Learning to Host

January 30, 2021

This week I have learned about web hosting and the different factors that need to be considered. There is more to it than who has the best price.

One of the most important things to consider when choosing who will host (or store your site online) is if it is easily compatible with the site builder you choose to use to make your site. Most site builders have their own or one or two hosts they work closely with. If you are writing and using strictly your own HTML, this factor would be irrelevant. But, if you want to use a site builder like Weebly, Wix, WordPress, or GoDaddy, you need to consider if you can easily move it to the host. You may also want a mix of template builds and customizing with HTML. If you do, make sure your site builder and host allow that function.

Another factor, that most of us consider, is the cost and features that come with it. There are a lot of hosts that are very reasonable. Some you can check out are BlueHost, Weebly, and Wix. Those hosts vary some in price, but have great features.

Some other important factors that you should look into before choosing a host are speed, storage space, if it includes the domain name, if it comes with any Google Ad credits, and if you can run Google Analytics. These features will ensure that your end-user (customer) has a good experience (fast), and that you can track useful information related to those user experiences. 

I have learned this week that it is important to check features before just picking for price. Most web hosts are reasonably priced (like a few dollars a month), but remember sometimes, you get what you pay for. Just know what you are getting before you buy. Take a little time to research and compare.