What is host?

Host: what is it?

In general, a host is a PC, laptop or other device connected to a local network or the Internet, with its own IP address, due to which it is detected by other network equipment, and data and commands are exchanged.

The second meaning of the term is a platform intended for hosting a website. Each network resource has its own host. However, in this situation it is more correct to use the term “hosting”, it is close in sound, but is not identical to the term in question. The following interpretations can also be found in specialized literature:

• In virtualization systems – a server where virtual machines operate;
• In DNS – a domain name that allows you to determine the IP address;
• In programming – equipment or a utility that executes certain commands, user or automatic, saved as scripts;
• In databases – servers where information arrays are located.

Host and Internet Marketing

The concept of “host” is most actively used by marketers and network analysts. For them, it means the IP address assigned to the user for successful identification. Statistical services can provide data on the popularity and traffic of a site based on the number of unique requests from a server serviced by an organization providing Internet access. The address is recorded only during the first visit, repeat visits are not taken into account, which ensures the accuracy of statistics and allows us to talk exclusively about unique visitors.

Why count hosts?

The need is explained by the following:

• Analysis of traffic. Each host is a unique visitor, accordingly, the higher the number, the more interesting the site is, the more attractive the information posted looks to readers.
• Analysis of the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. If after the launch of contextual advertising, promotion through social networks, mass media, the number of unique visitors has increased, then the method is effective, you can continue to invest in it, increase the budget. If there is no effect, it is more rational to change the strategy.
• Study of behavioral metrics. The study will show not only the number of visitors, but also their behavior on the site: how much time they spend reading certain pages, what navigation patterns they follow, how many clicks they make to go to the desired tab.

All of the data provided is extremely important for Internet marketers, it helps in conducting the least expensive and most effective advertising campaigns, recording sources of non-targeted traffic and disabling them to optimize costs.

The most accurate calculations can be made using specialized analytical resources, such as Google Analytics or similar ones from Yandex.

Summing up

A host is a device connected to a network, local or global, with a personal identifier, IP address. You can determine the number of these devices using third-party services, metrics and analytics tools.

It is important to differentiate between a host and a hosting, that is, the place where the network resource is located. The second concept is also extremely important in Internet marketing, because the stability of the site, its loading speed, convenience for the visitor, the absence of security problems and other significant factors depend on the hosting.

Author of the article:

Editor-in-Chief

Danaev Almaz