The host is any computer or machine connected to a network by means of a defined IP number and domain that is responsible for offering resources, information and services to users. It is also known as hosting, host or host. An example of a hosting service is the Internet, which connects devices such as personal computers, servers and more.
When we are going to create a blog or website, a number of details have to be taken into account so that we don’t have problems in the future. One of them is the choice of host or website hosting.
Do you know what a host is? Unsure which one to choose for your blog? In our article, we will tell you everything you need to know about website hosting and what are the best options for you!
What is a host?
The host is any computer or machine connected to a network through a defined IP number and domain. Your responsibility is to provide resources, information and services to users.
The most widely used host service is the Internet, which connects devices such as personal computers, servers and workstations that transmit data through websites, images, texts and the like.
Therefore, website hosting servers are also considered Internet Hosts, as they have a central machine that is connected without interruptions while storing and sending data to the websites.
In addition, a good hosting service needs to guarantee that, if any problem occurs on the server, another one will take over immediately.
After all, if your website goes down, you need to be back as soon as possible so that your business is not harmed, right? For this reason, the central machine must be connected to the internet 24 hours a day.
And, to make sure that your information is not lost, it is recommended to work with services that have this guarantee, in addition to backing up your website files. When looking for a server to host your website, remember to be aware of these observations.
However, when we talk about hosts, we must remember that there are other forms of networking besides the internet. For example, a router responsible for the network where multiple computers connect to each other via an IP can also be considered a host.
Therefore, if your company’s computers are also connected via the network using the same IP, we are talking about a host. But, here in this article, we’re going to focus on hosts for hosting websites and how they work.
How does a host work?
Every time you open your browser and enter the address of a website, a connection to the server on which it is hosted is made for you to access it. Thus, the name of the website is converted to an IP address and all the content appears on your screen.
For example, our website, bloggercage.com, is connected to a server via IP 209.159.154.250, which is connected every time someone accesses it.
Since each IP is unique, it is not possible to have two different sites with the same URLs, as this would cause several different addresses to refer you to the same page on the web.
For this to be coordinated globally, that is, so that you can access any website anywhere in the world, there is an organization called ICANN ( Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers or “ Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ” ), responsible for assigning domain names and IP addresses, so that they work on the internet on a worldwide scale.
What are the main features that a host should offer?
Now let’s check what are the most important features that a host needs to have.
Disk space for storage
The disk space of a hosting refers to the size of the space that a server makes available to store the content of your website. That is, both your texts and images, files and the like are inserted in this space.
Thus, when creating your website or blog, all content is stored in that space so that each new article published, for example, starts to occupy a part of it.
In shared hosting, which we will talk about later in this post, you share this space with other customers. In the dedicated host service and VPS, space is fixed and restricted only to your website.
Transfer rate
The transfer rate refers to the amount of information sent by a page. Usually, it is measured monthly in gigabytes and, the bigger it is, the higher the price of hosting is usually.
So, if you have a corporate website or blog, hiring a hosting with 1 GB of transfer can be enough.
On the other hand, for sites that receive more than a thousand visits a day, such as e-commerces, it is recommended a hosting between 2 and 5 GB at least, especially if you have a lot of media files.
Let’s say, for example, that you insert a presentation video on the homepage of your website and that it occupies 1 MB of space. If you have an average of 100 daily visits that view the video, it means that the site will need 100 MB daily throughput, which is equivalent to 3000 MB, or 3 GB, monthly.
Email Accounts
Some hosting services allow you to have email accounts that carry the name of the contracted domain, for example, yourname@username.com.
This is important for professional websites or blogs that want to convey a more serious image than those using personal email servers like Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo.
However, one should be aware of the limit allowed by the server to create and maintain email accounts. After all, if your idea is to have only one account for exchanging messages, there will certainly be no problems. But, if the intention is to create unlimited emails for many people, it is important to check with the hosting service about this possibility beforehand.
Database
The database is the tool used to store and organize the information on your website or blog. Let’s look at an example to make this clearer: you have a blog and have a form that the visitor needs to fill out to download an ebook.
This information, after being sent by your visitors, is stored in a database. One of the most well-known managers is MySQL, offered by servers that allow you to easily create databases. In fact, installations of websites or blogs created in WordPress require the identification of the database in order to be successfully installed.
What are the types of host?
Choosing the type of host is the first step to be taken when hosting a website and this decision must be made in a very correct way to avoid problems in the future. For this, it is necessary to know what resources your website will need, the configurations that should be made, among other points.
So, see some types of the host that are available.
Cloud Server
Cloud Server is the term adopted for the processing and storage of data through several interconnected machines and committed to performing the same tasks that would be performed on a single machine. All cloud servers process these applications in the cloud, that is, in a virtual way.
The advantages of cloud computing are the high availability, the ease of connectivity and the reduced initial investment that sites with this type of hosting can have.
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is the most used type in the world, mainly because of the cost-benefit, since the user can have several tools for a low price.
There, the website is hosted on a group of servers whose resources are shared by many users. Thus, each site shares a server with good technology and security systems.
Therefore, shared hosting is more suitable for beginner or intermediate sites that have little traffic and access.
Dedicated server
A dedicated server is a computer that is configured for data processing and that allows you to access files and run software remotely.
In the case of website hosting, it is a server connected 24 hours a day over a high-speed link. This makes it preferred by website owners who have higher traffic or are intended to host applications that require maximum performance and confidentiality of the information hosted.
Free and paid hosting: how to know which is the best for you?
When choosing hosting for your website or blog, you can choose one that is free or paid. And to find out which one will suit you best, here are the main points that should be taken into account.
The first step is to identify when your company is in Digital Marketing, in order to know which type of hiring will be the most suitable.
If you don’t already have a website or blog, you can start with free hosting. Generally, they have limitations, such as a maximum amount of monthly visitors, for example. Despite this, it may be enough for sites that are starting to build traffic.
Discover the benefits of a free host
Now let’s see what are the main advantages that you will have when having a free website hosting.
economy
The first benefit, of course, is that you don’t have to pay a single cent for the host. This is particularly interesting for those looking to have a personal blog or simply try out the server services before hiring a paid plan.
Immediate start
While the services of a paid host are only released after payment is made, when you choose a free server, they are released instantly.
Since a website is the main channel of a digital marketing strategy, it is worth starting to put yours into practice within minutes when creating your website for free.
See the benefits of a paid host
Now let’s see the main advantages when hiring a paid server.
More hosting space
All the components of your website – text, images, files and so on – take up space on the server. When you hire a paid host, you have more space to store them.
This is very important, especially when creating WordPress websites or blogs, because, depending on the theme you choose and the plugins you use, you will need to have a hosting space larger than that of free servers.
Greater capacity to receive visits
The shopping journey in digital media usually starts with visits to your website or blog, so attracting an increasing number of visitors is the first step to be taken to build your sales funnel.
Unlike the free host, the paid service offers greater capacity for monthly visits. Therefore, it is better to opt for a paid server when the objective is to attract many visitors, both organically and via paid media.
Extra tools and services
When hiring a host, you also have tools offered by the server, such as periodic backup of all files on the site. In addition, some extra services can also accompany the hiring, with 24-hour support being the most important.
In addition, you may also have access to a webmail service that allows you to create an email in the format yourname@username-site.com. It is a tool that gives your website a more professional look.
What are the best hosts for blogs and websites?
When it comes time to choose the best type of accommodation, it is common to be in doubt between choosing an Indian service or a foreigner. After all, there are servers outside the country that usually offer some additional licenses and support in Hindi if the company has a branch in India.
On the other hand, national servers have the advantage of having a faster data transfer speed, as local visitors can connect to servers that are closer.
Thus, we have separated here the 12 best hosts for you to take into account when hosting your website.
Hostgator
Hostgator is a global provider of hosting sites that also offers other services such as creating websites, reseller hosting, and email professional.
The company was founded in the United States but has had an office in Brazil since 2007 and today is positioned as the third-largest company in its segment in the country.
GoDaddy
The GoDaddy offers web hosting, domain registration, and SEO services aimed at optimizing the registered sites in search systems, as well as solutions for email marketing and support in Portuguese in Brazil.
GoDaddy was also founded in the United States and is located today in Silicon Valley, where there are also other companies, such as Google and Facebook.
Locaweb
The Locaweb came up with a solution for those seeking digital presence through the creation of a website. In addition to hosting, the company also offers solutions for dedicated servers, website creator, email marketing and a channel for the public to find professionals and website development agencies.
The company is Brazilian and is also known for promoting events and meetings with IT professionals and entrepreneurs across the country.
UOL Host
In addition to creating and hosting websites, UOL Host also has services for creating a virtual store and publicizing the business through email marketing, Google Adwords and UOL Ads. There are also an affiliate and affiliate programs for those interested.
As it is a Brazilian company, all servers are in the national territory.
Homehost
The homehost was one of the first companies to offer hosting services on cPanel in Brazil. Today it also has domain registries and corporate services, such as reselling and hosting SSD sites.
In terms of infrastructure, it operates with its own data center, two types of processors on the servers and protection with three types of firewalls.
Hostinger
The Hostinger provides a tool for creating websites and hosting 100% free, although it has some limitations on the tools and the host.
Those who want to have a professional website should opt for paid plans, which can include cloud infrastructure, dedicated IP, disk space and unlimited email.
Host1Plus
The Host1Plus was founded in London, England, and is now other eight locations, including Brazil.
In addition to web hosting, cloud servers and reseller hosting, they also offer hosting on a VPS server, that is, a virtual private server that, unlike the shared server, prevents the site from being affected by others that are hosted on the same server.
HostMedia
The HostMídia is a leading provider of domain registration, web hosting, VPS and dedicated servers as well as stability and security. The main focus is to provide quality products and differentiated service to customers.
KingHost
The KingHost is more a national company that provides safety, support technician and servers 100% Brazilian.
In addition to hosting, its services also include website creation, hosting resale, dedicated servers, email marketing and email antispam.
There are also plans for Java developers, ColdFusion, Python, Ruby on Rails, among others.
Hostnet
The Hostnet began as a solution provider company to the internet and now has four hosting services focused on creating websites and online stores.
Its business solutions also include ready-made websites, professional email and SSL certificate.
Redehost
The Redehost has been operating for 13 years in the market and serves customers throughout Brazil, currently the only company in the country where the operation is 100% in cloud computing.
Furthermore, its email solutions are also very complete: email exchange, professional email, email marketing and marketing automation are some of the services offered by Redehost.
What mistakes should be avoided when hiring a host?
Now that you understand what a host is, know its features and know which are the most suitable to hire, preventing some errors is also part of choosing a good hosting. We bring here the main ones.
Do not check the quality of the support
It is common not to give much importance to support when hiring a hosting company. However, the support function goes far beyond answering questions. It involves, above all, assisting the customer in case the service presents problems.
For example: imagine if you lose access to your website’s admin panel because of a modification done the wrong way. In such cases, the most effective way to resolve this issue is by contacting support.
And if your business has an online store, the longer the site is down, the greater your loss. It turns out that this can be resolved quickly by good support.
Do not check the service quality
Have you ever accessed a website that takes a long time to load or just about goes offline? Certainly, their owners did not check the quality of the servers when hiring a provider.
Therefore, make sure that the quality of the service you are hiring is very good, especially since speed and availability are two ranking factors in Google searches.
Pages that are slow and constantly go off the air do not win good positions in the online ranking and, therefore, are unlikely to achieve the first results.
Evaluate price only
When it comes to hosting websites, you can be sure that high and low prices do not determine the quality of the service.
Therefore, make an analysis of the prices of all the products you find to choose the one that best suits you and for a value that fits in your pocket.
Don’t search for business
You also need to know who you’re buying from. For this reason, a survey to find out which companies have the best market and public evaluation, as well as those with low evaluation rates, is essential.
If a company offers a good service, there will be trusted sources on the web recommending their services. On the other hand, if a company provides low-quality services, many complaints will certainly appear in the search results.
If you avoid these 4 mistakes, you will have no headaches when hosting your website on a host’s server. Since the performance of a website directly influences the image that your company has on the web, it is essential that the hosting is done well.
How can the choice of hosting impact your SEO?
For your website to be found in the organic results of search engines like Google, it is necessary that it is well structured in terms of SEO.
However, just having content optimized for a given keyword and that has scannability, heading tags, among other elements, is not enough to achieve a good ranking.
Therefore, we will present what should be taken into account when choosing a host that benefits your SEO.
Loading speed
The loading time of a website should be up to three seconds. After all, this is the maximum time that users usually wait when they visit a page. Because of this, Google takes into account the loading speed to place a website among the first search results.
Safety
Since August 2018, having an SSL certificate has become a key factor in ranking. Even though sites that are not secure may still appear, those that start with https instead of Http will take precedence.
Therefore, when hiring a web host, make sure that it offers a security certificate for your website or blog.
Uptime
Uptime is a computer’s uptime, that is, it corresponds to the period when it is on and operating without interruptions.
Thus, in the case of hosting, the term is used to indicate when the server is available and can be accessed by both administrators and website visitors.
What are the terms you should know when hiring a server?
Finally, let us now see the main terms within the universe of hosts that you need to know when hiring one for your website.
DNS
DNS stands for Domain Name System, that is, it is responsible for locating and translating IP numbers to the URLs that we type in the browser’s address bar.
Domain
The domain is the text used in the address and it can be composed of the name of your website followed by some extension, for example, .com, .com.br, .blog.br, among others.
Some companies that provide hosting service also offer the domain. But, if you have already purchased it elsewhere, when hiring the host, you will need to make a note of your domain to the server’s DNS.
Backup
Although some people with programming knowledge have the habit of backing up on their own, it is recommended that the host has this function.
So, if you need to restore your website or blog to the way it was before or even if, due to an oversight, you lose its files, you can count on the backup.
SSL
Since secure sites benefit from Google ranking, it is necessary for yours to have an SSL certificate. The servers usually give it with the hosting or sell it as a separate service.
The certificate changes your site from http to https, indicating to the visitor that browsing is safe. In cases of virtual stores that operate with a credit card, the presence of the certificate is more than essential.
FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, that is, a file transfer protocol that exchanges between two computers connected to the internet.
In practical terms, it represents the moment when you send files – such as images, videos and documents – from your computer to your website. Although most servers have a file manager, you can also use specific programs, such as FileZilla, to do this type of transmission.
As you have seen throughout this guide, choosing a host should take into account several factors, in order to avoid problems related to unavailability, slowness or lack of support.