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Beginner’s Guide to Different Types of Web Hosting [2022]

If you just launched your own website or online store, you have many options for hosting. It can be overwhelming and confusing when you’re just starting out. Below, we break down all the different types of web hosting for you to consider.

Different Types of Web Hosting

Web Hosting

First, you may be wondering exactly what is web hosting? Website hosting provides storage for and access to a website. Your site and all its files live on a server that’s managed by your web host. When you get visitors to your site, they request to see these files from the server. The server then sends the files to the visitor, and that’s how people get to see your website.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is another type of web hosting. So, what is shared hosting?

Shared hosting is a type of web hosting that allows you to share space on a server with other customers. Shared hosting is one of the most common types of web hosting available. Because you share server space with others, shared hosting usually costs less than other options.

Managed Hosting

Another type of web hosting is managed hosting. You may be wondering, what is managed hosting? Managed hosting is a type of web hosting where the provider takes care of the management, setup, administration, and overall support of a server. A managed hosting provider makes sure everything’s running smoothly. And they fix things that go wrong along the way.

WordPress Hosting

Another type of web hosting that’s platform specific is WordPress hosting. What is WordPress hosting and how does it differ from other hosting models?

WordPress hosting, as you may have guessed, provides storage and access to WordPress websites. There are many advantages of WordPress hosting. For example, WordPress hosting usually comes with 1-click installation, or even with the CMS already pre-installed.

WordPress is an open source platform. It’s free to use. So why do you need WordPress hosting? And is WordPress hosting worth it?

As with any website, you’ll need a host to power it behind the scenes. So yes, you do need WordPress hosting for your website. WordPress hosting is worth it because it is optimized specifically for WordPress websites, which means you’ll experience fast load times and high performance.

WooCommerce Hosting

What is managed WooCommerce hosting? Just like WordPress hosting is optimized for WordPress websites, WooCommerce hosting is optimized for fast ecommerce stores. WooCommerce hosting is specially set up for loading the contents of online stores and providing fast and secure user experiences for shoppers.

Shared Hosting vs. WordPress Hosting: What’s the Difference?

Shared hosting works with different applications, while WordPress hosting works just with WordPress. When it comes to shared hosting vs. WordPress hosting, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. You can be on a shared WordPress hosting plan. Or, you could be on a managed WordPress hosting plan.

Considerations for Choosing a Web Host

Now that we’ve covered the different types of web hosting, this section will cover how to choose a web host. There are a number of questions to ask cloud hosting providers when vetting them.

Ultimately, your choice will come down to a number of factors, such as:

  • Your platform.
  • Your budget.
  • Security requirements.
  • Scalability.
  • How much support you want.

There are also a number of red flags to look out for when choosing a host. For example, look out for fine print on “unlimited” or “unmetered” plans which have hidden caps on bandwidth. Cheap hosting plans can sometimes end up costing more than you expected, thanks for overage fees or other charges.

Moving Web Hosts

If you’re unhappy with your current host, you don’t have to stay. How do I switch web hosting?

Some web hosts will provide free migration services for you. Or, you may have to migrate yourself. Still, it’s easy to learn how to migrate a website from one host to another. And if you’re unhappy with the service you’ve received, it’s well worth the move.

Hosting Websites for Clients

If you’re a freelancer, you may be wondering how to host websites for clients. It only makes sense — you make and manage their site, and they don’t have to worry about anything. Plus, you can make some extra money on the side by joining a hosting affiliate program.

Add hosting to your contracts and proposals with new customers. The key here will be to choose a host that’s known for their support, performance, and uptime.

Consider Hosting With Hostdedi

Fully managed hosting from Hostdedi means you don’t need to worry about anything. With Hostdedi, you get:

  • Automatic Updates — You won’t have to worry, we handle updates for you.
  • No Hidden Fees or Metering — No surprise bills at the end of the month.
  • Premium Features — Get built-in image compression, CDN, and advanced caching for lightning speed.
  • Best-in-Class Support — Rely on our team of experts for 24/7/365 award-winning support.

Hostdedi offers:

View our hosting plans to get started today.

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Making a Website for a Podcast | 3 Podcast Website Examples

A podcast is one of the best ways to connect with your potential customers on a more personal level. Sound empowers people to hear the emotion behind the story you want to tell, which is why podcasts have grown rapidly over the years.

Podcasts are now a key part of many digital marketing strategies.

Want to learn how to get started podcasting and create a website for your podcast? Keep reading to learn:

What Are Podcasts?

In simple words, podcasts are like internet radio shows on demand. They are a form of streamable and downloadable audio content that has been extremely popular for the past few years. Topics range from cooking, narrative, and news to informative talks on almost any topic you can think of.

With many people having on-the-go lifestyles, podcasts are a perfect way for businesses to share their values, ideas, and story anywhere at any time. Starting a podcast can help your brand’s content, marketing, and lead generation efforts.

How To Start a Podcast, Step by Step

Here are a few quick steps to learn how to start your podcast.

Come Up With a Topic

First, make sure you spend a good amount of time choosing a topic that excites you and will keep you going for the long run. Narrow it down so you can target a more specific audience. For instance, don’t start an “outdoor” podcast — talk about hiking instead.

It’s easy to expand your topic later on in your podcast when you get more popular, but keep it brief when you’re starting. Also, pick a name broader than your topic so you can eventually expand on it later.

Tailor the Episode Length and Style

It’s high-quality content that attracts the listeners, not a strict timeline. Test it out and try different lengths, but also avoid making episodes longer than necessary (like going off-topic for 10-20 minutes).

One way you can tailor your episode length is to base it on how frequently you publish new episodes:

  • If you publish on a daily basis, keep it snappy and short (e.g., 10 minutes).
  • If you publish once or a few times a week, aim for the 30-50 minute mark.
  • If you publish less frequently than that, your audience will generally be fine if you go more than an hour.

Style is another important factor you need to consider. Interview podcasts are popular, but that doesn’t mean you have to go with one. For instance, you can have co-hosted or solo shows in the episode’s first half and bring a featured guest in the second part.

What Equipment You’ll Need

The equipment you need depends on your goals and budget. You can even record episodes from your phone to start using recording apps like Podbean, Anchor, or Spreaker.

But if you’re serious about creating a podcast and want to give your users enjoyable and useful content, consider covering these basics:

  • Desktop computer or laptop.
  • A sound-proof recording space (or a distraction-free room).
  • High-quality microphone.
  • Noise-canceling headphones.
  • Camera.
  • Podcast recording software.

How To Find Guests

How to start a podcast and stay motivated? Find good guests that will share useful and interesting information on your topic:

  • Search through similar podcasts: Listen to other podcasts with similar topics. If a guest was willing to come to a podcast before, they’ll probably agree to do so again. But don’t recreate an identical interview — do thorough research, find unique questions, and approach the same topics from a new angle.
  • Don’t forget traditional media: Are there interesting people in radio, TV, newspapers, or magazines who might be relevant to your niche? Probably. Mining traditional media also gives you an opportunity to introduce great new guests an online audience may haven’t heard of yet.
  • Find people who are selling something: Has your potential guest created a product related to your topic? If so, they might be interested in being on your show and presenting it to your audience (and potential buyers).

Making a Website for Your Podcast

Even though there are many different platforms where you can start your show (or you can craft the podcast website design yourself), WordPress is one of the best and simplest solutions.

Suitable for both amateurs and professionals, WordPress gives you total control over your content, a wide variety of helpful tools, fully flexible customization, and many other features.

Choose the Right Hosting Provider

Start by opening an account with a hosting service. This is the company that will keep your online files stored and available for your visitors.

Unlike a blog post, you can’t just upload your podcast on a website — that’s a hosted audio file, not a podcast. Podcasters mostly use external file hosting services designed for the specific purposes of their show.

Podcast files aren’t small, so they might burn through your WordPress hosting account’s bandwidth.

Install WordPress

Why WordPress? It’s a flexible tool where you don’t need advanced technical knowledge to build your website. It’s open source, which makes it free to use — plus, it offers many additional features that expand its functionality.

In most cases, you can install WordPress with the click of a button, or you can install it manually in a couple of seconds.

Choose a WordPress Theme

A theme is a group of template files that dictates the appearance of your site. A podcast website for WordPress offers a wide variety of different themes, but it would be better to stick to those specifically intended for podcast website design.

To install a theme, go to your WordPress dashboard and find Appearances > Themes. Click Add New/Upload Theme, and find the theme files you want to add.

Install Plugins

Plugins are a great way to extend your site’s functionality. Many of them are free and easy to install.

Seriously Simple Podcasting (SSP) is one of the most full-featured podcasting plugins you’ll find. It saves you the time and hassle of toggling between different platforms because you can upload your audio files directly on the WordPress dashboard.

With SSP, you get integrated statistics, an audio player, a convenient workflow, search engine optimization (SEO) management, and other add ons.

SSP isn’t the only useful WordPress podcast plugin. Here are some others:

  • CSS Hero: Offers CSS customizations without coding.
  • Yoast SEO: Optimizes your pages for search.
  • Jetpack: Offers many features, such as security defenses, sharing tools, and SEO tools.
  • Akismet: Reduces spam comments.
  • W3 Total Cache: Improves overall website performance.

Customize Your Podcast Site

There are many ways to customize your website. WordPress is versatile, so you can play around with layouts, colors, fonts, and other features that define your visual identity.

  • Work on the essential pages: Every site needs a few essential pages, such as an about page (description of your podcast), a contact page (social media profiles, email address, contact form), and a blog (where WordPress will display your latest posts).
  • Configure a lead capture tool: Building an email list is a great way to let your followers know a new episode is out. To grow your list, you can use a lead capture tool like OptinMonster.

Add opt-in forms throughout your entire site to remind your visitors to submit their email addresses. You can start by placing them in the footer, sidebar, or bottom of each episode.

Integrate your lead generation tool with your email service provider. That will help you keep the addresses you’ve collected in one place.

Podcast Website Examples

Here are some podcast website examples for inspiration:

The WPMRR WordPress Podcast

Joe Howard and Christie Chirinos may have started this casual project for fun, but the WPMRR WordPress podcast quickly became one of the most popular podcasts in the WordPress niche.

WPMRR offers excellent advice for writers, maintenance professionals, WordPress developers, consultants, and designers. The podcast features professionals whose experiences can help anyone running a WordPress-based business who wants to bring it to the next level.

Ideas to check out:

  • Descriptive labels about the current topic and attractive thumbnails with Joe and the starring guest.
  • Easy-to-click links to platforms where visitors can find your podcast.
  • Search bar to easily navigate through the site.

The Cliff Ravenscraft Podcast

If you want to learn how to start a podcast and keep your work high-quality, watch the Cliff Ravenscraft podcast.

Ravenscraft has 30+ podcast shows and over 3,600 episodes devoted to topics like tech, business, entertainment, faith, and family. He also sells guides, tutorials, and equipment, which is how he turned his site into a true business-attracting engine.

Ideas to check out:

  • Clean, intuitive, and fast-loading website.
  • Eye-catching call to action (CTA).
  • Lead magnet to collect visitors’ email addresses.

The Smarter Sales Show Podcast

Just one look on the Smarter Sales Show tells you it’s a podcast by two women who share sales-related advice. Visitors don’t even have to read episode summaries to understand what it’s about.

The color scheme is a cheerful mix of white, yellow, and orange, which gives the podcast an inviting look. You can also see an eye-catching animation across the homepage, along with a subscribe button under the header.

This site features just one episode on the homepage, but you can display more by clicking the “Check out more episodes” CTA.

Ideas to check out:

  • Hosts’ biographies provide credibility to the podcast.
  • Opt-in forms are located towards the footer.
  • Simple and fun animations are always effective (in moderation).

Great Idea, What’s Next?

You technically don’t need a website for your podcast. Still, it has many benefits, and here are some:

  • Discoverability: The easier it is for your potential audience to find your content, the more new subscribers you’ll get.
  • Content ownership: If you have a site for your podcast, your visitors will have just one place where they can search through each episode, share your project with others, and learn more about you.
  • Added value: Every time you publish something new, you can add a blog post or accompanying resource. Google will then pick up your blog posts, attracting new visitors.

Building your own website is one of the key steps in your marketing strategy, especially if you want to start a podcast. Your website is where you can represent your business, unique ideas, fresh content, and updates related to your project.

The key factor to launch your WordPress site is your host. Hostdedi offers scalable hosting packages you can adjust to your business needs and cover all the technical aspects as it grows.

Check out Hostdedi’ Fully Managed WordPress Hosting to get started with your podcast website today.

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