Finding reliable web hosting for small businesses is very important. If you are looking to make money from your own website or blog, you will need a hosting account and a domain name.

Why Do You Need a Domain Name and Web Hosting?

Your domain name, also known as the URL (which stands for "Uniform Resource Locator"), is the address of your website, where people will find your information. Your domain name is your home on the web. It is virtual real estate that will become more valuable with each passing day, month, and year.

Web Hosting for Small Business: An Example "Wine Making Tips"

For example, let´s say that you are creating an online business about "wine making tips." Your future website needs to be built around your domain name.

This is why you should choose a domain name that contains "wine making" and write content on your website about wine making and topics closely related to that.

Your domain name should describe what your website is all about. In this case, it is about "wine making," so your website visitors will know what it is about, and the search engines will also reward you for having the keyword in the domain name.

There will be over 1.4 billion websites on the Internet by 2023, and the number is growing.

It's Difficult To Find A Good Domain Name

It has become hard to find a domain name that makes sense and describes what the website is all about. If you find a really great domain name you want to register, chances are that it is no longer available. With so much competition on the Internet, it is difficult to find the perfect domain name.

You need to research other variations of domain names that contain "wine making." Your domain name does not have to be a.com name; it can also be a different domain extension, such as.ws. 

The Risk of Choosing the Wrong Domain Name

Choosing the wrong domain name means that you will get much less traffic and low rankings in the search engines. In our example, once you have found the right domain name containing the word "wine making" in it, then all you need to do is register it for yourself at a domain registrar. The domain name should tell people instantly what the website is all about.

One of the best domain registrars is called Global Domains International (GDI). 

You can register a domain name for around $12 per year. Domain registrar companies can offer special deals, such as getting the first year for $1 if you register the domain name for three years. For years 2 and 3, you would pay the normal price.

What Is Small Business Web Hosting?

When you have your own domain name, the next thing you need is a web hosting account where all your website files will be stored.

A web hosting account is a server that hosts all your files, which allows people from all over the world to visit your site.

For your "winemaking" site, you will need shared hosting. This means that the exact same physical server, located in the United States or Europe, hosts hundreds of websites.

It can take a few milliseconds longer for your site to load, but you would also be paying a lower monthly fee compared to a dedicated hosting plan. The cost of website hosting is around $10 per month. There are lots of web hosting companies to choose from, and it can be hard to pick the right one.

The three most important considerations are listed below.

#1. What do I really need?

First, you need to identify what it is you really need to get started. For your first website, all you really need is shared hosting.

#2. Is the web hosting company reliable?

Reliability is very important. Downtime and system failures mean that your website will be offline and you will not make any money.

It is a very good idea to do research before choosing a hosting company. Another important thing is how the company takes care of the privacy of their customers. You need to be sure that your personal information and credit card information are safe.

#3. Monthly fees

When building a business online or offline, there will always be costs. This is a business expense (tax deduction).

Compared to an offline business where you can expect to pay thousands of dollars before getting started, you can start your internet-based business for under $20 per month (for a domain name and hosting).

Having your own domain name and web hosting is important when you are looking to build a professional Internet business. If you are looking to start a hobby website, you can use a free platform such as Blogger or Wordpress.com.

The important thing to realize about free platforms is that there will be advertisements, and you need to follow the rules and terms of service. There is also a risk that your account gets deleted without notice, just because you did something that was against their terms of service.

Depending on the free platform you choose, there is also a possibility that you will not own your own content after publishing.

In the end, a monthly cost of $10 for hosting and $12 per year for a domain name is not expensive. Best of all, you are always in charge of your website and content. You have all it takes to build a successful online business.