The Role of Web Hosting and Domain Names in Your Online Success
You probably already have heard it a couple of times, you need to establish an online presence to achieve online success. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to achieve this, like choosing the right web hosting service and your domain name.
Think of it this way, the internet is the physical world, your domain name is the address of your shop while your chosen web hosting service is the real estate it is located. Naturally, as the shop owner, you want your “shop” to have the best of both to get the most customers.
So, in this article, we will help you achieve just that. Here, we will discuss why they are important for your business, and how to choose a domain name and a web hosting service that fits your business.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is an online service that is provided by third-party agencies that enable you to publish your website and your content on the internet.
Going back to the shop metaphor, web hosting is renting a real estate space for your shop—the only difference is that it is a server that is connected to the internet.
In addition, you also need a place to store the things you need to do business, these refer to all the files that go into your website such as pictures, text, videos, and other things. So, naturally, you need a web hosting service that is trustworthy to make sure all your stuff is safe.
With that said, good web hosting also provides you with a couple of benefits:
- Website Performance
A reliable web host makes sure that your website loads fast.
- Uptime And Reliability
Reliable web hosts also make sure that your website is up most of the time and has short downtimes.
- Technical Support
They also provide good customer support to assist you with any technical issues and troubleshoot as fast as possible to avoid any further complications.
- Security
Good web hosts provide solid security to protect your website and user data from potential threats.
- Backup And Recovery
They also conduct regular backups to make it easy to restore and safeguard your website’s data in case of loss or emergencies.
- Search Engine optimization (SEO) and Search Rankings
Concerning website speed and consistent uptime, this also helps you climb up the ranks to make your website more visible to your target audience.
What is a domain name?
On the other hand, a domain name is the address of your business. You want your shop to be found as easily as possible. In this case, you need a simple domain name for your website that is memorable.
Imagine your favorite store or popular website that you often visit. The difference between these two is at one is in real life and the other is in the digital space. But what makes them so similar is that they are both easy to find.
A good domain name also provides you with several benefits:
- Brand Identity
It is the first thing that your audience sees. As such, you have the opportunity to create a lasting impression on them with your domain name.
- Trustworthiness
A well-chosen domain name shows your relevance to your industry and how sincere you are about your business.
- SEO
Most domain names also include relevant keywords to ensure better search rankings.
- Easy to Remember
Concise domain names are easy to remember and easier to find.
- Branding Opportunities
Concerning brand identity, you can also use your domain name for branding opportunities to further audience reach.
- Consistency
Using your brand name as your domain name creates uniformity across platforms that makes it easier for people to find your website and your business.
- Protection
Registering your domain name ensures that your competitors or malicious actors do not tarnish your business’s reputation or syphon your organic traffic.
The Importance of Domain Name and Web Hosting
There is no denying that web hosting and a good domain name are very important to your business’s online success.
In fact, without a domain name, it would be very hard and confusing for people to find your website. On the other hand, without good web hosting, people would not be able to enjoy visiting your website because of constant technical issues.
As such, here are a couple of tips to help you choose a domain name and web hosting service.
Choosing A Domain Name
There really is no rule to choosing a good domain name. However, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind when you are brainstorming for one.
- Length
Make it short and sweet, a great way to do that is by sticking to two to three words only.
- Simplicity
Avoid using complicated and uncommon words as much as possible that way it is easy to remember and easy to spell.
- Keywords
One way to also make sure that your website is easy to find is by adding relevant keywords to your domain name.
- Brand Name
Make sure that your domain name reflects your brand name. It is a straightforward way to ensure that people instantly recognize your brand when they visit your website.
Choosing A Web Hosting Service
Your website is your virtual storefront, as such, you want it to be in the best real estate space. To do that, there are a couple of things you need to consider before you choose a WordPress hosting service provider.
- Price
How much are you willing to allocate for a hosting service? Depending on your answer, you can opt to check all the service providers’ packages or choose the best and most trusted provider and adjust your budget accordingly.
Whichever you choose, remember it is still not wise to choose the cheapest option available. Going for the bare minimum can spell disaster down the line, so you still need to balance value for money.
- Speed
One of the important things that you have to always check about your web hosting service provider is how long for your website to load. This is one of the keys determining factors that will help shape your decision on which company to choose.
Here are a couple of ways to check a server’s performance:
- Time to First Byte (TTFB) – How long it takes for the first byte of a page to load.
- Component Loading Time – This refers to the time it takes for a server to load cached content.
- Storage and Bandwidth
How much storage does a certain server provide to be able to hold data? Usually, the average size is around 2MB. But, keep in mind as your website grows so do its data requirements.
On the other hand, bandwidth is about how much data you can transfer within a set timeline or period. Most WordPress web hosting agency already offers unmetered bandwidth, meaning there is no cap on the monthly usage and traffic of your website.
- Security
Your preferred web hosting service provider should provide the following things to ensure that your website is secure at all times:
- Firewalls
- Virus Scanning
- DDoS Protection
- Brute Force Defense
- Server Hardening
- SSL
- Domain Privacy
One thing to keep in mind is that you have the option to pay more to have better security. With that said, if you are confident in your tech staff’s abilities to ensure your website’s security then you can opt to minimize your web hosting budget.
- Customer Support
Customer support is also a critical factor that you have to take seriously before you choose a web hosting agency. This is because when a problem does arise how they assist you will also affect other aspects of your business.
Make sure to thoroughly research your preferred web hosting agencies and their performance. You can check the reviews online or reach out to your colleagues in the industry to get their feedback about the web hosting they have tried and are currently using.
- Reliability
As mentioned earlier consistent uptime can have a big positive effect on your website and your business. This just goes to show that time is money.
Make sure to check the web host service company’s guaranteed uptime. In addition, you should also check the average time they conduct their web maintenance and the time it takes to go from downtime to uptime.
Conclusion
There are other factors to ensuring your business’s online success, in this case, a good domain name and reliable web hosting can play a big role in that. Just as you would secure prime real estate for your shop, you also want your website to have the best spot to thrive and grow.
The key here for these two is to spark curiosity, make an impression, and provide the best experience to your web visitors. When you meet these three things, it is a lot easier for your website to be remembered and also encourage them to visit it more often.