Do you plan to own an e-commerce site for your business? Or you want to start a blog? Are you an entrepreneur or a trader and you want to showcase your trade online?’
Whatever your website creation project is, every website must be hosted on a server to be accessible to your target audience and everyone on the Internet.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on what a web hosting account is, what features you should expect, and some tips for choosing the right type of web hosting account. Follow closely!
Quick Answer: What Is a Web Hosting Account?
A web hosting account is an account used to manage stored data of a website or multiple websites. Some of the features a web hosting account offers include
- Storage space
- Support for WordPress
- FTP access
- PHP and MySQL
- And a lot more
Quick Definition of Terms
Web Hosting – Web hosting is a service that allows you to publish a site on the Internet.
Web Hosting Provider – A web hosting service provider is a company that provides the technologies necessary for displaying Web pages.
Servers – Websites are hosted or stored on computers called servers.
Web Hosting Account Explained
When you browse the internet from a browser (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Edge, etc.) and view web pages, you are actually viewing code pages written in different programming languages (PHP, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, etc.). These languages are associated with content that is stored on servers.
These servers, which are large computers connected to the internet (and equipped with their processors, hard disks, etc.), are most of the time made available by web hosts (companies that own the servers), in return for a web hosting account subscription.
Web hosting, therefore, consists of renting servers to web page owners so they can host their sites and the associated data.
How Web Hosting Works
When users want to view your site, all they have to do is type its address (URL) consisting of a name and domain, and an extension into their browser. Their computer will then connect to the server hosting the site, and web pages will be delivered to them through their browser.
That’s why if you don’t have a domain name, you must purchase one first.
Features to Expect From a Web Hosting Account
Here are some features you should expect from your hosting provider:
- Email Accounts
Most hosting providers provide email accounts for the domains. This comes in handy for creating customised business email addresses.
For example, with a “yourwebsite.com” domain, you can create a domain-linked email address such as “yourname@yourwebsite.com“.
This email service will come with a webmail interface (e.g cpanel, or Plesk) for managing your email accounts and access to IMAP and POP services.
- FTP Access
Using FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and its secure alternative FTPS, allows you to upload files from your local computer to the web server.
If you build your website using HTML files, you can transfer them from your terminal to the web server via FTP, allowing access to a site via the Internet.
- Support For WordPress
WordPress is an online website-building tool. It is a powerful blog and site content management system.
Most hosting providers will tell you right away if their hosting plans are compatible with WordPress or not. The simple basic requirements for hosting WordPress sites include PHP version 7 or higher and MySQL version 5.6 or higher. Without these, you will not be able to generate a working WordPress instance.
- PHP
PHP is an Open Source language for creating dynamic and interactive websites. By the way, WordPress is software written using PHP and is also Open Source.
PHP is a server-side language. This means it works on the internet hosting server. Every time a user visits your site, the browser hits your server, requesting to view a specific page.
The PHP code is then executed on the server and, as a result, generates an HTML page. The visitor will then see the HTML page created by the server in the browser. But it will not be possible to view the PHP scripts because they reside only on the server.
- WordPress Hosting
Almost all hosting companies provide the option to install and run WordPress on their servers. But you’ll soon find that just because you can install WordPress on a server doesn’t mean your site will be able to handle the incoming traffic.
For this reason, you need a provider that specializes in hosting WordPress websites that can handle a large number of visitors.
Traditional And Managed WordPress Hosting
Traditional Hosting
Traditional hosting comes with space on a shared web server and some level of support. Most popular hosting providers allow the installation of WordPress, but the user is responsible for the following:
- Configuring access to hosting;
- Installing the WordPress package;
- Possible migration of a site to a new instance of WordPress;
- Update of core themes, and plugins;
- Site and database backup;
- Monitoring against malware, security breaches, or hacking attempts;
- Traffic management when there is an increase in incoming traffic.
Managed Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting providers take care of all or most of the tasks listed above, so you can focus on what matters most to you -your content. To decide which managed hosting is best suited for your needs, consider how important the following factors are to you:
- Price, hosting cost;
- Technical support and assistance;
- Simplicity of configuration;
- Safety;
- Speed, faster page loads.
These components are essential, but not all managed hosts can perform well on all fronts. So it’s best to choose managed hosting based on the type of needs that your site could manifest in the future. For example, take into account any increases in traffic during certain periods of the year.
In general, it is always good to check that managed hosting offers the following features by default:
- WordPress pre-installed;
- Automatic periodic backups;
- Automatic updates of WordPress, themes, and plugins;
- 24/7 security monitoring against malware or hacking attempts;
- Web servers specifically designed for hosting performance-optimized WordPress sites;
- A hosting control panel, such as CPanel or Plesk;
- Technical support by competent personnel who are familiar with the platform.
Types of Web Hosting Accounts
Today, there are 4 types of web hosting for websites:
- Hosting on a shared server
- Hosting on a dedicated server
- VPS Hosting (Virtual Private Server)
- Cloud hosting
- Shared Hosting
Shared hosting consists of sharing a single server with several people. Shared hosting is particularly suitable for:
- Showcase sites that attract few visits per month (less than 50,000)
- Blogs that still attract few visitors
- Small online stores with few products and little traffic
Advantages
- This type of web hosting is the most economical of all
- This type of web hosting is easy to configure, use and monitor, even for novices thanks to the cPanel and the many tools made available by the hosts
Disadvantages
- You share the same server with several other websites, which can affect the performance of your website
- This type of hosting is not suitable for high-traffic sites
- Advanced users can’t customize the configuration of their web server
- Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting consists of renting a complete server from a web host that can then be configured according to your needs (choice of an operating system, choice of configuration and applications, etc.).
A dedicated hosting plan is particularly recommended for high-traffic and resource-intensive sites: e.g. online stores with several thousand products and several tens of thousands of visitors.
Advantages
- This type of hosting is suitable for all sites, including those with high traffic.
- Dedicated hosting allows you to customize the configuration of the server fully.
- Opting for dedicated server hosting improves the performance of your website.
- The choice of a dedicated server makes it possible to secure your website and its associated data better (with the help of a competent professional).
Disadvantages
- Renting a dedicated server is one of the most expensive hosting solutions for a business.
- Setting up and managing a dedicated server requires good system administration knowledge.
- All technical interventions are the responsibility of the customer using a dedicated plan
- VPS Hosting
VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is a hybrid system halfway between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. The VPS indeed works by creating several virtual servers on the same real server via virtualization software technologies. These virtual servers can be restarted independently and they run on distinct operating systems.
Concretely, this hosting solution allows the user to choose precisely the parameters of his server (memory, disk space, RAM) that he alone will use. VPS hosting is particularly suitable for advanced users who want to enjoy good performance without having to opt for a dedicated server. The VPS will be suitable for medium-sized online stores, community sites with many users, or even high-traffic showcase sites and blogs.
Advantages
- VPS hosting offers a good price-performance ratio
- It is possible to adapt your virtual server according to your real needs
- You can install and configure your VPS, restart or stop your server whenever you want
Disadvantages
- VPS hosting requires good knowledge of system administration.
- Cloud Hosting
Unlike shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and VPS hosting, cloud hosting does not rely on one server but on a multitude of servers. Besides, the customer pays for what they actually use, which allows increased flexibility.
Any company can decide to opt for cloud hosting. It is particularly suitable for companies that plan to grow quickly and want to obtain a flexible hosting solution.
Advantages
- Cloud hosting is the most flexible hosting method
- The user pays for what he actually uses
- Cloud hosting plans allow sites to support wide variations in bandwidth needs
Disadvantages
- Cloud hosting implies that the data is hosted outside the company. So the provider must put everything in place to secure this data.
FAQs
Website hosting is a service that allows you to publish your website on the internet. A web hosting account refers to your subscribed account on this service which gives you access to managing your web files.
A cPanel is an easy-to-use web hosting control panel. It offers a graphical interface through which you can manage email accounts, databases, FTP connections, and more with just a few clicks.
A domain name is a unique address for a website or online service that identifies it on the internet. It usually consists of two elements: the domain name and its suffix (for example, .com, .org, .net).
A web server is a computer system that delivers web content to the internet. On the other hand, web hosting is a service that provides server space for website file data.
Shared Hosting is the best hosting account for beginners. It’s affordable, easy to set and doesn’t need any technical skills. Some of the best providers are Bluehost, HostGator, and SiteGround.
Final Words
It’s only essential to own a web hosting account if you want to make your website accessible on the internet. It provides a server for storing website files and makes them available to internet users. There are several types of web hosting accounts and the one chosen depends on the needs of the website owner.
Also, there are many web hosting providers available, and it can be difficult to choose the right one. Some popular providers include Bluehost, HostGator, and SiteGround. However, it is best you read online reviews and compare features before making a decision.
Additionally, online resources such as forums and tutorials can provide useful information for managing a web hosting account.
