Web hosting is changing as more users and companies go online. New technologies like cloud and VPS hosting have grown popular. More providers join the market, creating competition and innovation. As web use rises, hosting adapts to meet diverse needs.
Here are the highlights of the latest web hosting statistics you should know about:
- 5 Billion Users: Nearly 5 billion internet users globally, mostly in Asia.
- 330,000 Providers: Over 330,000 web hosting providers as of 2021.
- 1.14 Billion Websites: Approximately 1.14 billion websites online.
- GeoCities Launch: GeoCities, one of the first web hosting providers, launched in 1995.
- GoDaddy’s Share: GoDaddy covers about 20% of the web hosting market.
- First .com Domain: Symbolics.com, registered in 1985.
- Free Domain Registration Pre-1995: Domain registration was free until 1995.
- 8,000 Datacenters: Around 8,000 datacenters worldwide.
- Shared Hosting Cost: $2 to $5 per month for shared hosting.
- VPS Market Growth: VPS hosting market projected to reach $8.16 billion by 2026.
- 85% Adopting Cloud Hosting: About 85% of companies to embrace cloud hosting by 2025.
- Dedicated Hosting Share: 26.7% global market share for dedicated hosting.
- WordPress’s Reach: Powers 43% of all websites.
- Global Internet Users and Hosting Companies
- Web Hosting Providers
- Number of Websites
- Early Web Hosting Providers
- Market Share of Major Hosting Companies
- First Domain Registration
- Free Domain Registration Until 1995
- Datacenters Worldwide
- Shared Hosting Costs
- Growth of VPS Hosting Market
- Cloud Hosting Adoption
- Dedicated Hosting Market Share
- WordPress Hosting Dominance
Global Internet Users and Hosting Companies
As of April 2022, about 5 billion people around the world were using the internet. A big part of these users are in Asia. This means that lots of people from countries like China and India go online to do things like reading, playing games, and talking to friends. However, even though most internet users are in Asia, North America is the place with the most companies that provide web hosting services.
Web hosting companies are the ones that offer space on the internet where websites can live. So, even though more people use the internet in Asia, companies in North America are the ones helping a lot of these websites to be available for everyone on the internet.
Web Hosting Providers
Web hosting providers are companies that offer services to host websites on the internet. Imagine them like landlords renting out space, but instead of apartments, they provide a place on the web for websites. In 2021, there were over 330,000 of these providers, which shows how many companies are trying to offer the best place for your website.
With so many options, it means they must work hard to stand out and attract customers, which creates a lot of competition in the industry. More competition usually means better services and prices for people who want to create websites.
Number of Websites
The internet is like a huge library with lots of different pages. Each page is part of a website. Imagine walking into a library with over a billion books – that’s how many websites were on the internet as of August 2022. This number was a big 1.14 billion.
What’s more, it’s like more and more books keep getting added every day because the number of websites keeps going up and up. Each website can be anything: a store, a place to watch videos, a place to play games, or a way to talk to friends. It’s incredible to think about how many exist, and it’s like the internet is a city that never stops growing.
Early Web Hosting Providers
Early web hosting providers are companies that started offering space on the internet for people to build websites on. GeoCities, which began in 1995, was one of these pioneers. It made making websites easy for everyone.
Following GeoCities, Angelfire began in 1996, and then Tripod started in 2001. They all helped users create their own spots on the web. These early hosts are like the first towns in the wild internet frontier, giving people a place to set up their online homes.
Market Share of Major Hosting Companies
Market share is how much of the market a company controls. GoDaddy, a big player in web hosting, has a lot of control. About 20% of all web hosting sales are through GoDaddy.
This means one in five websites might use GoDaddy’s services. In a room of ten web hosts, GoDaddy would be like two of them. This shows that GoDaddy is a major choice for people looking to host their websites.
First Domain Registration
The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics.com. Someone registered it on March 15, 1985. A domain name is like an address for a website on the internet. Just like you need an address to find someone’s house, every website needs a unique domain to be found on the web.
Symbolics.com was special because it was the very first one to be registered out of all the .com domains we have today. Back then, the internet was just starting to grow, and registering a domain was a new idea. Now, registering domain names is a common practice for anyone wanting to create a website.
Free Domain Registration Until 1995
Before 1995, anyone could get a domain name without paying a penny. A domain name is like an address for a website on the internet. Back then, if you wanted to have your own space online, you could pick a name for your website and register it for free.
This meant that you didn’t have to spend any money to claim your unique spot on the world wide web. People did this to set up their own websites before companies started charging for it. Now, you usually have to pay to register a domain name.
Datacenters Worldwide
A datacenter is a big building that holds a lot of computers. These computers store and protect important data for websites and services. All around the world, there are about 8,000 datacenters. One-third of these datacenters are in the United States.
That means more datacenters are in the US than in any other country. This is because a lot of internet companies and users are there. These datacenters work day and night to make sure that the information on the internet is safe and always available when people want to use it.
Shared Hosting Costs
Shared hosting is a service that lets many websites use one server. This means they share the server’s resources. A server is a powerful computer that stores websites and makes them accessible on the internet. The cost for shared hosting is usually low.
It can be between $2 and $5 every month. This low price makes shared hosting the cheapest way to host a website. People often choose it when they first create a website or if they have a small site.
Growth of VPS Hosting Market
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a service that lets you rent part of a web server. It is like having your own space on a bigger computer to run your website. This service is becoming more popular, and many people are expected to use it in the future.
Experts think that by 2026, the money made from VPS hosting will reach $8.16 billion. This is a huge amount and shows that VPS hosting is a big deal. More and more website owners are choosing VPS because it gives them control and power like having a private server, but it costs less. Therefore, the VPS hosting market is growing fast and will be worth a lot of money soon.
Cloud Hosting Adoption
Cloud hosting is when businesses use online servers to store their data and run their websites. Unlike traditional hosting which uses one server, cloud hosting uses a network of connected servers. This means if one server has a problem, the others can take over. It’s like a team working together to make sure a website always has what it needs to stay online.
By 2025, experts believe that almost 85 out of every 100 companies will use cloud hosting. This shows that cloud hosting is becoming a popular choice because it is reliable and can adjust to the needs of different businesses. Companies are moving towards cloud hosting as it allows them to work more efficiently and keep their data safe.
Dedicated Hosting Market Share
Dedicated hosting is a type of internet hosting where a client rents an entire server not shared with anyone else. It holds a significant portion of the hosting market worldwide. Specifically, dedicated hosting has a global market share of 26.7%. This number shows how many people choose dedicated hosting compared to other types of web hosting.
Experts think that more people and businesses will choose dedicated hosting over the next few years. This expected increase suggests that dedicated hosting is becoming more popular.
WordPress Hosting Dominance
WordPress hosting is a service that lets people create websites using the WordPress platform. It is very popular because almost half the websites on the internet use it. WordPress hosting is chosen by many website owners due to its ease of use and the features it offers.
Here are some points about WordPress hosting:
- 43% of All Websites: This means that if you pick 100 websites at random, about 43 of them are likely to be powered by WordPress hosting.
- Highly Popular: Because so many websites use WordPress hosting, it is clear that a lot of people think it’s a good choice.
- Choice Among Owners: Website owners, the people who decide how a website is built, often pick WordPress hosting to run their sites.
Sources:
- TL Dev Tech: “18 Interesting Facts about Web Hosting and Domain“.
- Hosting Advice: “20 Must-Know Web Hosting Facts and Definitions (2023)“.
