Bringing your Website to Life with Website Hosting
So, you know how your website is like a digital storefront? Well, just like how you need a physical location to open a store, your website needs a place to "live" on the internet. That's where website hosting comes in.
It’s a service that allows you to store all the files, images, and other masses of content that make up your website, on a remote server. Luckily these servers are connected to the internet 24/7, so your website can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, at any time!
Just a quick heads up though, occasionally what’s known as ‘downtime’ can happen. Hosting downtime means your website will be unavailable for a period of time, or won’t function entirely as it should. Unfortunately this means there’s a possibility that your visitor/s won’t be able to finish what they set out to do on your website - whether that’s checking out your contact info, or trying to make a purchase. This can happen for a number of different reasons. A couple of the more well knowns are when there’s too much traffic headed towards your website at the same time, which can cause a major roadblock (something like having a major concert ticket announcement or hugely discounted sale)…or when there’s maintenance being done (which neither Unmaze Online or any of our clients have ever come across). While this might seem a little daunting at first, just be aware that this can happen to any website host. Doing some research into this can help provide you with a more positive outlook, and less stress when you go to choose a hosting provider.
When you sign up for a website hosting service you're essentially renting space on one of their servers, and depending on the hosting provider you choose (and there are a whole lot out there), you may also get additional features. These can be services like website back-ups (in case there’s a glitch - this will save a copy of your site so it’s not catastrophically wiped out forever!), along with necessary things like maintenance, updates, security, and technical support. If they don’t combine this with your hosting purchase, they’re sure to have these as add-on’s that you can purchase separately if you’re keen to.
Overall, website hosting is an absolutely essential service that enables your website to be visible and accessible to the world. So once you’ve built a website (or had it built for you by the UO team wink wink), purchased a domain name, and finally purchased hosting, you’ll have the three main essentials sorted.
Your website’s not just a virtual space; it's your canvas to express, connect, and thrive in the digital age - the possibilities open to you are endless!