If you’re new to running a website or buying web hosting, this article could answer some of your basic questions. Don’t know what a domain is and a hosting plan is? We are going to share all the basics of web hosting in layman’s terms.

What is Web Hosting?

Think about the files on your computer. They are stored on the hard disk of your computer. A web page is a file just like your word processing documents. As your word processing documents need your computer to store them, web pages also need a computer to store them.

The only difference is that web pages are seen by the general public. So, they need to be stored on a system with much higher specification and must be connected to the internet. A system on which web pages are stored is known as a web service. The process of making web pages available to users is known as web hosting. In a nutshell, web hosting is simply a home to your website or web pages.

There are a number of web hosting companies providing world-class web hosting solutions. They own powerful web servers to store your web pages. In order to run a website, web hosting is required.

How to Host a Website in Simple Steps?

We are going to explain the process of web hosting to ensure a good web presence.

Step 1- Register A Domain Name

Before making your website live, you need to have a domain name. Domain names are pointers to a particular IP address. Each and every website has an IP address in the form 123.456.56.7. The domain name system translates this numerical form into names such as hostsoch.in. You can choose any domain name but make sure that it should reflect the nature of your website. Domain names are usually registered for minimum one year. In order to have your own domain, you’ll need to register your domain with a domain registrar.

Let us tell you about domain name extensions.

.com, .co.uk, .edu, .co, .info, .org are top-level domains. These domains are open for public’s registration. But, Country Code Top Level Domains are restricted for the citizens of a particular country. .uk, .au, .bz, .er, .la etc are some of the examples of country code top level domain extensions.

Step 2- Choose A Web Hosting

So, you selected and registered your domain name. What’s next? You need to choose a web hosting. There are two types of hosting available i.e. Free and Paid web hosting. The free hosting solutions have restrictions recommended for individuals who want to create a personal websites. In the free hosting service, there are common restrictions i.e. disk space and bandwidth. It is advisable to choose an affordable or paid web hosting provider to have a professional website.

Types of Web Hosting

There are various types of web hosting available. Shared Hosting is the most popular and economical one. VPS, Dedicated, Cloud and Reseller are other types of web hosting services which are ideal for growing for heavily trafficked sites. A shared hosting account is easy to maintain and ideal for most new sites. Additionally, you can always upgrade to VPS or dedicated hosting later when your website grows bigger. It is advisable to go for a free trial to find which web hosting will work well for you.

Step 3- Publish Your Website

Once you choose a domain name and web hosting, you need to think about the website itself. You can start publishing your web pages by using FTP software or through other options like FileManager. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows data files to be transferred from local computer to server. Your web host will provide information about how to connect to your website through FTP. Your host will also tell you where the files need to be uploaded.

Hosting A Site Created in Site Builder

Majority of the web hosting plans come up with free website builder tools to create a website. The major benefit of this option is that you can develop a website easily at your own with the help of a website builder tool. And you don’t need to hire a web design and development agency to create a website. If you’re looking to develop a full-fledge professional website with sitebuilder, it is advisable to hire the site builder rather than a web host. By hiring a professional site building agency, you’ll get the complete site building package with free hosting.

Hosting A Website Created in WordPress

If you’re creating a WordPress website, you can use the free automatic installer or do the manual installation via FTP.  Once you have a domain name, web hosting, and website, everything is ready to be published. Make sure that you point your domain to the hosting.

Hopefully, this article has helped you to understand all about domain names and web hosting. It’s time to build your website and share it with the world. Make sure that you choose the most reliable and cost-effective website hosting company to save money and hassle. It’s no secret that website hosting has transformed the face of many businesses to a great level! Big thanks to advancements in technology!

Still any questions or queries about the domain name and web hosting? Leave a comment in the post. We’d love to know about your ideas and suggestions.