Today, many businesses operate online, so to be competitive, you'll need a website. To make your business’s website publicly available to potential customers, you need web hosting. Read on for a basic guide to this essential service.

4 FAQ About Web Hosting

What is web hosting?

Every time you visit a website, your computer is communicating with another computer that holds the information contained on that page. While it is possible to keep the information that makes up your site on your own computer, the site will only be available when your computer is turned on and connected to the internet, and too much traffic can slow your computer down or crash it.

Instead, most websites are hosted on dedicated computers called servers. You pay to rent space on a server that will make your website available 24/7 without crashing due to traffic.

Why is it important?

Having your website hosted on a server makes it accessible at any time and increases the number of people who can view it at once. This is vital for a business page, as customers may get frustrated and go elsewhere if a website is inaccessible. Many web hosting services will also back up your data to protect it, so you can restore your site in the event of hacking or other issues.

What will I need?

Web hosting is different from designing, creating, and coding a site. Paying for web hosting is like renting office space; you still have to fill the space in order to make money from the business. Some businesses offer both design and hosting services, but otherwise, you will need to buy them separately and put your designer or IT service in touch with your hosting provider to get the site online.

How do I choose the right plan?

A web hosting service may offer shared, VPS, or dedicated hosting plans. The type of plan you choose determines how much server space you get, which determines how much traffic your site can handle. Very small businesses can choose a shared plan, in which your site inhabits a small space on a server that also handles other low-traffic sites.

If you expect your traffic to spike higher, you can get more space with a VPS plan. If you're running a larger business and want one or more servers just for your site, opt for dedicated hosting.

For affordable web hosting and other computer services, choose Absolute Computers in Sanford, NC. Serving Lee County for over 20 years, these experts cater to both residents and business owners with their repair and support services. They also offer computers for sale. To get started, call (919) 777-9125 or visit their website.