“The highest number of websites to be available online is 1 billion; this happened in 2014, but the number eventually declined and is expected to be achievable again by mid 2016”.
There are currently 966 million websites in the world today. Quite a lot, right? Free Servers states that web hosting is the foundation that makes your website available to be viewed by others on the Internet. A Web Hosting Guide host provides space on its server, so that other computers around the world can access your website by means of a network or modem. There are literally thousands of web hosting services available today, ranging from free services with limited options to expensive, specialized business web hosting services. Which option you choose depends primarily on how you plan to use your website and how much you want to spend.
A number of Internet access providers, such as America Online, offer subscribers free space for a small Web site that is hosted by one of their computers. GeoCities is a website that offers registered visitors similar free space for a website. While these services are free, they are also very basic. A number of hosting companies describe their services as virtual hosting. Virtual hosting usually implies that their services will be transparent and that each website will have its own domain name and set of e-mail addresses. In most usages, hosting and virtual hosting are synonyms. Some hosting companies let you have your own virtual server, the appearance that you are controlling a server that is dedicated entirely to your site.
A web host can have anywhere from one to several thousand computers that run web hosting software, such as Apache, OS X Server, or Windows Server. These are the most common web hosting services types:
1. Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
Many people put up their first websites through their ISPs, because it’s generally easy and cheap. Most ISP service packages include a small amount of free web space, along with tools to create and upload websites quickly and easily. ISP websites are perfect for people who want to put up small sites with low amounts of traffic. However, most of them are usually rate-restricted, and don’t offer a lot of features, so they might not be the best choice for a thriving business website.
2. Free Web Hosting:
Free web hosting is another good option for smaller, personal websites. There are many free hosting providers that offer all types of features. The drawback to most free hosting services is that they are funded by advertising that appears on your site, so free web hosting is generally best for personal, rather than business, websites.
3. Paid Hosting:
With paid hosting, you pay a fee for space and services on a web hosting provider’s server. Monthly fees can range from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. Obviously, the more you pay, the more features you should have at your disposal. Services can include database support, e-commerce, additional space on the server, extra bandwidth, and more.
4. Domain Hosting:
A very good option for small businesses is to pay for domain hosting. Domain hosting allows you to host your site anywhere you like: on an ISP, a free hosting service, or even your own server. You buy a domain name and have the provider forward all requests for that domain to the actual web location. This is often less expensive than buying both the domain and the hosting service, and it allows businesses to brand their URLs.
5. Collocation:
Collocation is an option for businesses that want to run their own web servers and machines, but don’t want to have to maintain them directly. With collocation, the website owner places its own server on the premises of its ISP or other host, where it is stored, maintained, and provided with an uninterrupted power supply. Collocation provides security and protection for your server while still giving you control of your own equipment.
In order to publish your own website, you’ll need to sign up for a web hosting service. Finding a good web host shouldn’t be too hard, since there are thousands available. Just make sure the web host you choose offers good technical support and ensures no downtime. Also safety is a must-have –according to Hosting Facts, in 2016 only 44% of web traffic is from humans; a massive 56% of web traffic is from bots, impersonators, hacking tools and spammers.
MI Group has an offer regarding the registration of your own domain name. You can check it out by clicking here. Contact us today! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @MIGroupJamaica @MIGroupUSA @MIGroupBahamas @MyDealsToday