Web Hosting plans

The term web hosting refers to the services required to run and publish a website and often includes email, DNS, databases and spam protection. A domain name is linked to a web hosting account to enable these services.

Web hosting is often referred to as hosting – the word ‘hosting’ having been derived from the fact that multiple ‘domains’ or ‘hosts’ reside on a singular server or cluster of servers.

Hosting can be based on the Linux and Windows operating systems. A web developer chooses a web hosting service based on their proficiency with tools on one of these systems.

The most popular platform and the ‘Hosting Platform of Choice’ for servers on Linux is cPanel. cPanel enables easy setup and management of web servers and offers the best suite of features for web hosts and businesses.

A domain name or simply a ‘domain’ is a combination of words followed by a dot and a ‘tld’ (e.g .ae, .com or .me). Domain names are the first thing you often search for and register when setting up a website for your personal or business use.

Luckily domain names can be registered for life (as long as you keep renewing them), so you can choose a good name to represent your business in the online world. As an example, spiderz.com represents the Spiderz brand online.

A domain is the first requirement in your online journey and needs a web hosting service to go along. Web hosting enables your website’s pages to be accessible on the Internet and is usually bundled with hundreds of features like security, backups and email services.

Like most services, web hosting is sold in the form of plans. Web hosting plans range from pre-paid to pay-as-you-go and can often be purchased with varying billing options.

Web hosting plan specifications can be complicated and difficult to understand for the average business owner since web services are one of the most over-marketed information technology products, and out-right confusing.

The right plan to host your website is often a mix of your needs and budget. If you’re hosting a simple website, you can start with an entry-level plan. Remember, as your business size and website traffic grow, you will have to upgrade your hosting plan to avoid outages.

DIY websites are the rage today, yet that begs a question, do you really have the time and expertise to handle all the ‘stuff’ that goes into building a website, configuring contact forms and the such?

Hiring a web developer is a good way to get a qualified person to handle your website and related needs. Keep in mind, web developers can be an agency that handles your work, or someone who works independently. And their expertise varies, so hire diligently.

If you’re in a situation where spending all that money isn’t justifiable at this stage of your business, be frugal and do it yourself. Avoid buying ready-made websites or cheap themes that promise a world of features – they’re simply too complicated and poorly supported.

There are many solutions out there, yet the cheapest one is to host your own WordPress site and use a simple theme like GeneratePress to get the site’s basic design done. You can even choose to up your game using Elementor page builder, which helps you create even more details page layouts, and offers all bells and whistles. Both this theme and page builder come in free and paid versions.