When you set up a website, there are two vital steps you need to take to get started; registering your domain name and organising hosting. Getting these two things right in the first instance can make your online journey a lot smoother.

Small Business Guide to Web Hosting

How does web hosting work?
What do I get with web hosting?
What to consider when looking for the best web hosting in Australia?

Let’s spend some time understanding what we mean by web hosting. Web hosting is a service that allows organisations and individuals to post a website or web page onto the Internet. A web hosting service provider, like Webcentral, provides the necessary technology and service for the website or webpage to be viewed on the Internet.

How does web hosting work?

All the files that make up you websites are hosted or stored on special dedicated computers called servers. When customers want to see your website, they type your website address or domain into their browser and connect to your web pages. You rely on the web hosting companies providing the service to keep your server up and running, protect it from hacking and other attacks, and transfer your content, such as text, images, files, etc., from that server to your visitors' browsers. The amount of space allocated on a server to a website depends on the type of hosting. There are several different types, but the main distinction in web hosting is determined by:

whether the server is shared or dedicated
the kind of technology used for the server
the level of management provided, and
the additional services on offer.

Web hosting is the process of renting or buying space to house a website on the World Wide Web. The rent you pay is dependent upon those features that come with it.

What do I get with web hosting?

When you purchase a web hosting service, you should receive:

ability to connect your users to your website
FTP access so you can upload files from your computer to your website
website aligned professional email accounts i.e. JimBrown@yourname.com.au

In addition, some business web hosting companies can address your complete online web hosting needs, with access to domain registration, website building software, website designers and even digital marketing support. At Webcentral, we are proud to deliver the full range of services required for business to succeed online. Our solutions have been developed at different levels of sophistication enabling us to deliver the right outcomes for individuals starting out to larger corporate entities. Do I really need it? Absolutely. Unless you do not plan to have a digital presence for your business and you do not believe you require professional brand-aligned email accounts. With many customers participating also as online customers, getting professional web hosting will ensure they are taken care of just as well online, as they would be if they were browsing in your physical store.

What to consider when looking for the best web hosting in Australia

The top six factors to look out for include:

Uptime – the percentage of time your website will be operating
Website servers geographical location – Australian based servers for supporting Australian businesses
Service provider technical and customer support
Reviews from other users
Scalability – can the service grow with your business
Web hosting cost - free web hosting or even cheap web hosting may be a false economy

We would suggest you look at our article Top 10 Factors to Consider for Website Hosting Services to get a more detailed overview of web hosting selection.

We have the web hosting answers for Australian small business

We have been working with Australian businesses for nearly 25 years. Over that time, we have developed the skills, experience, and expert team to deliver a range of solutions from soft-touch low-tech solutions for start-ups to fully integrated and complex technical solutions for larger corporate entities. While you have countless hosting options, going with a reliable company that offers the flexibility to grow will mean you spend less time worrying about your hosting and more time focusing on what matters for your business. Check out the Webcentral web hosting offers. We provide the best web hosting Australia can offer, including a web hosting free trial so that you can take it for a test drive before you commit. Learn more about why you should select Webcentral as your web hosting partner, or call our team on 1 300 638 734.

Karen Lam