Web hosting facts: These are the top choices in the industry
A web hosting provider, also an internet hosting service, rents or owns space on a web server to enable websites for individuals or companies to be active and accessed online.
The Worldwide Web Hosting Industry
Using the internet has become a staple for more than half of the world’s population, it’s estimated that 4.54 out of 7.77 billion people are active internet users. Individuals and companies are taking their businesses online, however for any website there will need to be web hosting, this on its own is a lucrative industry with an estimated growth of $216.59 billion by the year 2025. No wonder everyone wants a chunk of that money, even individuals who go into reseller hosting want to become independent hosts.
There are over 300, 000 web hosting providers worldwide, and within these are numerous hosting options, or types, that individuals or businesses can choose from, either for free or on premium plans, some of the more popular hosting types are as follows:
Shared Hosting
A website uses a server that is shared by other websites, this might be more affordable for websites just starting out, however it can slow down website loading speed.
Dedicated Hosting
This involves renting a server from a hosting company, which gives the user more control and they don’t have to worry about other websites.
Virtual Private Server Hosting (VPS)
This is one physical server that enables it to be used as separate servers, users have their own part of the server, which is different to sharing the same server.
Managed hosting
This is a popular hosting service with a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress, who will lease a server and manage the customer’s website by ensuring it is up to date and protected from security threats.
Top Web Hosting Companies
Knowing what types of web hosting providers are available, there are also large web hosting companies making their mark in the web hosting market, currently the top web hosting companies are as follows:
GoDaddy
Running for more than 20 years in the web hosting market, GoDaddy has more than 20 million users as customers. It is one of largest companies in this industry, and owns 15.2% of the market share of websites. Users can build websites and have eCommerce capabilities with minimal start-up costs.
Endurance International Group (EIG)
EIG was founded in 1997 and is valued at over $1 billion, it provides web hosting to 5.3% of all websites. It has acquired over 60 subsidiary hosting brands, these include popular brands like BlueHost, HostGator, DomainHost, MyDomain, and more.
Amazon Web Services
AWS owns 33% of the cloud market share, and provides web hosting to 5.8% of all websites. Charging $12.00 per year for domains, users can follow the ‘pay as you use’ price structure offered. There are no website builders nor eCommerce capabilities available, but it does offer email, storage, and other services.
Google Cloud Platform
The Google Cloud Platform provides web hosting to 3.7% of all websites. It also offers cloud hosting services, specifically GSuite, including a GSuite email. Similar to AWS, domains are $12.00 per year with ‘pay as you use’ pricing.
What to Consider Before Signing Up for Web Hosting
Before signing up for a web hosting service, users will benefit from doing research by reading hosting reviews, widely available online, as well as comparisons between hosting providers – these will provide more details in terms of what will enhance a website’s performance, specifically page loading speed and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ranking.
Summary
Web hosting services and the specific types available are important considerations for any business starting a website.
