Description of Shared Web Hosting

If you have developed a website and you would like other people to access it, you must copy your web site to a publicly accessible web server.

Where to host your web site?

Even though you can use your own computer as a server, it is a more common practice to let a hosting service provider host your website. The prime reason for that is the bigger stability and the better visibility of your web site, because web hosting service providers have top-notch hardware and offer a much larger web traffic allowance, which ensures the faster access to your site from all over the globe.

Shared web hosting services

Select a shared web hosting service, which permits you to register domains and to create electronic mail accounts. Many web shared web hosting service providers, like us at CyanHosts, offer a free-of-charge domain registration as a gift if you sign up for a web hosting account.

Hosting your web site on your own

Hosting your site on your own server is undoubtedly an option, but only in case you have time and the required ability. There are some matters that you need to take into account, among them the hardware and software expenses. To launch an actual, professional-looking site, you will need to invest in some powerful server hardware, because you cannot rely on a cheap PC to do the task. You will also require an uninterrupted breakneck-speed connection without network outages, which typically comes at a pretty steep price. If you are utilizing licensed software for your site, you will have to pay a license fee as well. You may also need to deal with bugs and loopholes. You will need to maintain your server constantly running in an environment where "everything could take place". If you do not have the necessary technical experience, you will have to engage a system administrator to deal with these things on your behalf, which will render the price of hosting your website yourself even higher than that of a dedicated web server furnished by a web hosting solutions provider.

A dedicated web server provided by a hosting vendor

Renting a dedicated web server from a hosting firm is an excellent option if you want to maintain a high resource-absorbing web site or a business web page that has very meticulous safety requirements. The most significant upsides of using a dedicated server are the high-speed Internet access, the uninterruptible power supply and the very powerful hardware. Certain web hosting distributors, again like us at CyanHosts, offer VPS web hosting and semi-dedicated web hosting services, which are based on very powerful servers that can be shared by several users. You can also anticipate them to offer efficient server load balancing solutions and the necessary backup servers.

Safety and reliability

Hosting companies are specialized in providing hosting services and since this is what they do to make a living, you can anticipate them to offer constant Internet access, the newest software patches and the best anti-virus software, as well as sysadmins available 24-7 to assist you in the event of an emergency.

Pick your hosting provider

What you need to take into consideration when choosing your web hosting services provider is the stability of the offered hosting services. Make certain that the hosting plans provider of your choosing offers a 24-7 client support service. Do not put yourself in a position where you cannot fix urgent issues right away because you have to wait until the next working day. Moreover, if you select a shared web hosting plan, which includes a 24-hour technical support service, this signifies that there always will be system administrators available to solve any serious issues as soon as they happen, which is a very good thing.

Routine data backups

Make sure that your web hosting packages provider offers routine data backups with the offered web hosting services, or else you may lose some valuable data in the event of a hardware failure or because you have erased something unintentionally. The availability of routine backups is usually mentioned in the hosting supplier's TOS.

Web traffic and data space

When picking your web hosting solutions provider, give special attention to the bandwidth usage quota limitations. Make certain that you don't have to pay a fortune for unforeseen high volumes of web traffic if your web site becomes more regularly visited. There are lots of hosting distributors that offer unlimited traffic at present, so the best course of action is to make sure that you have made the most appropriate choice prior to opening an account.

Content limitations

Give particular attention to the hosting distributor's content limitations. If you want to post pictures or to broadcast video or audio content, make certain that you can accomplish that. Additionally, most web hosting distributors put limitations as far as using their services for storage purposes is concerned, so if you upload too many files that are not connected or directly linked to your site, your user account could get erased. For this reason, double-checking the web hosting distributor's TOS, irrespective of how time-swallowing and tedious this might be, is very essential.

Electronic mail capabilities

The majority of web hosting providers nowadays also offer email services with all their website hosting plans. It is not a bad idea to verify if the web host of your choosing offers such features as well, so as to be sure that you'll avail of all the functionalities that you require in exchange for your cash.