If you are a friend of the internet, there is no doubt you have come across the word Web Hosting. So, what is web hosting?
Anyone with access to the internet can access your web files from anywhere in the world. All they need to do is just type in your website address or domain name and search for your website.
Their computer or mobile phone will then connect to your server and deliver the files to them through the browser. They are able to do this because your website, which contains the files is hosted on cloud servers, which enable it to be visible to the internet.
Therefore, Web Hosting is going to be the main topic of this article. Let’s first begin by defining Web Hosting.
What is Web Hosting?
Web Hosting is an online service that gives you an opportunity to publish your web pages on the internet.
A web hosting service provider is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or web page to be viewable on the internet.
Websites are hosted or stored in a special program called a server, this is a computer device responsible for providing web services to a collection of other computers or programs and their clients.
Servers are found in data centers for various companies and both the service program and the physical computer that the programs run on are referred to as servers.
How does Web Hosting work?
Web Hosting companies rent out hosting technologies from big technology agencies to provide website hosting services to clients at the consumer level.
In order to have your website hosted, you need to have a valid domain name and choose your hosting plan to have your website hosted on the servers.
Some hosting companies provide web hosting, web design, domain buying, and registration services while others require you to have a domain name so that you can have your website hosted on their servers.
Most clients however prefer getting all the services done by one web hosting company to avoid inconveniences and unnecessary expenses.
Why you need Web Hosting.
You need a web hosting service for your website or blog to be visible to the internet browsers and have your web pages reach an audience.
If you don’t have a web hosting plan, you may have a website that is not visible to the internet, and this means that it is irrelevant as no one would ever recognize its existence.
You need to have your website hosted on internet servers so that it can be visible and accessible to anyone, at any time globally.
What you get from a web hosting company.
When you buy a plan from a web hosting company, your host is responsible for the following services:
• Ensuring that your website is up and running and visible to the internet through the world wide web (www).
• To prevent any security breaches from the internet such as hackers, viruses, and bugs as well as malware programs.
• To protect and defend your privacy and personal data belonging to your clients such as credit card numbers, ID numbers, Bank account numbers, and any other critical information.
• To store all your data i.e., files, assets, databases, and web pages onto the serves in a safe, secure, and convenient environment where it can be easily accessed when needed.
Best Web Hosting Companies in Kenya.
1. Website Hosting Kenya.
Website Hosting Kenya is a Nairobi-based Web hosting company that provides a full package for website hosting and related services.
Unlike other web hosting companies that provide hosting services only, this company provides a variety of services ranging from domain registration, website design, and most importantly web hosting service with affordable plans for every kind of business.
Once you sign up for any web hosting plan with the company, you get a free domain valid for one year. Quite impressive… Right?
2. Safaricom Limited.
Bearing the tag as the leading Telecommunication company in Kenya, Safaricom has expanded its wings to provide a range of web-related services including web hosting services. Safaricom ventured into the web hosting business a few years ago and has been doing well in the industry.
However, most people use Safaricom for mobile money (M-PESA) and internet-related services where they seem to be doing better than in web hosting services.
3. Kenya Website experts.
Kenya Website Experts is a web hosting company located in Nairobi, Kenya. The company provides both domain registration and web hosting services at fair deals.
They have been in the business in the Kenyan market for more than five years, but also have a branch in Rwanda, East Africa.
4. True Host
Truehost is a web hosting company providing services such as domain registration, SSL certificates, and web hosting services in Kenya.
It was founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of Truehost Cloud, a global cloud company providing cloud computing, cloud storage, cloud licenses, and cloud backup solutions across the globe.
They provide a range of web hosting services for any kind of website and blog for any business in Kenya.
5. EAC Directory.
EAC Directory is a web hosting company that has been operating in Kenya for over 6 years.
The company provides both domain registration and web hosting services. Apart from that, they also provide Trademark Registration to businesses in Kenya.
6. Sasahost Limited
Sasahost is a web hosting company that has been in the business in the Kenyan market for over 10 years now.
They provide domain registration and web hosting services that have kept them in the business for a long time.
Sasahost is known to be one of the oldest web hosting companies in Kenya with a dedicated and hardworking team focused on delivering consistent work to their clients.
7. Web Host Kenya Ltd.
Web Host Kenya is a web hosting company in Kenya that provides web hosting and other related services.
They provide web hosting services coupled with website design and domain registration services based in Nairobi Kenya.
8. Deep Africa Co Ltd.
Deep Africa is a web hosting company based in Nairobi Kenya with branches in Thika and Eldoret.
The company provides both domain registration and web design services and is preferred by people running small websites.
9. Smart Web Kenya.
A web hosting company in Kenya specializing in web design and development. They also provide domain registration services.
10. Aplin Kenya.
Aplin Kenya provides both domain registration and web hosting services in Kenya. They join a list of other known web hosting companies in the country.
What to look for in a Web Hosting Company.
While deciding on which web hosting company to use for your website, you need to put the following into consideration.
Storage space
with today’s media environment that has taken a full revolution, you will obviously need enough storage space for all your files. These may include photos, videos, documents, and any other relevant files you may need to store on your webspace. These files need to be easily accessible to your clients, more so to your website visitors.
Limitations on bandwidth and traffic
you should consider a web hosting company with plans that do not limit your activity. Some web hosts charge extra money once you hit a certain limit of traffic and data transfer.
Bandwidth: This is the amount of data that can be transferred from one point to another within a network in a specific period of time. It is measured in terms of megabits per second (MB/PS)
In-built website builders
Also known as one-click WordPress installations, they make it easy to publish your website quickly and make it visible to the internet.
Variety of services
These can range from domain registration to website design and hosting, which makes you have all your work done in a one-stop shop. This saves you both time and money, imagine having your domain name registered by one company, then tarmacking to get a hosting service provider. It is a really tiring hassle, right?
Reliable email hosting coupled with your website hosting plan.
You should select a hosting service provider with a full plan where you can have all your email hosting done with all other hosting services. Some hosting providers charge an extra cost per email or for the entire email hosting plan.
Efficient customer support services.
The essence of customer support is all-time availability and swift response when needed. Consider hosting your website on a hosting provider with a reliable customer support team. For example, Website Hosting Kenya has the best customer support with 24-hour service round clock service.
Cost of Web Hosting in Kenya.
As stated earlier, web hosting is a service you pay for, to have your website or web pages available on the internet from where everyone can access and read the information.
Web hosting companies charge different prices on their web hosting plans and there is no standard cost for web hosting.
To explain better, let us take an example of one of the web hosting companies we have listed above and see the prices of various hosting plans that they have.
We shall use our first host on the list; Website Hosting Kenya as an example.
Example:
Website hosting Kenya has 4 web hosting plans /packages they offer, the Basic plan, Power plan, Advanced Plan, and Ultimate plan.
The difference in the plans varies depending on the number of websites to be hosted, storage space, Bandwidth volume, Number of Email addresses, Domain Name plan, SSL Certificate, and of course the price.
The Basic plan is the cheapest while the ultimate plan is the highest in value. Let us look at the finer details of the four plans.
1. The Basic Plan- Ksh 3,000 per Year.
• 1 Website
• 3 GB SSD Storage
• 15 GB Bandwidth
• Unlimited Email Addresses
• Free Domain with Annual Plan
• Free Lifetime SSL Certificate
2. The Power Plan- Ksh 5,000 per Year.
• 10 Websites
• 8 GB SSD Storage
• 30 GB Bandwidth
• Unlimited Email Addresses
• Free Domain with Annual Plan
• Free Lifetime SSL Certificate
3. The Advanced Plan- Ksh 7,500 per Year.
• Unlimited Websites
• 10 GB SSD Storage
• 40 GB Bandwidth
• Unlimited Email Addresses
• Free Domain With Annual Plan
• Free Lifetime SSL Certificate
4. The Ultimate Plan- Ksh 10,000 per Year.
• Unlimited Websites
• 10 GB Storage
• 40 GB Bandwidth
• Unlimited Email Addresses
• Free Domain With Annual Plan
• Free Lifetime SSL Certificate
Note: Each of the plans comes with a 30-day MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE, which gives you the opportunity to recover your money in case you are not satisfied with the quality of service offered to you.
However, such cases are rare and I would recommend any of these plans to anyone willing to host a website since they are affordable and reliable.
How to Purchase Web Hosting in Kenya.
Web hosting companies provide a variety of plans for different types of websites. It all depends on the type of website you want to build, the type of business to engage in, your audience, and also the weight of your pocket.
You should also consider the customer support services provided by the web hosting company you choose. Also, consider the price, domain, and managed hosting service.
Before purchasing a hosting plan, you obviously need to have a registered domain name and probably designed a website ready to run.
If you don’t have a domain name, you can visit the Domain Search and key in your favorite domain name to see if it is available.
Next, buy your domain name and continue with your hosting purchase, it is basically what is needed. If you need a website, you can get one built on WordPress within a few days at Website Hosting Kenya.
To explain better, let’s take an example of one of the hosting companies we have listed above and see how one can purchase a hosting package, and in this case, Website Hosting Kenya.
We have already discussed the prices and plans of web hosting packages provided by this particular host.
In this section, we will explain to you how to buy a hosting plan from Website Hosting Kenya.
STEP 1: Navigate to www.websitehostingkenya.com.
• Scroll down to the section showing web hosting plans. You should see a list of 4 plans, Basic, Power, Advanced, and Ultimate plans.
• Review the plans and see which one is the best fit for you.
• Hit the Sign-Up button next to the plan to proceed to the next step.
STEP 2: Select a domain name and complete the registration process.
• If you already have a domain, feed it in the dialogue box and hit the Use button.
• If you don’t have a domain name, you will have to create one to enable you to buy a hosting plan. In the dialogue box displayed, key in your favorite domain name to see if it’s available.
• Purchase your domain; the domain price depends on the type of extension, i.e. .com= Ksh 1,000, .co.ke= Ksh 800, .org= Ksh 1,300, .net= Ksh 1,300.
• In case you had registered a domain with another registrar and would like to transfer it to this hosting, you can do so by hitting the Transfer domain option right next to the dialogue box.
• Next, fill in your exact personal information, especially the email address because the login and hosting information will be sent to your mail.
• After scrolling down, you will see the information about your host package with different prices for 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months. Choose your final plan and proceed to payment.
• Finally, enter your payment information and tick to agree with the terms and conditions. Make sure to check all the information carefully before hitting the Submit button.
• You should receive a message on the screen and on your email notifying you that your payment has been received.
STEP 3: Complete the login steps and finalize the process.
• After making the payment, you will see a new page with the notification Transaction Successful.
• Click on the Next button to create a password that you shall be used to log in. You will receive an email prompting you to verify your login details.
• Go back to the Website Hosting Kenya homepage to log in using your new details. You will be led to the Website Hosting Kenya dashboard page for your own WordPress. You have finished buying your hosting package and domain as well!
Read: How to start a Website/Blog in Kenya.
In today’s digital era, everything has been transitioned online, and certainly, many businesses have shifted to the E-commerce sector. Many entrepreneurs and business owners are looking up to build websites for their businesses where potential customers can view their products and make informed decisions before making a purchase.
Take Note.
One thing to note is that your website needs to be reliable with high speeds and zero or minimal downtime.
No client would wait for about 1 minute for a website to load, they would certainly move to the next available website.
Therefore, if you are looking forward to building your website or having your website hosted on a stable platform with reliable servers, then you need to make sober decisions.
As an online business strategist and freelance writer, I have first-hand experience with poor website speed, downtimes, and poor customer support services.
I worked with several web hosting companies before I discovered Website Hosting Kenya.
Since I registered my domain name and had my first E-Commerce website designed and hosted at Website Hosting Kenya, I have witnessed a change in my online business. I receive a lot of feedback from my clients than I used to, and the logistics have also changed.
Read: How to make money blogging in Kenya.
Customer Support Services.
Customer support services are a very important factor in any business, whether you are running an E-Commerce website, Institutional website, or Blog.
Sometimes your website may experience issues ranging from down-times to bugs in the system, at this point the most you can do is to contact your Web Hosting Provider to resolve the issue.
At Website hosting Kenya; where I host my website, I have received the best customer support service than I ever received from my previous hosting providers.
The Host has a very diligent support team that provides a 24-Hour quality service that remains unmatched.
Read List of Online Payment Platforms Available in Kenya.
The team basically works round the clock to ensure that clients are fully satisfied with their quality of service. When you host your website at Website Hosting Kenya, expect an easy time managing your business online with zero or minimal technical challenges.
Finally, before deciding to buy a host, you should review your website, your future development strategy, fee, and Data Center. You should also consider customer support services in order to choose a suitable, high-quality, and reliable host.
Hope that this article gives you insight and helps you to improve your knowledge and experience related to buying web hosting in Kenya, Africa, and the rest of the world.
