Blog: GV Explains

What Is Website Hosting and Why Is It Important?


Every business needs a digital platform where customers can locate them through an online search, but many companies need help understanding how to start their websites.

From hiring a web designer to writing clever sales copy, putting together a website can be complex and involves a few different moving pieces. However, you can’t do anything without quality website hosting.

How does website hosting work, and why does it matter for your business? This guide will walk you through all the details to find the perfect host for your new webpage.

What Is Website Hosting?

Let’s start with the basics: what is website hosting? All websites need a place to store their data, from the design elements to the sales copy. This data is not stored directly on your computer. Instead, it is stored through an online hosting service that keeps your website visible to the public.

Data may be stored in the cloud or on a dedicated server, but this distinction is not ultimately your responsibility.

Once you have a virtual address for your website (also known as a domain name), you will need a place to store your data and ensure that this address is accessible to the public.

Companies responsible for storing your documents are known as “hosting services.” They can significantly affect your website’s overall functioning and impact your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

Here are a few things you should look for in a quality website hosting service:

Speed

When you visit a website, how long do you wait for it to load? Most people become frustrated in just a few seconds if the page takes too long to reveal its contents.

As a result, your customers may bounce off your page before they even have an opportunity to see what you have to offer. A good website hosting service should have considerable speed.

Not only does speed impact how many people will view your page, but it also influences your SEO. Pages that take too long to load offer a poor user experience, and Google tends to demote them in the search engine result pages (SERPs).

Security

How is your website information protected? You spend a lot of time refreshing content. Chances are you spent a lot of time or money designing your website. Keep your site up and running by choosing a website hosting that values security.

A few of the hallmarks you need to look for include the following:

  • SSL (secure sockets layer) availability
  • Backup and restore functions
  • DDoS attack mitigation
  • Malware scanning

With these functions in place, you are less likely to experience downtime with your website. Your hosting company should have multiple security layers to protect your data.

This consideration leads us to the next factor you should measure: uptime.

Uptime

When your website is down, your customers can’t find you, which can cost you in the long run. This possibility is why uptime is such an essential factor to look for in website hosting.

Uptime can be calculated by determining how many minutes your website was unavailable for the entire month. Usually, it will be less than an hour with a good host.

If you are shopping for quality website hosting, the accepted rule is to look for at least 99.9 percent uptime. However, many people prefer higher percentages, such as 99.99 percent, which would mean that their website was down for just a few minutes or less each month.

Support

Even if you are highly tech-savvy, there are likely to be times when you need support for your website. Ensure that your website hosting company offers you the customer service you need to streamline your experience. Look for multiple contact options, including phone, email, and web chat support.

You should also ensure they are available 24/7 because you never know when your website will need support.

Why Good Website Hosting Matters

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Website hosting is crucial if you want your business to grow in this digital age. Even if the business isn’t necessarily conducted solely online (like an eCommerce business), a quality website and its hosting service play a significant role in your business. An efficient website is typically linked to improved revenue for the company.

If you want your business to grow, you need a high-performing website. This site legitimizes your company and allows you to compete with other local businesses.

You can build a solid brand and increase your sales simply by having a quality website — and by extension, a good website hosting company. You need a site that is functional most of the time, and that can enhance your SEO efforts.

Quality hosting also allows you to influence the user experience on the page. A page that loads quickly keeps users from bouncing off in search of another site. Because users will likely stay on your page and interact with you for longer, search engines will conclude that your website is helpful.

Useful websites rank higher in the SERPs and can make a difference in how many customers find you.

As a result, all these things lead to increased revenue for your business. Bring in more clients and keep them happy with a website that engages them and is easy for them to find.

Finding the Right Website Host

Whether you are looking for a quality website hosting service or maintenance for an existing page, Get Visible is here to help. We offer a secure experience for your website with hosting and maintenance to keep your page running the way you want. Get Visible helps increase traffic to your website with reliable uptime and mobile-friendly updates.

If you are thinking about switching to a new web host that has better results, or you are thinking about starting a website, contact Get Visible today for a no-obligation consultation. We can provide you with a free performance review to see where you can save time and money with your hosting service. Reach out to us today to learn more!