In this digital age, technology keywords are tossed around like hot cakes. “Hosting” is one of them. We are here to answer the question ‘What is Hosting?’ for you, and make it as easy as ordering breakfast.

Let’s get to it.

You need at least two things to get a website set up:

• A hosting provider
• A domain (i.e. www.example.com)

How Does Hosting Work?

When you set up a website, you have pages. In order for people to see said pages, you need a provider who can host them for you. In other words, hosting is a service that enables you to put these web pages online. A server–which is where your website is stored with your hosting provider–makes it so that whenever someone types your website address into the search bar, they will be directed to your website and be able to see your web pages. Hosting provides the ability for people to go to your website, and when you are running a blog or business, you want people to be able to do that to see what you are all about.

A Restaurant Analogy

Picture hosting like having breakfast at a restaurant. After you order food, the waitstaff will bring it to you, and you will see it in front of you (think: seeing the web pages after your domain is hosted). In order to eat your breakfast and use your silverware, someone (usually the waitstaff) needs to give them to you (hosting provider). Once you receive the breakfast and silverware, you can see your breakfast, eat it, and other people can see it too. If the waitstaff doesn’t give you your breakfast or silverware, you will have nothing to see or eat except everyone’s else’s breakfast and silverware.

To make a long story short, hosting is a service that allows people to go to your website. Without a hosting provider, there would be no restaurant to have breakfast at, if you get my drift.

Suggestions for Choosing a Provider

Choosing a hosting provider does not have to be complicated. When you are looking for a hosting provider, consider the value you are getting for your money. Think about what qualities are important to you.

Here are a few qualities that were important to us when we were in your shoes:

• Backup policy
• Reliability
• Support
• Security
• Ability to upgrade
• User-friendliness
• No contract

Another quality that has always been important to us is whether the hosting provider is contentious of the environment. Here at Vivio, we offer green hosting services that support the environment. We are proud to be a Visionary Member of the Pacific Power BlueSky Renewable Energy Program – the highest membership level available. By participating in the BlueSky program, Vivio ensures that its power usage comes from renewable energy sources.

Being eco-friendly is important to us because when you are looking for a hosting company, you likely intend to keep your site around for awhile. You have a product, service or idea you want to share with the world. You might as well as do it in a way that reduces the environmental impact considering the amount of energy it takes to operate online. If you want to know more about Vivio’s green hosting, you can read up on that here.

Ready to start hosting services? Vivio offers hosting for everyone. Take a look at our site to determine which option would work best for you. As always, we are here to help.