Tucson Web Hosting

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is simply leasing space on a server that is connected to the internet.  It’s more than just a computer and a basic home or small business internet service provider.  Web servers rely on dedicated high speed connections and specialized operating systems that serve your website to browsers worldwide.  

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of web hosting companies worldwide.  Most are monitored 24/7, 365 days a year, by technicians standing by in case of hardware failure, software updates and security risk prevention.  Web sites are targets for hackers, no matter how big or small your site.  Much like your virus protection on your home or office computers, server security requires constant, specialized updates.  

Choosing a Web Hosting Company

All web hosting companies are not the same.  Hosting costs vary from $6 per month to $100+.  One of the biggest factors in cost is the connectivity.  One server may handle thousands of web sites that are all fighting for a limited amount of bandwidth.  That can cause the sites to respond slower.  Other factors to consider are:

• Automatic Backups
• Disk Space Limitations
• Bandwidth Limitations
• Security Certificates
• Personalized Emails
• Additional software availability – WordPress, etc

Another factor to consider when choosing a hosting company is your level of technical competence.  Setting up a hosting account is the easy part, but what happens when you run into difficulties?  Technical support will answer server issues, but not software, installation or configuration of your web site.  That’s up the the site owner.  From experience, over 80% of the web site problems we see are not server related – they are site related.  Most often, it’s a WordPress compatibility issue caused by an update.  Other issues we commonly see are a result of malware/spyware/hackers.  Keeping the website files updated is as important as keeping antivirus software updated for individuals.

800Biz Ninja Marketing offers a managed web hosting package for businesses that aren’t comfortable managing their own site.  Our package includes:

• 2 Hours per month of changes and updated 
• Updating WordPress core files, plugins and themes
• Restoring sites affected by WordPress updates
• Adding email addresses

Security Certificates (SSL)

Until recently, only ecommerce sites or sites that captured personal data like social security numbers, were required to have a security certificate to encrypt data.  But Google now is emphasizing that all sites have a secure certificate (https://)  Sites that have a security certificate are given a higher search ranking score than non-secure sites.  Most web hosting companies now offer security certificates but the installation can be tricky and confusing.  For most small businesses, you can expect to pay around $80 – $100 annually.  At 800Biz Ninja Marketing, we facilitate the purchase and installation of the SSL for our hosting clients.

Why deal with a support tech overseas, when you can let 800Biz Ninja Marketing keep your site running smoothly and effeciently.

Contact The Ninjas