Fact: Every website on the internet requires a web host.
Without a hosting plan, visitors aren’t able to see the valuable content your brand or organization has to offer. It’s the same as having a Ferrari in your garage without any gas in the tank. Sure it looks great, but nobody is able to see just how awesome it really is.
In short, hosting companies store all your website’s data on their servers. When a visitor types your site address into their browser, they are requesting the latest info and files you’ve uploaded to the hosting servers. Each time you update a site, you’re adding newer files to the host’s server, which are then passed along to a website visitor.
Some of the latest estimates show there are over 500,000 web hosting companies in the US alone. And those figures were based on a study done over 5 years ago. To make things even more complicated, site builders are forced to choose between features like shared web hosting, cloud hosting, home servers, content delivery networks, reseller hosting, and much more.
(Here’s where you’re probably staying to yourself…”I’m already confused. Just tell me which option to choose and I’ll go with that one!”)
Unfortunately there’s no one solution that works for everybody when it comes to hosting a website. When choosing a host, here are several questions that you need to ask first:
How much traffic are you expecting for your site? – Many churches and small businesses average a few hundred to a few thousand visits each month. Some larger organizations and more popular websites (think: www.google.com) can reach visitor counts well into the millions and billions each day. The more traffic you have, the larger and more expensive hosting plan you’ll need.
How important is “up-time”? – “Up-time” refers to whenever your site is accessible to visitors. Because people are online 24/7, it’s a no brainier that everyone wants their site to be available to visitors 24/7 (for an up-time of 100%). There’s nothing worse than having a site go down because of hosting issues you have no control over. Choosing a reliable host with a positive track record and great customer support prevents many future headaches down the road.
How much do you want to spend on hosting? – Hosting plans can range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars per month. Having a shared hosting plan (meaning your website’s files are stored on the same server as another website’s files) can often result in significant savings without too many downsides. If you able to spend a little more, many web hosts can provide additional services such as additional storage space, faster delivery of files, and upgraded site analytics.
Still confused about what you need? That’s okay – we’re here to help!
We’re proud to work with Flywheel for many of our client’s website hosting needs. They’re a managed WordPress host (meaning they exclusively deal with WordPress sites) that offers budget friendly hosting without sacrificing dependability or customer support. They also migrate websites to their hosting platform and provide SSL certificates free of charge (something other companies charge extra for).
Another reason we recommend Flywheel to our clients is because we’ve been impressed with every aspect of their client service and products since day one (they even host this site!).
Ready to get started? Contact us today to let us bring your ideas to life!
NOTE: This article contains affiliate links which generate a small revenue when individuals sign up for hosting plans. We appreciate your support!