If your domain name (as we saw in this article) is your website’s address, then web hosting is the actual house where your website lives. It’s where all your website’s files, photos, and content are stored so people can visit them online.
Imagine you’ve written a book and you want to share it with the world. One way you could do this is put it in a library, so anyone can come and read it.
Web hosting is like that library. It’s a computer (called a server) that’s connected to the internet 24/7, storing your website files so anyone can access them anytime.
What Your Hosting Company Provides
Generally your hosting provider will provide you with the following:
- Storage space: Room for your website files, photos, and content Internet connection: So people can actually reach your website
- Maintenance and Support : They keep the servers running and updated and provide when something goes wrong (like when your site is down or there’s been unauthorized access)
- Emails : Most hosting services will have email accounts related to your domain included, or at least have the option of configuring third party emails for your domain.
What to Look For in a Hosting Provider
When selecting a hosting provider, you will need to take into account,the amount of storage they are giving, the speed and realiabilty of their support and whether their hosting package has enough resources to ‘serve’ your website properly. This part can be a little technical but your capable web developer will advise on what’s best, depending on the type of website you are building.
Your hosting company should also keep your site online 99%+ of the time, have fast loading times and have regular backups of your website.
How Much Does Hosting Cost?
A decent shared hosting package for starting out typically costs $3-10 per month (about 400-1,300 KES), or $36-$100 (about 4,000 to 12,000 KES) per year. Of course, this depends on what your website will need to load fast and serve the number of visitors you estimate to have.
The key is to find a balance. Too cheap means slow speeds and unreliable service. Too expensive and you’re probably paying for resources you won’t use. You can start with a basic package and upgrade as your site and traffic grows.
So in conclusion…
Think of web hosting as rent for your online space. You’re paying for a reliable place to keep your website so customers can find you anytime, anywhere. It’s a necessary monthly (or yearly) expense, like utilities for your physical business.
Ready to get your website online? I handle all the technical hosting setup so you don’t have to worry about servers, uptime, or any of that complicated stuff.