Introduction
In order for you to own and build on a website, you’re going to need at least a couple of things. You’ll need a domain name, you’ll need a tool to get or transfer files from your computer to your website and from your website to your company and you’re going to need what is called webhosting.
Webhosting is what allows individuals and organizations to make their websites accessible to others via the internet.
You can see that when you do a Google search here for webhosting, you’re going to get over 500 Million results popping back at you. So you can see there’s no shortage of options to choose from. However, it’s possible for you, the individual to have your own hosting service on your own computer, at your own home connected to the internet, that’s not what I’m going to be talking about in this post because 99.9% of you will be purchasing webhosting from a company that specializes in hosting websites. You know, kind of like your Bluehost, Namecheap, or Siteground or one of the other bazillion webhosting companies out there.
Also Read: Selecting Domain Names
What is Your Goal
Now, before you purchase what you need, you should think a little bit about what you want. What is your end-goal here for your website? Now, I know that there will be some changes as your site evolves but in order for you to get started in the right direction, you should at least have a bit of a plan laid out first.
For example, ask yourself these questions, grab your pen and paper and write them down, what is my budget for getting things started? How long will that budget last without any income? Will I need a bunch of traffic just to break even? Will I sell things, and if so, what can I sell, digital goods, physical goods, or both? Will you be hosting large file downloads? Will you have videos on your site? Will I need a secure connection in order to accept credit cards? These are just some of the questions you should write down and refer back to as you do the research for the hosting service you’re looking for.
Types of Web Hosting and the Differences
No two web hosting services are alike. Free web hosting is a great concept, but it’s really only designed for the novice web designer, or someone who just wants to have their own little niche on the web. Free web hosting sites are usually bombarded with pop up ads, banner ads, and other advertisements, which are all usually a turn off for visitors. If you’re creating a website to make money, it’s a good idea to steer clear of free web hosting services, since they will most likely cause you to lose sales. Most people see websites with tons of ads on them and click away to something else, since their first instinct is that the website must be a scam.
Shared Web Hosting
Shared web hosting is one of the more common forms of hosting, but it’s also not quite as effective as some others. Shared hosting basically means that the website is on a shared server that “shares” space with other sites. While this is effective for more simple sites, it might not work well for larger, database type websites or web pages with tons of visitors. Some more well known companies now sell server space for web hosting purposes, and make a good choice for people who want to set up a website but don’t have the resources or funds to do so on their own dedicated server. Shared server web hosting is a good starter hosting service to get your feet wet.
Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting has everything a shared hosting plan has, but it’s only major difference is that as a reseller plan account holder can sell web space, as if they are their own web hosting company. Another major difference is that a reseller plan allows unlimited domains. A reseller is able to create accounts for them sites or their customers using the WHM (Web Host Manager).
VPS Hosting
A VPS, or virtual private server, is a different option for web hosting that allows each server to run on its own, with its own dedicated machine. If someone needs to perform some updates to one particular server, this can be done easily without interrupting any other servers. Most website owners also have much more detailed access to their interfaces, since on a VPS server, each one has its own operating system as well. This is also a great choice for web designers and webmasters who want to have a lot more security. Without having to share servers, the risk of information getting into the wrong hands is definitely lessened.
Dedicated Server
Of course, the dedicated server option is by far the best, albeit in most cases the most expensive. A dedicated server means that the Webmaster owns and controls the server completely themselves. Any updates or changes are done “in house,” on site by the web designer or web designing and hosting team. Most of the time the server is stored at a data center or what is known as a collocation center. The reason for this is that servers run hot, and must be kept clean and cool. These data centers help to ensure that the servers are being stored and used at optimum temperature. The web designer or server controller can gain access to the data centers and the servers are usually kept under lock and key.
Dedicated servers can handle much larger amounts of bandwidth, which means that the website can handle more traffic and the flow of information back and forth from the end user to the server. A dedicated server usually has intrusion detection and other serious methods to help maintain the security of the server and the information it handles. Programmers can change or tweak just about anything they wish, giving the website much more power and ability to function in a large web environment.
Takeaway
While each of these web hosting choices are viable, some may be a better fit than others for the web designer. It really depends on the person’s need for speed, ability to handle the flow of information, and the bandwidth needed to sustain the website. Some e-commerce businesses may decide to start slow, and then build their way up from a shared web hosting service to a dedicated server some day. Think of it as a seller of goods who lists their items on eBay one day, and then has their very own e-commerce web store the next.
Check my post: Which Web Hosting Service is better
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