The difference between hosting and a website builder!

Do you know the difference between a website builder and web hosting?
In this comparison, the What's the Best Hosting team will introduce you to the two services and the difference between web hosting and a website builder easily and in detail.

A large number of people want to create a website on the Internet so that it is the headquarters of their business or company on the World Wide Web and is considered an extension or outlet for their business on the ground, which helps them to reach a larger sector of customers not limited by the geographical boundaries of their business headquarters.

Fortunately, building a website is easier than ever, and the basic tools you need for the job are readily available and inexpensive. But if you're new to the field, it can be overwhelming at first, especially if you want to do things yourself without the help of an expert.

At What is the Best Hosting, we create and publish explanations of the basics of website creation, associated services and tools, as well as a large series of tutorials that explain the basics in an easy-to-follow step-by-step manner.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is the service of providing and maintaining the actual Web Servers on which all the files that make up a website reside.

Are you still distracted?

All you really need to know about Web Hosting is that every website requires it to function. It's a necessary element in storing all your website files and making them accessible to the rest of the online world.

But if you're interested in knowing what web hosting really is, we'll explain in more detail.

Most of us think of a website in terms of where it is located on the web. Every website has two addresses on the Internet: A domain name and an IP address. But what we don't often think about is that all the different files that make up each website also take up physical space somewhere. They have to be stored on a computer called a web server.

Since the average internet user doesn't have to interact with the actual servers that host the millions of websites that make up the internet directly. Almost all websites do not mention this at all on the grounds that it would not benefit the visitor, which is not what we do at Best Hosting as we seek to spread knowledge among the largest number of users.

We could simplify it and say that websites exist in the "cloud" or "cyberspace" and that might be part of the truth. In reality, there are huge rooms full of website servers all over the world that all need to be cared for, maintained, and kept in proper conditions to work effectively.

Web hosting providers invest in the server hardware that the internet relies on and the facilities required to house those servers, called a data center. In addition, they hire specialists who know how to properly maintain them. They make sure that the conditions in the data centers are optimal to keep the servers in good condition and functioning well.

It all happens behind the scenes. That's why some website owners may never even think about it. They just need to select the right web hosting package, pay for it, and leave the rest to their web hosting provider to take care of.

What is Website Builder?

Website Builder is a software tool that makes it easy for anyone to create a website without programming experience, technical knowledge, or prior training, mostly by dragging and dropping the elements and components of the webpage you want in the places you want and according to the format you want.

In the early days of the Internet, creating a website required learning complex programming languages. It was only an option for skilled developers who spent a lot of time learning how to design web pages and websites.

Now, fortunately, creating websites is much easier than before and is no longer limited to the category of programmers and web developers only, as it used to be for many years. We strive to spread knowledge of these matters and techniques among as many Arab users as possible so that they can create their own websites without the need to hire anyone.

Website creation tools and services are generally intuitive even for beginners. It's easy to discover that the builder has pre-designed ready-made web templates that you just have to choose from and start editing and customizing as you see fit for your website.

So we can say that you're not actually building a website from scratch when you use a website builder.

All website creation and editing tools are designed with the goal of making it easy to change and move different elements to create something unique. Most modern website builders offer drag-and-drop functions that allow you to move certain parts of the page by clicking on an element, dragging it to where you want it and then letting go of the mouse button to drop it in a new location.

Easy operations such as uploading new files and selecting new fonts use menus that look just like people are used to using more common computer tools such as word and image editors.

All of these additions have made creating a website a simpler and more accessible experience for almost anyone. If you can use a computer, then you can probably figure out how to use a website builder.

What is the difference between web hosting and a website builder?

Web hosting and website creation are two different types of services needed by website owners and each provides something uniquely different and fulfills specific needs.

Below, the What's the Best Hosting team will walk you through some of the key differences between a website builder and web hosting that anyone who wants to create a website should be aware of.

1. All websites need web hosting

If you want a website that others can find, web hosting is not an optional thing that can be dispensed with or even postponed. Hosting is a necessary element in making your site available on the web. Unlike a website builder, it is optional and other solutions can spare you from using it or you can even use it only once during the creation of the website.

Choosing good web hosting is an essential task that often falls solely on the shoulders of the website owner.

This is because hosting is like a piece of land on which you will build a property or a house, while the website builder is like a contractor who will build the property on that land according to your needs and requirements.

For many new website owners, a website builder is more suitable for creating a new website. But it's also one of the many options out there. You can hire a web developer or learn to code and build a new website from scratch yourself (if you have the time to do so).

Therefore, a website builder is the easiest option for creating a website, especially if it is a simple website that does not have complex features or services that will need specialized and customized programming according to the needs of the project.

2. Web hosting is where your site's files are stored

Web hosting services have nothing to do with what your website looks like. It has to do with where the files that make up your website reside.

It also has to do with other factors such as how fast a website loads and how well it works with visitors such as Uptime and Downtime. But it's ultimately a different matter than the visual appearance of the website, which is determined by the design and programming of your site.

3. Website builder gives you control over how your site looks

The appearance of your website is a website builder function that lets you take charge of things like website color, images, and text. That is, everything that visitors see visually when they visit your website.

The website builder allows you to specify the number of pages you create, the structure of your site, and the menus you set up to make it easier to navigate the site.

4. Website Builder makes designing your site easier!

The primary reason to go with a website builder instead of hiring a web developer or trying to program and design a website from scratch yourself is ease of use. Website building tools and services have had beginners in mind from the beginning as their target audience.

Most website builders aim to make website design intuitive and easy for people who have no prior knowledge of how to design websites.

It is often the first time these people are using a website builder, so the tools make sure to make the task of creating a website as simple as possible and provide them with notes, explanations, and explanations of the steps to create the website and how to use the Website Builder.

Why do people confuse web hosting with website builders?

Now that the What's the Best Hosting team has walked you through the definition of each of the two services above, you now realize that website builders and website hosting are two very different things.

So why do so many people sometimes get confused?

When a person is in the early stages of researching how to build a new website, it's likely that both terms will come up. For many new website owners, these are new terms that they don't yet understand, especially if they haven't researched and explained the meanings of the new terms.

That's why we always advise our visitors to check out the best hosting dictionaries such as the Web Hosting Dictionary and the Domain Dictionary, as well as our Hosting Basics series and other web hosting tutorials published on our site.

Another reason for this confusion is that many web hosts offer both services. For example, HostGator offers most of its web hosting packages with the company's Gator website builder as well.

This is not limited to HostGator only, but is provided by most other hosts such as Hostinger, Bluehost, DreamHost and others, where companies are keen to provide most of the services needed by the user in one package, as creating a new website requires many products and services such as web hosting, domain, website builder, SSL certificate, email addresses, etc.

Now that the Best Hosting team has explained what the two services mean, how they work, and what the difference between them is, we will share with you some other things that you may need to be aware of before you choose the right web hosting package or website builder for you.

5 things to know about web hosting packages

We believe that understanding the basics of web hosting, website builders, domains, and other related products and services will help you choose the best web hosting for your site and enable you to successfully plan for your specific needs.

Here are 5 things we think you need to know about website hosting.

1. Websites need web hosting... constantly!

Web hosting is not a service that you buy only once or as needed, but you need it as long as you want your website to work, as hosting for a website is like land for any real estate.

Therefore, it is essential to make sure that you allocate a sufficient budget for your web hosting expenses, as failing to pay your hosting costs will often result in your site going offline as hosting companies will stop providing you with service and your site will go offline as well.

In what is the best hosting, we recommend that you buy web hosting for a long time in advance if you are sure that your site will be live for a long time. This will help you save quite a bit on the purchase price of the hosting, as most hosts offer significant discounts and discounts on longer purchase periods, especially when using the web hosting coupons of the hosting dean.

2. The speed of a website is affected by the web hosting it is hosted on

It is essential that you minimize the loading time of your website pages and increase its speed, as most visitors will leave your site if it takes too long to load and go to your competitors. In addition, site speed is important to optimize your site's ranking in search engine results, which is the cheapest way to get visitors to your site.

The quality of web hosting directly affects the speed of the websites hosted on it, so it is essential that you pay great attention to the choice of your web hosting, as it may be the difference between the success of your website and its failure, God forbid.

We've published a comprehensive guide on how to speed up a website with 10 proven ways to increase website speed that we recommend you check out.

3. There are different types of web hosting services

When you look at the web hosting options available for purchase, you'll quickly realize that there isn't just one web hosting service, but a number of different types of web hosting services such as:

Co-hosting

Shared Web Hosting is the least expensive option among the various hosting services and also the most user-friendly, which is why many website owners start their websites on shared hosting.

Shared hosting is a good option for new websites and small businesses that are just starting out and don't expect a large number of visitors in the first months of their life. In our best website hosting guide, you'll find a list of the best shared hosting according to the results of our What's the Best Hosting tests.

Cloud hosting

Cloud Hosting is a hosting service that is slightly more expensive than regular shared hosting.

However, it is the best option for sites that need the flexibility to increase hosting resources and capacity when needed, thanks to its reliance on more than one web server or server and linking them together to form a large server.

For example, if you want to increase your hosting capacity to accommodate more visitors, cloud hosting gives you the ability to do so quickly as you can add more resources on-demand from within the control panel easily.

Virtual Private Servers (VPS)

A Virtual Private Server or VPS server combines the advantages of shared hosting in terms of ease of use and low cost with the advantages of a Dedicated Web Server in terms of privacy and higher control over the server and its resources.

VPS hosting is the most suitable option for those who are looking for more powerful and secure hosting than shared hosting at a reasonable price and ease of use and control, which is not available in a private server.

Dedicated servers

A dedicated server or Dedicated Server is a complete web server machine that you get when you buy the service for a monthly or annual rental fee that you pay to the hosting company that owns the server and houses it in its Data Center.

This hosting service is the most powerful, most expensive, and best in terms of security, privacy, and protection, but this often comes at the expense of ease of use, control, and price.

A private server often needs a specialist to control, manage and maintain it, and this service is mainly used by medium and large companies, especially popular websites and those that need the highest degree of protection and independence from other websites.

It is important that you select the right hosting service for you to avoid overspending on hosting unnecessarily. And don't forget that the What is the Best Hosting team is here to help you choose the most suitable hosting service and package for your website or project, so don't hesitate to contact us.

4. The uptime of your site depends on the uptime of your hosting

It is normal for web hosting services to stop working for a certain period of time, known as Downtime, often due to server maintenance, upgrades, or technical issues. It is normal for all websites and applications hosted on the server to stop working when it stops working.

All web hosting providers work to minimize downtime and maximize uptime as much as possible. While this is possible in theory, it is very difficult to eliminate hosting downtime in practice, as there is no guarantee that errors or issues will not occur at any time for any human or uncontrollable reason such as natural disasters.

Therefore, we rely on hosting uptime as one of the main factors in the ranking of web hosting on the Best Hosting website. We also advise you to buy hosting from companies with the lowest downtime so that your site's downtime is too short to be an issue for your visitors

5. Web hosting offers complete packages with the most important website needs

It goes without saying that any website needs web hosting...

However, this does not mean that a website's needs are limited to hosting only, as there are a number of other services and products that a website needs to work or perform better. An example of this is the Domain Name, which represents the website's address on the Internet, such as the address of what is the best hosting for this website: ar.hostingdean.com.

Many websites need other services such as an SSL certificate to encrypt and secure visitors' connection to the website, email hosting, website builder, hosting control panel, website files, CDN service such as Cloudflare, etc.

Most hosts strive to make it easier for users to start a website by including most of these services and tools in a single hosting package that meets the user's needs and website requirements.

5 things to know about a website builder

After our team at What is the Best Hosting has shared with you the most important things to know about web hosting, we will share with you in the following points the most important things you should know about website builders, to help you if you decide that a website builder is the best option for creating your website.

1. Creating a new website using the website builder starts with a template

Website building services rely on the mechanism of templates, which saves you the trouble of building your site from scratch.

Most website builders come with a variety of templates that vary in appearance, and you can choose one that is close to your vision for your site and then modify and customize it to the look you want.

By using ready-made templates, we believe that it will save you a lot of time and trouble when creating a website using a website builder, and it will also give you a visualization and an idea of how sites similar to yours will look like.

2. Easy-to-use drag-and-drop website editor

Most website editors used by website builders rely on Drag-and-Drop, which enables you to move objects and items around the page by simply clicking on an item, moving the mouse cursor to where you want it, and then letting go of the mouse to drop it into place.

As you can see, it's very easy and requires no programming knowledge or experience, and no coding (mostly) unless you want to do advanced modifications. It also makes it easier to add images to the site and change the colors of backgrounds and text, using menus similar to those in other computer programs.

3. Make sure your website builder's designs are mobile-friendly

There are currently more mobile users than desktop users, so the bulk of your site's audience will most likely visit it on a mobile device, so it's important to make sure that your site will be compatible with those devices and appear the way you want it to.

That's why Best Hosting advises you to make sure that the sites the website builder is designing are mobile-friendly. Fortunately, most modern website builders take care of this and produce designs that automatically adapt to the screen size of different devices, but it's also best to check for yourself.

4. There are free website builders out there... But they have some disadvantages!

There are some free website builders such as Blogger, WordPress.com, WordPress.com, and others.

Although you can use these tools to create a website for free, they are not without their drawbacks, especially the free plans. Most of these free tools come with limited features such as not being able to use a paid domain, not being able to fully customize the design of the website, and having limited file or bandwidth storage.

In addition, most free website builders display their own ads on your site and embed their branding in your pages, and you can only get rid of these things by upgrading to a paid plan.

This may be acceptable if your site is simple or for experimentation and learning purposes only, but if it's a professional or business website, it's definitely better to use a paid website builder instead of a free one.

5. Some website builders do not come with web hosting and a domain name

Although many specialized website building services come with web hosting and a website domain as well, unfortunately, this is not the case for all services.

Some website builders come as a standalone service and you need to buy hosting and a domain in order to use these tools to create your site, one of the most prominent examples of this is WordPress, which is used by the What is the Best Hosting website that you are reading right now.

However, a good number of website builders offer hosting and domains with their website builder package. Gator, WordPress.com, Zyro.com, and others do not require you to purchase hosting or domains separately, as the service includes hosting and domains along with the website builder.

In the end, we hope we were able to explain the difference between a website builder and website hosting, and now you can easily differentiate between them and choose the right service for you.

Have a question about hosting or a website builder?
Add it in a comment below and the What's the Best Hosting team will answer it as soon as possible.