Web hosting - do you need it? A Simplified Explanation

Web hosting is they key to making your website available on the internet. Companies called web hosts provide space on specialised computers which are always on and accessible over the internet. They are responsible for the operation, security, backups and general support and maintenance of their special purpose computers which are also known as web servers.

The web host stores not only your images, words and web pages of your website, but they also store your emails. As your business grows these can become critical to your business success.

There are many types of web hosting services available, from Free Hosting to Dedicated Hosting (where you lease a computer for your exclusive use) . It is very important to choose a reliable hosting service with a good reputation from existing users. You do not want your website disappearing completely, or occasionally. Customers and potential customers quickly lose confidence if a website disappears unexpectedly.

Free Hosting is not usually adequate for a small business website, as these services are supported by advertisements on your website which are decided by the hosting company. This doesn’t give the best impression to visitors, and may distract them to go visit other websites instead of staying at your own site. Also, free hosting solutions may not give you the control over your website design which a small business requires. At the other end of the spectrum, dedicated hosting is not required by startup websites unless they have very high end technical or traffic requirements. Shared Hosting is a happy medium where several websites share the same web server. Although you do need to be careful your web host is not overselling the space, causing all of the website to be very slow as the computer is overloaded.

At Cairns Business Help, we use and recommend Crucial Paradigm Shared Web Hosting, as they have a solid reputation, at a good price and are available by phone within Australia. We prefer web hosting which includes the CPANEL and Fantastico products as this makes many tasks easier, and therefore cheaper. Crucial Paradigm is very competitive and flexible, annual and monthly payment options are available as well as many plans from beginner level to much higher which can grow as your business requirements grow.

If you would like to research other options than Crucial Paradigm, there are many web host review sites such as Web Hosting Directory, Web Hosting Geeks, CNET Reviews, and many more which can be found my putting “web hosting reviews” into Google or your favourite Search Engine. Also, phone them and find out what their Customer Service is like before spending any money with them. When evaluating, look at cost of Linux hosting plans on a monthly basis, reputation from existing customers, uptime guarantees, backups and ease of contact. If your web host fails, and your website stops working you need to be able to contact them by phone, email and preferably some alternate means.

Please note that this is a VERY simplified introduction to web hosting, intended so that people new to having their own website can understand the concepts. If you require more detailed info, or anything described in more technical comments, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact Cairns Business Help directly.

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