress (which is used by 70% of websites in the world). This type will be the best choice for you. This plan allows you to have a custom-built for WordPress, including all website creation tools to easily create your own website without a need of a professional developer.
– Cloud Hosting
In the web hosting, the websites are stored in servers located in one place. Access to the websites is still worldwide, but if someone access the websites from a far location, the performance can drop and the speed slow.
Cloud hosting, the websites are stored in many servers, in different datacenters located all other the world. The websites can be accessible from anywhere with high speed, because the server answering to the requests, is the one located the nearest to the people accessing the websites.
– VPS Hosting
Shared hosting save your website with other websites in the same server. Dedicated hosting gives you a complete server only for your website. VPS is in the middle between Shared and Dedicated.
With VPS (Virtual Private Servers), you use the same server as shared type, but with your own virtual machines as a dedicated type. If you can’t afford the dedicated server because of the price, and want more performance than the shared, VPS is the best solution for you.
– Managed Hosting
This model is usually used by big companies. A web hosting or service provider leases dedicated servers to one single customer, and manages them on behalf of the customer. The client can install many websites and other applications in his dedicated servers, and keep the management to the provider.
– Reseller Hosting
If you want to become a web hosting provider yourself, getting clients hosting their websites in your environment, you don’t have to create a complete infrastructure yourself, just take the reseller plan. In other word, purchasing a reseller hosting plan, enables you to resell to your own clients the same hosting services provided by your web hosting company.
Web Hosting Options
Web hosting services allow you to store your website in their servers, but also offer you more options for you as a user and customer. Below is the list of options offered by web hosting providers, almost all providers offer these options.
– Website Builder Tools
WordPress is one of the best website creation platform, is an open-source and content management system (CMS), which allow you to create your own website for free, without any coding experience. The platform is designed to be used by anyone without having technical skills. All web hosting providers have WordPress built-in when purchasing any plan.
It’s so easy to install WordPress to start creating your own website. When the purchase is completed, access to your cPanel dashboard and look for WordPress, click the button install and select the domain where you want to install WordPress in, and click install. The WordPress will be installed in few seconds, and you will be ready to access your WordPress dashboard. When it’s done, you can install some software like Elementor, Theme ..etc. And start creating your own website.
– Email System
Email system allows you to create your professional emails using your own domain name. Like our professional email [email protected]. Instead of using a public email systems like Gmail and Hotmail, a professional email gives a trust to your customers and seriousness to your online business and brand.
As soon as you get your domain name and get your web hosting plan, access your cPanel and find the email management system, choose the domain you want to create an email for, create many emails for your organization, and start using them right the way.
– Database
Each customer has his own database where all his websites will be stored. Databases are the collection of structured website data, stored in a very specific system, making easy website management and navigation. As soon as you get the service, you will have access to your database and all your website files and folders.
– Storage Space
Storage space is where you can store your websites which is set of files and folders. The storage space is available depend on the plan you choose, it can allow you to store only one or unlimited websites.
– FTP Service
The FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows you to share files and folders through the internet. Like OneDrive where you can share files and folders to others, FTP allows you to do so from your own website. The FTP is used only by few people, you may not need to use the FTP service, but in case you need it, it’s available.
What You Expect From Your Web Hosting Provider
Web hosting providers offer you a complete package with options and features. However, as in any industry, there is better providers than others. To find the best website hosting provider, check the options below if they are offered or not. If the provider offer everything in the list, you can take it, if not, find another better one.
– Hosting Plan Variety
Because there is many web hosting types and plans, a plan variety is a good thing to have, this allow you to change the plan in the future in case you want to grow your business.
If you start using the shared plan because as a startup, you may need a dedicated plan when you grow in the future. If the provider does not have this option, you need to move your website, which can make you spend a lot of time, and maybe stop your website from working for a while. To avoid situations like this, find a website provider offering a variety of plans from the beginning.
– Bandwidth & Speed
There is many website speed test like GTmetrix to figure out if your website is doing well or not. These kind of tool allow you to get a good idea of your website performance, which help you take decision about the website hosting provider.
Speed is the key to success, if your website load quickly, you have a good chance people stay for long time which make you earning money, if your website load slowly, this will get people close your website and jump to others.
– CDN Included
CDN (Content Delivery Network) allows your website to be available all over the world. CDN take a copy of your website in different datacenters all over the world, and make it available at any location. When people navigate your website, the nearest location send the pages which make your website load faster. Cloudflare is one of the best CDN system, which is included with some web hosting providers.
– Security
Hackers are every where all over the world, they have a hacking tools scanning the internet 24/7. Web hosting providers ensure your website security by blocking all not allowed ports. They have sophisticated security equipment to prevent your website from being hacked.
– SSL And Encryption
The SSL and certificates allowing your website to use the https protocol, which is encrypted instead of the http which is clean text and not secure. It should be included in the package as one of the main security layer. More than the security equipment, SSL makes your website secure and the data transiting the internet protected by the encryption mechanism.
– Backup
Loosing your website data, making mistakes in your website, having issues and making your website stop working, is just a question of time. Working on your website all the time, adding new plugins, doing some configurations, changing some settings, sometimes make your website get down.
Having a daily backup done by your web hosting provider, will save you from loosing your data and not be able to recover your website, which make you recreate your website from scratch, and losing your customers and your brand trust. Before to choose a web hosting provider, make sure they have at least a daily backup option. Some have a special option with an hourly backup.
– Availability
Having your website available to the world 24/7, is one of the most important for your business success. People all over the world are navigating websites all the time, and you need to have your website available at any time of the day, night and all the year. Web hosting providers have a solid infrastructure making this possible. Almost all website hosting providers have this main option.
– Support
Working on your own website especially in the beginning, may make you do mistakes, loosing configuration, changing things, losing access, and many more issues you can have when creating your WordPress website. A good support fixing all issues quickly, is the most important option you need to have from your provider, making your experience enjoyable.
Things To Avoid When Choosing Web Hosting
Web hosting companies are doing a great job, and a lot of them have the best service. However, not all of them have all features and options. So, before to choose the website hosting provider, check the points listed above in this post, as well as avoid the list below.
– Taking a Free Hosting
Web hosting infrastructure need a lot of high quality equipment, high skilled experts and many teams to keep the system up and running. All these specialist need a salary to feed their family. Even with all these fees for the providers, they can charge only few dollars a year for their customers.
Free hosting should not exist because it’s just impossible to maintain a web hosting infrastructure for free. If someone gives you an offer to host your website for free, it’s most likely a spammer. So, never use a free hosting services since this usually a spam.
– Not Checking Reviews
Well known and trusted web hosting companies has a good reputation and good reviews. Whether a lot of reviews or just few, the most important is the quality of the reviews. You need to find a website hosting having at least 4 stars and more with a good comments.
If the comments are not good, you may avoid using it and look for someone else. Below are the best web hosting we recommend, they have everything you need to host your website with confidence.
– Checking Only the Price
Because many web hosting companies exist, and more are entering the market. Some have a better services than others, and some have the best prices than others. The price alone can’t give you the best research analysis for you to choose the best web hosting provider. You need to check many points listed in this post, and not taking the cheapest, which may not have the good services you are looking for.
Web Hosting Prices
Web hosting Prices can differ from provider to other, but still are very affordable. It can vary from $1.50 a month, all over to $300 a month, depend on the plan and service. More options you get, more performance, more security and more fees, which is fair.
The most used plan by new entrepreneurs and startups for website hosting, is the shared hosting plan, before growing to other more sophisticated plans. The shared hosting plan usually cost around $5 a month in average, which is very affordable. Below are the best web hosting we recommend for all business owners.
The Best Web Hosting Services
There is many web hosting services in the market, some are better than others because of the features and options they offer. In the list below, the best web hosting providers you can choose from with peace in mind. They offer all the features you need for your website and your online business growing. We recommend using TMDHosting or SiteGround according to your needs, since they offer different plans, but they have almost the same affordable prices.
– TMDHosting
TMDHosting is one of the best web hosting providers offering the best solutions. A good variety of plans you can choose from. Shared hosting, Web hosting, WordPress hosting, Dedicated hosting, VPS hosting, Cloud Hosting and Reseller hosting.
They have up to 20x faster SSD speed, daily backups, free domain, free Cloudflare CDN, high speed, free SSL, unlimited websites, WordPress, free email system, affordable price, 24/7/365 free premium support, live chat, 60 days money back guarantee, and much more.
We are hosting our websites including Narily.com with TMDHosting for years, and we are always amazed by their high quality services and the best support team ever. The big variety on plans, different options, unlimited websites, high performance, and much more. Making us not only keeping using their platforms, but recommending them for all business owners.
Another feature worth to talk about it, TMDHosting offer a free migration as well. If you already have a website and not satisfied with your website hosting provider. TMD will do the migration for you and for free. Just contact the team in the live chat, and you will get the answers in seconds.
– SiteGround
SiteGround are also one of the best website providers, they offer many plans, Web hosting, WordPress hosting, WooCommerce hosting, Cloud hosting and Reseller hosting.
They have a daily backups, free domain, free Cloudflare CDN, high speed, free SSL, unlimited websites, WordPress, free email system, affordable price, 24/7/365 free premium support, 30 days money back guarantee, and much more.
– Namecheap
Namecheap offers many plans with different options. For people looking for a very affordable website hosting with different plans, Namecheap is the best for you.
Namecheap has a Shared hosting, WordPress hosting, Dedicated hosting, VPS hosting, and Reseller hosting. The prices are super affordable with 24/7 live chat, however the options are less than TMDHosting and SiteGround.
If you have a small website and you don’t need high speed and a lot of storage, you may consider Namecheap. They also have other free applications, like making your own logo, sharing on social media and more.
– Elementor
If you are a new in business and looking to start with a WordPress plan, considering Elementor is a good idea. is offering Elementor pro with the web hosting service.
This allow your website to be stored on Google Cloud platform, free Cloudflare CDN, free SSL, WordPress pre-installed, very affordable price with 30 days money back guarantee.
How To Start With Web Hosting
Starting with the web hosting provider is so easy, let’s take TMDHosting as example. When you click here to open their website. All plans will be listed in the home page, Shared, Cloud, VPS and Dedicated.
Select the shared plan which is the most affordable and have all options you need as a startup. If you are a small business, you may need to use the Cloud or VPS plans. If you are a big company, you may consider using the Dedicated plan.
When you click Get Started in the Shared Hosting plan, three plans will be available, Starter, Business and Enterprise. Choose the one you like according to your needs. The Starter offer one website, but Business and Enterprise offer unlimited website and more options.
Check all details for each plan and select the one you like. If you are not sure, we recommend using the Business plan to have access to unlimited websites, or the Enterprise plan to have unlimited websites and more performance.
Final Thoughts
Starting an online business maybe challenging and need a lot of work and effort, but each step of your entrepreneurship journey worth your time, since you are working for your own freedom.
Creating a website and hosting it is one of the most important step. And with this guide, you have now more understanding about the web hosting, how it works, and which are the best in the market. Don’t need to spend a lot of time doing research, follow this guide and you will be good to go.
Whether you are creating a blog, one-pager, business, e-Commerce or even a course website. WordPress will help you creating any kind of website easily. And if you are new in business, follow our free posts to learn how to create your own website quickly.
Now you know your best web hosting provider, the next step will be to create your account and host your website. To go to our complete guide on how to setup your account, host your website and install your WordPress. This guide with walk you through the hosting process step-by-step, from start to finish.
You need more information? Our free blog gives you all information about WordPress and how to create your own website. Click here to learn more.
We hope this will help you find your best web hosting provider. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
What about you? Did you find where to host your website? Please share your experience with the community by leaving a comment below.
