Should Your Business Self-Host its Website?

It’s no exaggeration to say a business could live or die depending on how widespread its presence is on the digital landscape. Websites and digital storefronts have become the first places for consumers to buy and sell goods. While having a strategy for your digital presence for your business is essential, you shouldn’t underestimate the time and resources it might take to set it up.

There are many factors to consider, from marketing to the design of your website. One of the most important decisions is who should host your website — you or a third party.

How to self-host your website

Self-hosting your website can be a daunting task. Web hosting companies usually take care of all the back-end computing and programming for you when you sign up. You might need some computer knowledge if you’re going to host your own website.

The first thing you will need to do is choose a content management system (CMS). A CMS is the platform you build your website on. The most common CMSs are WordPress, Wix and Squarespace.

Once you’ve built the website using the CMS of your choice, the next step is to purchase a web hosting service. Some CMSs offer their own web hosting service, but there are many to choose from. The most popular ones include Bluehost, DreamHost and IONOS.

The final step to get your website up and running is registering your domain name and connecting it to your host. Register with a domain registrar like Domain.com, GoDaddy or Namecheap to get a domain name.

Getting your domain name from a registrar will automatically connect it to your web host. To check its status, visit your domain registrar’s website and log into your account. Click on your settings to see if your domain is registered and connected.

The advantages of self-hosting your website

There are many advantages to self-hosting your website. For one, you have greater control over the server. Hosting companies will usually not let you change any of their server’s settings, which can cause performance issues in certain circumstances.

Furthermore, if something goes wrong with the servers, you have to wait for the company’s tech support to fix the problem. Being able to do nothing while your business’ website is down can cost you a lot of customers and money. Being able to control your servers gives you the ability to change the server’s settings to your liking. It also allows you to fix problems as they occur, so you can get your website back up and running faster.

Another significant advantage is you have greater control over what kind of internet traffic is going through your website. Hosting your website allows you to have more oversight over how many people visit your website and what kind of people they are.

In addition, because you’re self-hosting your website, no one can restrict what you can upload. Hosting companies often place restrictions on file sizes or how much content their clients can upload onto their websites. Self-hosting allows you to have as many files and sizes as you want.

You can also add features to your server and website hosting companies might not have allowed, such as a private cloud. Private cloud services can significantly increase the amount of data your website can process and how fast it processes it.

Disadvantages of self-hosting

While there are many advantages to self-hosting your business’s website, there are also some disadvantages. Greater control over your server’s settings and functionality means you have to know how to make full use of those options.

Along with those additional options also comes greater responsibility. Managing your website and server — something hosting companies usually do for you — can take a lot of time and energy.

Things like managing server traffic and keeping on top of updates and upgrades can take you away from attending to the affairs of the business. Making mistakes in managing your server can lead to your website going down and you might not know how to get it back up if you don’t know what the problem is.

Make an informed choice to self-host

Self-hosting your business’s website has an equal amount of pros and cons. While it gives you greater oversight and control over the server, it also requires proper maintenance knowledge and other digital skills. Inexperienced people might want to go with a server hosting company instead.