, when we left Angela, she had decided to start an online craft store. To learn how to do it, she has signed up for a private online course on e-commerce . The teacher who teaches the course is a very attentive young man called Íñigo. Right now, Angela and Íñigo are discussing the details of Angela's business project. Íñigo asks her if she has already decided on which hosting she wants to install her online store. Angela, who has no experience in designing a website, asks him:
What is hosting?:
Íñigo answers with a comparison: Imagine you want to open a physical store. You would have to open it in a premises, a building that occupies a physical space. On the Internet it is similar, except that we call the premises hosting and instead of occupying a physical space it occupies space on the hard drive of a computer that we call a server . Angela thinks for a moment and says: So…
Can I use my own computer as a server?
Iñigo explains that it is possible, although it would be like using your flat as the premises for your shop. There would be a queue on the stairs, you wouldn't have as much space as in a prepared premises, and you would have to take care of the maintenance yourself.
Normally, when you're starting out, you rent a store from someone. With an online store it's the same. You hire a hosting provider who takes care of all the technical aspects so you can concentrate on managing your store. Angela comes to the conclusion that hiring a hosting provider is the best option for her, now she needs to know:
shop for rent
What to consider when choosing a hosting?
Íñigo continues with the example of the premises and explains that the needs are similar:
- You need enough space to fit all your products. In the case of hosting, enough space to fit your website data. Including, for example, photos of your products.
- You need to have good communications . Your customers should be able to enter and see your store without any problems. In the case of hosting, this means a fast internet connection. You want your website visitors to have to wait as little as possible. In addition, your server should have a stable connection so that your website is always available.
-Finally, you need your customers to be able to find your store . So you need a good address. On the Internet, the address where your website is located is called a domain .
What is a domain?
Is it the link to my store that appears after a Google search? Íñigo answers no list of canada cell phone numbers , that link is the title of the website and is known as a snippet . The snippet would be the equivalent of the advertising sign of a physical store. The domain is what appears written in the address bar of the search engine. In a physical store it would be the equivalent of saying: The number such and such on the street such and such.
Normally when you sign up for a hosting service, the provider will ask you what you want your domain to be. You can choose any name you want for your domain as long as it is not already in use by anyone else. The hosting service will tell you if the domain you are trying to register is already in use or if it is available.
example domain
Angela thinks about some of her favourite websites and checks their domains from her computer. When she does this, she realises that all of these websites have small sections with a slightly different address. Worried, she asks Íñigo if all of these domains have to be purchased separately.
Iñigo explains that these subsections within a website are located in what is known as a subdomain . He then reassures Angela by explaining that subdomains do not have to be registered separately. They are included in the license of the main domain.
example of subdomain in a url
Once this is clarified, Angela asks:
How much does it cost to hire a hosting?
Iñigo explains that there are different prices, but that he thinks that for now what suits Angela is free hosting. Many paid hosting providers offer a free trial version with the option to upgrade to a premium paid account as you need more services. Angela, who is wary of being offered cheap prices, asks Iñigo:
The disadvantages of free hosting:
Iñigo admits that there are certain drawbacks:
- You may be subject to limits on the amount of data your website can use per day . If this limit is exceeded, you may be penalized by restricting access to your site for a certain period of time.
-The company that provides your hosting may add its name to your website or domain . This advertising is the way you pay for their services.