Nowadays, having a physical store or office isn’t enough. Every business, regardless of size or industry, needs a strong online presence to thrive. This is where web hosting comes in, playing a crucial role in your business’s digital foundation. It’s the virtual land where your website resides, accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
But wait, isn’t that what social media is for? While social media offers valuable reach, it also comes with limitations. A website grants you full control over your online space, allowing you to build brand identity, showcase your offerings, and connect with customers in a more meaningful way.
Let’s now explore the benefits of web hosting for small businesses in 2024.
What is Web Hosting for Online Businesses?
When you run an online business, web hosting is the service that keeps all of your website’s files and data safe on a server. Since this server is linked to the internet, people can visit your website at any time.
With web hosting, you can make sure that your website is always up and running well, giving potential customers a good experience. In 2024, having an online presence will be more important for businesses of all sizes. Reliable web hosting will still be a key part of being successful in the digital market. You can check out our other article that goes into more detail about what web hosting is if you still want to learn more.
5 Benefits of Web Hosting
Web hosting has a lot of benefits. When a business invests in reliable web hosting, they can make sure that their website is always available to customers. This can lead to more visitors and possible sales.
Nowadays, it’s important to have a strong online presence if you want to be successful, and web hosting is a key part of that. Choosing the right web hosting provider can make a big difference in your online presence and overall success, no matter how big or small your business is. Getting your own server is another choice you could think about. However, before you do that, read our article about how much it costs to set up a server for a small business.
There are many good reasons to have a web host, but Digital.com lists at least 5 that can help your small business make more money.
1. Start a Reseller Hosting Service.
Because small business websites don’t usually get a lot of visitors, most companies that have websites don’t use all the system resources they pay for. You might want to look into reseller hosting services if you want to keep your hosting costs about the same but find a new way to make money for your business.
When you do this kind of hosting, you pay for a hosting service and then sell other people or businesses access to it. You can use these hosting accounts to sell hosting services under your own brand. They usually come with billing software as well.
Any company should think about adding this type of income stream, but it works especially well for companies that provide digital or tech-related services. For instance, if your business fixes computers, makes software, builds websites, sells smartphones, or does anything else, it’s easy to add website hosting to your list of services and start making money every month right away.
How does your business benefit from web hosting (Image by Matchbox Design Group)
2. Store your Files on The Hosting server.
Lots of disc space, if not an infinite amount, is standard with most web hosting plans. One way to make the most of your hosting account’s disc space is to use it as cloud storage.
Put your most important files on hold in your hosting account until you need them. For extra peace of mind, make sure they’re backed up alongside your website. In addition to ensuring the security of your files, this method of hosting also facilitates easy access to your files whenever you require them. All you need is an internet connection and your hosting account, so you can access your files from any location.
3. Host Game Servers.
Have you ever considered making a living off of your passion for playing online games? Players from all over the globe can connect to a private server in many popular games and play together. You have the opportunity to generate extra revenue for your business by charging users to access this server.
Even if you’re not interested in selling this service, setting up a private server for your staff to play games on is still an option. Building a server like this and making it available to your team members can be a huge perk for those who enjoy gaming. In addition to being a great team-building activity, it can also help raise morale.
4. Improve your SEO by Creating Satellite Pages.
The success of your company’s website hinges on your ability to attract visitors. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is usually what this refers to as when you want your page to appear in the SERPs. Link building, or establishing inbound links from another page to your primary site, is a powerful SEO tactic.
Web hosting for simple sites is relatively cheap, so it makes sense to set up specialised “satellite” pages that link back to your main company page.
5. Run Private Cloud-Hosted Apps
In the past, it was necessary to install most applications on a computer locally. The good news is that cloud computing makes it possible to install apps and then access them from any internet-connected device. These apps are often web-based, meaning you can install them on a server and then access them from any web browser.
You should be aware that anybody who discovers your main URL can access any app you host on your web hosting. Think about implementing app security measures to ensure the privacy and safety of your systems. A basic login and password is usually all that’s needed.
Conclusion
A website is an absolute must for any company serious about succeeding in the year 2024. Many advantages, such as large storage, high uptime, easy customisation, and cheap e-commerce options, become available with web hosting. Your small business can take a giant leap into the digital future with the help of a dependable web hosting plan, which will lay the solid groundwork for your solid online presence.
