What is Web Hosting and Why Do You Need It?
Web hosting allows you to make your website accessible via the World Wide Web. Customers cannot visit your website on the Internet if you don’t have a domain name and a website host.
Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server or the cloud, owned or leased for use by their customers. They also provide Internet connectivity. Your website is just a collection of files and a database. Without a server, no one would be able to see or use your website.
Recommended Website Hosting Providers
We at Bizzy Bizzy recommend Bluehost or Flywheel because of their great customer service and support. Both offer a free SSL certificate (Secure Socket Layer), which helps with both security and search engine optimization. Bluehost is one of WordPress.org’s recommended providers, and offers very affordable website hosting. We have found that Flywheel has very tech savvy and responsive technical support.
Website hosting for a regular small business or organization should cost around $15 -30/month. If you have a very large site, tons of images or a virtual private server (VPS), it will cost more. There are also optional features you might be through your website host that could add to the cost, including email, security features and more.
Flywheel has hosting and services specifically for WordPress, and their servers seem to be faster than most. They also offer a free site migration if you are switching website hosts, which is a huge value.
If you use a proprietary website platform such as Wix or Squarespace, hosting is usually included in the monthly price.
Domain Registration
Most website hosts will also provide domain registration services. A domain is the URL of your website such as (www.bizzybizzycreative.com). However, you can have your domain registered somewhere separate from your website host. A domain name usually costs $10-15/year, and you must keep renewing this in order to prevent someone else from buying your website name. You may also want domain privacy, which makes it so your name, address and phone number are not public information associated with your domain.
If you sign up for a domain or website hosting with a company, be sure you know what you are getting and please make sure to write down your user name and password or account information! This way when you hire a professional website designer in Madison or elsewhere, you can provide the necessary information to make your website live on the World Wide Web.
Disclosure: We are an affiliate partner of Bluehost and Flywheel.
