To make your website visible on the web, your site files and data must be physically stored on a computer that is constantly connected to the internet. These large, high powered computers are called Web Servers. Website hosts are companies that physically house multiple web servers in one location (what is sometimes referred to as a Data Center). In addition to hosting the servers, website hosts provide the software, security, support, and the bandwidth necessary to connect your website to the internet. Think of a website hosting company like a shopping mall that contains several individual stores. If you want to open a store at the mall you have to lease a space to setup shop. Just like a mall, hosting companies enable you to lease space on their web servers where you can store your website contents and make them available to everybody on the internet.
To accommodate a wide variety of websites and customers needs, there are a variety of hosting solutions. Hosting solutions are broadly categorized based on the amount of server space you need for your website files, and the monthly amount of bandwidth your site consumes. Bandwidth refers to the amount of data being transferred (higher traffic sites require more bandwidth).
Consider your shop again… Suppose you sell only handmade bracelets; You have a small, unique product offering, so you don’t need, nor you want, to lease the same amount of space as a big department store. Instead, you can lease a smaller store in the mall that gives you just enough space for your goods and cost less money.
Other things to consider
Beyond server space and bandwidth, there are other things to consider when selecting a hosting solution:
- Your budget
- Ease of use or complexity of the solution
- The level of flexibility or customization the solution allows
- Privacy and security features
How can we help
Infinities offers a wide variety of hosting solutions to fit every budget and need. To determine which hosting solution is best for you, feel free to browse our offerings from as low as $2.49/month.