If you’re looking to get your business off the ground, the first thing that you need is a high-quality website. Having an online presence is incredibly important to reach your target audience. Your website is a key platform for you to interact with your customer and offer a platform for your customers to make a purchase or a booking. A well-designed website also gives you credibility and reliability; two key components for growing and sustaining your customer base. You need to find the right web hosting service for your business.
In the last few decades, hundreds of web hosting providers are now in business, offering an array of website hosting services. If you’re new to the world of web hosting and owning or running your own website, it’ll quickly become incredibly overwhelming. Here at catalyst2 we understand the issues that are faced with hosting and we’re dedicated to making all of this as straightforward as possible.
Our web hosting packages are designed to be flexible to the needs of your business, providing everything you need to get started. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for in a web hosting service and you’re confused about how to make the most of your website, then we’ve put together some pointers to help you make an informed decision.
What is Web Hosting?
So you’ve recently invested in a new website. Perhaps you’ve designed it yourself or you’ve had a designer do it for you. It’s simple to navigate and represents your brand or has a shopping cart for your customers to make their purchases. It is a functioning site that intrinsically reflects your business. The only question now is how to make it visible? The answer to this is web hosting. Web hosting is when you rent or buy a space on the internet for your website. This isn’t the same as website building but some web hosting sites offer you the chance to build your website through them as well as hosting.
With these services, you get to design your website based on a template, and they will do the hard work of coding for you using languages HTML or CSS to create and maintain your website. Alternatively, there are web hosts that will just offer you hosting services. Web hosting is what keeps your page up on the internet and accessible to your customers. Web hosting services take your website, once it has been built, and hosted on a server, which is what makes it viewable to anyone who has access to the internet.
The server itself is a computer that connects web users around the world to individual web pages. Finding the right web hosting service with the right server, connectivity and associated services is the key to having a successful website. Different web hosting services offer different packages, depending on what type of website you’re looking to build and the plans that you might have for them. Here at catalyst2, for example, we offer a variety of different packages that you can choose from, depending on your needs and budget.
Understanding the Different Types of Web Hosting
Not all web hosting services are created equal, and understanding the different types of web hosting will be able to make it easier for you to choose which type of hosting is right for your website. There is Shared Hosting, Virtual Private Servers and Dedicated Hosting to name just a few. Each of which come with their own benefits. Understanding a little more about each of them will make the process of deciding a little easier.
- Shared Hosting
Shared Hosting is an ideal choice for those who have built their first, entry-level website. As the name suggests, shared hosting puts your website on the same server as other websites, all of which share the same server resources; server resources include things like Random Access Memory and Central Processing Units.
This means that it’s ideal for those starting their first website, particularly if you’re a small business owner or a community group or even a blogger because the costs are significantly less. The convenience and the simple approach makes shared hosting worth the price of slower server availability.
- Virtual Private Server Hosting
For those looking for a step up from a shared server but without the extra expense of a dedicated server, there is the Virtual Private Server (VPS). This is ideal for those looking for more control over their website because it allows you to host your websites in their own space, though it does still share a physical server with other users.
VPS hosting provides you with more customisation options and storage space, though it still can’t handle the high traffic levels and spikes that dedicated hosting offers you. They are still a great choice, however, if you’re looking for the next step towards a dedicated server.
- Dedicated Server hosting
This is the pinnacle of physical web hosting. It allows you to have full control over your website and the server that it’s stored on. Unlike the other server options, Dedicated doesn’t require you to share your server with another website, which means that you use it exclusively. You’re in control of everything from the root and admin access to the operating system that you run.
This is something that most businesses need as they grow, especially as it ensures that you can manage the high levels of traffic that your website will be experiencing. But all these benefits come with a price and a steep one at that.
A Dedicated server is the most expensive hosting option, which is definitely something to consider when you’re making your decision. If you can’t afford a dedicated server, then you can still get an excellent web hosting service on a different platform.
If you’re not sure exactly which is the best server choice for your business, then you can get some advice from our expert team by contacting us today. We’d be happy to discuss the right server for your business and that suits your budget.
Deciding on which Web Hosting Service is Right for you
Choosing the right plan for your web hosting service can make all the difference to the success of your website. Every web host has a variety of different packages, which all bring with them different benefits and limitations. Which package you pick is entirely up to you. But you should choose one that offers you everything that your business needs, including internet speed and bandwidth.
While generally people recommend choosing the most affordable package to begin with, as it allows you to build up alongside your business, this isn’t always the ideal choice. We would suggest that you first consider all of your needs, including budget. These will include how much bandwidth you’ll need. Limitations with bandwidth can mean that you incur extra costs if you go over the contracted amount. It’s important that you make sure you have enough bandwidth for the traffic that you’re expecting. You can always start small and upgrade over time.
You also need to consider how much storage you need, particularly if you have a multimedia website. A website that is just text can be off-putting to a customer, so you’ll need images and videos of your products or services. Unfortunately, this means that you need enough storage space to support these images. While some web hosts might claim to offer unlimited service, this isn’t always as good as it sounds. Make sure you know exactly how much storage you have and that it will support your large media files to avoid running into trouble in the future.
Once you have considered all of these points, you’ll be able to choose the right web hosting service, something that you may well find with our team at catalyst2.
Why Choose catalyst2?
catalyst2 has spent the last two decades perfecting our web hosting services; you know that you’re going to be receiving the very best assistance when you work with us. We’re one of the most trusted sources of quality web hosting in the country and we know that we have the perfect package for your business.
Our cheapest package is just £11.99 per year, which is designed to be affordable for even the very smallest of startups because all new businesses should have reliable web hosting services. This service has everything you need to get started, including 5GB of data transfer, which will be ample to get your business running.
If you’d like to find out more about our web hosting packages or if you have any questions about our service and how they’ll benefit your business, then feel free to call us today on 0800 107 7979.
