Web hosting explained and what it is.
We all know what a website is and what it is used for, but what actually is web hosting? Well in simple terms, it is where your website lives. This could be a PC at home, a laptop, or most commonly it would reside on a server (or servers) at a data center/hosting provider.
Why do I need web hosting?
Without a web host your website wouldn’t exist and no one would be able to see it. Right, that would be terrible! There are all kinds of technical “thingies” that has to be present for you to get that beautiful website out in front of everyone’s eyes.
- Server – We briefly covered this requirement up top, but that’s right we need a physical (or virtual) device to provide some of the resources below.
- Networking – Yep we need bandwidth! Oh yeah and an IP Address so it can actually be found!
- Storage – You have to have someone to store all of your files: images, videos, articles, etc.
- Electricity – This is a given of course.
- Security – Who wants their website to get compromised, that’s right no one!
There are a ton of other things that can be included in what all makes a website happen, just take our word for it.
So I really do need web hosting, but can I use my own?
Of course you can! We aren’t here to tie you down and force you to use our hosting plans. We just want to make things easier on you and help in any way we can. Matter a fact, we can recommend some other web hosting companies we use as well.
Recommendations: Web Hosting Companies
We have, and still use all the hosting options below. Each have their own reasons why you’d want to pick them, but you can’t go wrong with any.
Just for disclosure purposes, these are affiliate links and we do receive a percentage of any purchased items.
SiteGround
If you are looking for a web host with a great control panel and options, you can’t go wrong with SiteGround. There are options to host in their Texas datacenter for those of you interested in keeping it closer. Like the other comparable hosting providers, SiteGround is feature packed and has tons of upgrades.
Hostinger
Probably one of the easiest hosts to learn and maintain, Hostinger offers a great control panel. We found some options are a bit harder to find when swapping between features, but overall it’s a beginners dream. Hostinger also has some of the cheapest plans when it comes to VPS or other hosting options.
Bluehost
Recommended for years, Bluehost is a top web host for any type of hosting you are looking to do. They have options for sites hosted in Texas, which is great to have options close to home. Bluehost has a feature packed control panel, but may take a bit more to get used to compared to others.
HostGator
HostGator has some of the best high end hosting and dedicated servers we’ve worked with over the years. You may need a bit more knowledge on hosting and servers, but overall their service is top tier. A Texas company with datacenters in Texas as well.
