How I Got My Start with Web Hosting
It was almost 13 years ago whenever I first bought my domain name and decided to bring my business onto the Internet. Most of you that have only been around for a little while on the Internet realize that that is in literal eternity in Internet years. Although things were a little bit different during those days, there were many ways that they were the same.
You are probably aware that it is possible for you to buy a domain name from any one of dozens of different registrars. During the time whenever I bought my first domain, however, I had to pay $35 per year and I did so to a company known as networksolutions. You can now buy a domain name for well under $10 a year, but I did not have that choice at the time. Because I now owned the domain name, I needed a quick course in how to host the domain.
Whenever I first got started hosting a website, I was on a shared server and it cost me roughly $20 per month in order to own the service. Being on a shared server is one of the most popular options that is available to those who are hosting a website. You have your own little bit of space that exist on a physical server but you’re also sharing the server itself with hundreds or perhaps even thousands of other websites. Shared servers have come down in price in recent years and it is possible for you to get a reliable service for under five dollars a month.
There eventually came a time whenever I needed a little bit more power behind my server because my website was getting busier. Although I was not quite ready for a fully dedicated server, there was the option to go with the private virtual server which was about as close to a dedicated server as you could get. In a nutshell, I was sharing a box the same as I shared it when I was on my old server but I was only splitting the resources between six or eight other websites. This allowed my business to continue to grow.
As my business continued to grow, I started to purchase additional server space at various locations. At times, I would start a new website on a shared server and host it there until I got enough traffic that it could support itself on a virtual Private server. I also started hosting multiple domain names on the same server, even though I made sure each one had its own individual IP address.
It didn’t take but a few years until my business grew to the point where I needed to go with a dedicated server. The hosting company that I was with allowed me to move my websites directly from the virtual Private server into a more robust, dedicated box. It allowed my business to grow and it continues to do so down to this day.
It took a little bit of a learning curve in order for me to get started with hosting in this way, but it has enhanced my business in far too many ways for me to describe it. Take a little bit of time to learn about hosting and look at the various hosts that are available. The time that it takes you will be well spent.
Tags: Computers, dedicated hosting, hosting, internet, server space, servers, shared hosting, technology, webmaster, website, websites