Web hosting is a term that describes how your website is made available to the web. Usually this means that your website is located on a high-powered computer that is connected to the Internet all day, everyday (i.e. 24/7). Although it is possible to host your own website, most websites are hosted with a hosting provider.
A hosting provider is a company that looks after your website 24/7. They make sure that it’s always available for the world to see. A good hosting provider will ensure that your website is secure. They should also provide you with tools that enable you to administer and maintain your website. Examples could include publishing tools for maintaining your content, FTP access for uploading files, reporting tools, and more. When choosing a web host, there is a lot to think about.
For more information on web hosting, see this Web Hosting Tutorial at the Quackit website.
Web Hosting with a Website Builder
A website builder is probably the easiest way to create a website. A website builder enables you to create your own website without any technical knowledge. This is because the website builder is based on customizable templates and all you need to do is add your content. An online website builder allows you to do all this via your web browser.
If you want a website builder, you will probably need to look for a special “website builder plan” such as Zappyhost’s Website Builder.
Web Hosting with a Content Management System
A website builder plan isn’t the only option for creating a website without any technical knowledge. Some web hosting providers include applications such as content management system software with their hosting plans.
A Content Management System (CMS) is an application that helps you publish content to your website. Actually, most content management systems are very powerful publishing tools. They allow multiple content providers to create and maintain content on your website. Most content management systems enable various levels of access (eg, administrators, publishers, etc). This is one of the main distinguishing factors between a website builder and a CMS. Whereas a website builder is generally aimed at websites maintained by individuals and small companies, a CMS can be scaled to support a large organization with tens, or even hundreds of content providers.
To see what I mean, check out the cPanel hosting page of ZappyHost or the Plesk Windows Hosting. Under the “Content Management” heading, you will see a number of content management systems listed. These are all available for you to install once you register your web hosting plan. Of course, you will probably only want to install one, so you will need to do your research on the one that suits you. Some of the more popular content management systems include Joomla, Drupal, and Mambo.
Web Hosting with Blog Software
Yes, in case you were wondering, some web hosting providers supply blog software with their hosting plans. Again, check out the web hosting page at ZappyHost to see the various blog software options.
But before you go ahead with this option, check out the next option.
WordPress Hosting
ZappyHost has a hosting account specifically aimed towards WordPress called WordPress Hosting. The main difference between this option and the above option is that WordPress Hosting comes with WordPress already installed (as opposed to the above option where you need to go through the installation after you’ve registered your hosting account).
So if you need to create a WordPress blog, you need WordPress hosting.