Website Hosting

What is Website Hosting?

To put it simply, website hosting is the process of storing and making your website accessible to users on the internet. It entails renting server space and other resources from a web hosting company to ensure that all your website files are accessible anytime to everyone.

There are several types of web hosting services available to meet the unique requirements of your nonprofit website; such as how much server space your website needs, security, flexibility, and allocated budget.

The most common and affordable type of hosting is Shared Hosting. It involves a single server where several websites share resources. An advantage of this type is that it is economical. However, sharing one server can result in slower loading times if other websites on the same server experience high traffic.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting also involves a a single server but solves the problem of high traffic by allocating dedicated resources to each website on a shared server. This results in better performance, scalability, and customization options.

A third type is called Dedicated Hosting in which an entire server is dedicated solely to your nonprofit website. Consequently, you get maximum performance, control, and security. Dedicated hosting is ideal for large websites or those that have high traffic volumes. A downside though, is that this option can by more pricey.

Then there is Cloud Hosting, the type that utilizes two or more interconnected servers to distribute resources for hosting websites. These resources can be adjusted based on what the websites need, resulting in scalability, reliability, and flexibility.

Finally, we have Managed WordPress Hosting. This type is specifically for WordPress websites and includes optimized servers, automatic backups, enhanced security, and specialized support. All of which ensure smooth WordPress performance.

With these available options, allow us to share with you some key points to remember when deciding on your web hosting service:

Website Requirements	Understand and be clear about your website needs. For example, how much traffic do you expect on your website? How much storage will you need? Will their software be compatible with yours?
Reliability and Uptime	Make sure your hosting provider guarantees high uptime to ensure your website is consistently accessible to visitors.
Performance and Speed	Does your choice of hosting service utilize SSD storage, content delivery networks (CDNs), and server optimization techniques to improve website performance?
Control Panel	The hosting service should provide a control panel enabling you to manage various aspects of your website’s hosting account yourself. This is so you can perform everyday maintenance tasks; and not have to wait for and rely on technical support to make simple changes.
Customer Support	Does the hosting service offer responsive and knowledgeable customer support that is available preferably 24/7, via multiple channels?
Scalability	Consider the growth potential of your nonprofit website and choose a hosting service that allows easy scalability and resource upgrades.
Security Features	Does your hosting service of choice provide SSL certificates, regular backups, firewalls, and malware scanning to safeguard your website and data?
User Reviews	Find out what other customers say about the hosting service you are considering. Read reviews from other subscribers to glean insights regarding the provider’s reputation and the experiences of their customers.
Costs	As with all things, remember that you get what you pay for. Basic plans are for basic websites that do not expect much traffic. But since one of the goals of nonprofits is to drive traffic to its website, consider higher-capacity hosting plans and how your budget can accommodate that, what form of installment plan, and if you will be renewing since renewals can go up.

Now that you’ve got some solid guidelines, here are the Top 5 Web Hosting Services we recommend: