You’re not alone if you experience anxiety while looking for a web hosting provider. There are so many businesses to pick from, and the majority of them offer comparable features. But the language’s complexity only makes it seem more difficult.
I felt like I needed a dictionary nearby as a beginner to understand the complex language of web hosting. I eventually understood the significance of the features I was purchasing after conducting a ton of Google searches.
Nobody wants to purchase something that they don’t fully understand how to use, especially if it’s a monthly commitment. Therefore, if the terminology used in web hosting seems like a foreign language to you, we can help. To assist you in making an informed purchase, we have provided a glossary of web hosting terms below.
1. With the launch of GeoCities in 1995, the concept of web hosting was first introduced.
Building and hosting websites for free was made possible by GeoCities. Website owners could browse various categories based on themes and view the websites of other users. Users have a wide selection because the web hosting market has become saturated and has grown significantly since that time.
2. There are about 8,000 datacenters worldwide.
With 33% of the world’s datacenters, the US also has the highest concentration. Users must pick a good datacenter location if they want to prevent high latency. The distance between a datacenter and a user’s device can be used to calculate latency, which is the amount of time it takes for data to move from one place to another.
3. Plans for Shared Hosting Usually Cost $2 to $5 Per Month
The least expensive hosting options are shared hosting plans, and even their most expensive tiers typically don’t exceed $103 per year. Additional storage space, bandwidth, and features like marketing and SEO tools are included in more expensive plans.
4. By 2026, the market for VPS hosting is anticipated to reach $8.16 billion.
VPS hosting is steadily expanding its market share, despite shared hosting still being the more common type of hosting. Compared to shared hosting, which has a CAGR of 10%, VPS hosting has a higher CAGR of 15.4%.
5. By 2025, 85% of businesses will use cloud computing.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant uptake of cloud hosting, and this trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon5.
Pay-as-you-go pricing is attractive to both individuals and businesses. A basic cloud hosting plan can cost just a few dollars per month for individuals, but it will cost much more for businesses with sizable websites.
6. Dedicated Hosting Holds a 26.7% Market Share Worldwide
In the current international hosting market, dedicated hosting is still relevant. And from 2021 to 20266, that market share is projected to grow significantly at a CAGR of 11.1%.
Organizations that require security and control, like those in the finance and healthcare sectors, are drawn to dedicated servers.
7. An astonishing 43% of all websites are powered by WordPress hosting
WordPress is without a doubt a strong and well-liked option among website owners. Nearly half of the internet is run by the CMS. It’s safe to say that WordPress is no longer only considered to be a blogging platform. However, 40% of the top 15 blogging sites use it, making it still the king of the genre.
8. Through 2026, Managed VPS is anticipated to grow by 16.5% annually.
The absence of assistance and support is one of the biggest problems with web hosting. Numerous small businesses lack the time, technical know-how, or IT staff necessary to manage their web hosting administration.
The best CAGR for all hosting types is found in managed hosting, which is a great remedy for those problems. Between 2019 and 20268, managed VPS alone is anticipated to experience a CAGR of 16.2%.
9. Nearly 40% of Domain Names Have a .com Extension
The brand recognition of your website depends on domain names. It is wise to keep your name short because domain names typically contain nine characters.
In addition, 37% of domain names end in.com. .com is the way to go if you want a name that people will remember.
10. Valid SSL Certificates are used by more than 83% of websites.
Because SSL certificates are essential for security and are relatively simple to obtain, a large number of websites use them. Anyone who requires a certificate for their website can get one for free from Let’s Encrypt, a nonprofit certificate authority10.
If you want to build trust between your website and your end users, you absolutely need an SSL certificate.
11. In 1976, the first SSD storage drive was released.
Dataram introduced the first SSD, a 19-inch 2MB drive, in 1976. But it took a while before these drives became widely available. It was probably less portable at the time, like many other technological advancements. SanDisk followed Samsung in 2007 in releasing one of the first 2.5-inch 32GB flash SSDs for the mass market.
12. Monthly bandwidth usage for most websites is under 5GB.
Since 99% of websites only use 5GB of bandwidth per month, many web hosting companies offer unlimited bandwidth. This does not, however, imply that you have limitless resources. It simply means that the web host offers an enormous amount of bandwidth to help you handle the traffic on your website.
You can better understand how much bandwidth your web host will actually provide and the rules that go along with it by reading the fine print.
This equation can be used by website owners to determine how much bandwidth they will require:
Visitors per Month x Page Size x Pages Per Visit = Bandwidth Needed
13. The Development of Random Access Memory (RAM) in 1966
The first dynamic random access memory was developed in 1966 by Robert H. Dennard and commercialized by Honeywell in 1969.
The development of random access memory has a convoluted history, involving numerous forerunners and creators. In conclusion, RAM comes from a lineage of large magnetic cores that could completely fill a room. The technology of today is now hardware that fits in a pocket.
14. 22% of global retail sales are predicted to come from e-commerce.
People can open online storefronts using the two most popular eCommerce platforms, Shopify and WooCommerce, which are expected to account for 22% of global retail sales in 2023.
For many businesses today, eCommerce has been a viable and profitable opportunity. And as its sales increase, a sizable portion of the global retail market is being captured.
15. IP Addresses Consist of a Group of Four Numbers
Every internet-connected device has an IP address. The four numbers that make up an IP address can be anywhere between 0 and 255. These numbers are generated and distributed mathematically by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) through its parent company, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). So an IP address is assigned whenever someone registers a domain name with ICANN.
16. Attacks From DDoS Are Anticipated to Increase By 300%
The two most common vectors for bad actors are ransom and application-layer DDoS attacks. Application-layer attacks have increased by 165% while ransom threats have increased by 67% in the past year.
These figures demonstrate how crucial DDoS protection is in the current digital environment.
17. A Simple Website Builder Was Used by More Than 18 Million Sites to Launch
For the launch of those websites, Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy were the most well-liked website builders. A site builder can be used by website owners to quickly create an online store for their companies.
Making money online is now simpler than ever thanks to site builders’ expanding eCommerce capabilities.
18. The Top 100,000 Websites Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) in about 41% of cases.
The content on your website loads more quickly thanks to a content delivery network, or CDN. The majority of CDN users are websites in North America.
Even though only 3.4% of websites currently use a CDN, the market for CDNs is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 27.3%.
19. Plesk is used as the website control panel on more than 2.2 million websites.
50% of the top 100 global service providers use Plesk, which is at the top of the list of control panels, as their go-to option. Because of Plesk’s established dominance, it holds an 81.1% market share advantage over its closest rival, cPanel.
20. The industry standard for hosting is 99.9% uptime.
The industry minimum uptime requirement is 99.9%, but web hosts frequently fall short of this target18. Downtime can be brought on by a variety of factors, such as planned maintenance, hardware malfunctions, and cyberattacks.
Therefore, if it is stated in the service level agreement, your web host must pay you if there is more than 0.1% of downtime on your website.
Bottom Line
You’ve reached the finish line! Everything you need to know to buy a hosting plan was covered in this glossary. Now, you can choose a solution that satisfies your needs, whether it be managed dedicated hosting or shared hosting with a CDN.
You will be prepared to take on hosting in no time if you are familiar with these web hosting terms. Happy web hosting search!
