How to Decide Which Type of Web Hosting is Best for Your Business

The world of website hosting can be complicated, so having a bit of knowledge on the subject can be of huge benefit to your company. As a business owner, you’ll always want to get the most out of an investment, and your website is no different. If you’re going to be paying for a hosting service, you need to be sure that it’s the right one for your needs.

In this article we’ll take a look at the types of website hosting you can choose from, as well as the pros and cons of each of them.

Shared Web Hosting

With shared hosting, the clue is in the name: your website will be on a server that’s shared by other users’ sites. The main advantage of this type of hosting is the price, as it’s often a very cheap way of hosting your website. This is ideal for anyone with a tight budget and a website that isn’t likely to take on too much traffic.

The disadvantage is that by sharing a server, you will essentially be at the mercy of the other websites on that server. If a few of them happen to be very popular, then your site will suffer for it. On the flip-side of this, if your site is hugely popular, you’ll be getting the benefit of a cheap, quick server.

Shared hosting is more commonly used for blogs and small sites, but if your business site doesn’t require anything too complex, it may be a good way for you to stick a tight budget.

Cloud-Based Web Hosting

Cloud-based technology is still relatively new and has become a big hit with large organisations. Cloud-based hosting is when multiple servers work together to form what is one massive server, or a ‘cloud’.

This has proved to be very useful for large companies who have a lot of moving parts in regards to their site’s activity. The advantage of the cloud is that if you need to upgrade your current resources, your hosting company can add more hardware to handle it. There’s also a significant security advantage of cloud hosting as it offers users more efficient privacy of data, which is vital to business owners.

Cloud-based hosting is considered by many to be the future of hosting and, for many large organisations, it seems that this could be the case. If you’re running a small business on a tight budget, there are different options available to suit your needs better.

Virtual Private Server (VPS)

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is probably the most commonly used web hosting option, as it occupies the middle-ground between shared hosting and a dedicated web server (more on that later). VPS is essentially servers within a server. One physical server is split into multiple virtual servers, meaning that users get some of the benefits of a dedicated server and avoid the downfalls of shared hosting.

For example, you’ll avoid the annoyance of your hosting neighbours slowing down your site, while also swerving past the expense of dedicated server hosting.

VPS is often the choice for companies who require a happy medium between a shared and dedicated server. Whether it’s because their business doesn’t quite have the budget to step up to a dedicated server, or because their website isn’t currently getting traffic that warrants doing so, the benefits of VPS can make a huge difference in regards to productivity and web presence.

Dedicated Web Server

Dedicated server hosting is the more advanced — and more expensive — option. You will be renting one physical server from your hosting company, so this will come with extra charges for maintenance, etc.

That’s not to say your money won’t be well spent. If you require a higher level of security, uptime, and you don’t want the speed of your site to be compromised, this is the option for you.

In this case, better service will come with a more expensive price tag, which is why it’s often the hosting choice for larger companies and organisations. If you’re running a small business and have a relatively tight budget, this most likely isn’t the ideal choice for your company.

Website hosting isn’t a walk in the park, especially if you’re a business owner with minimal know-how on the subject. Knowing the benefits and disadvantages of each web hosting option is key to ensuring a strong business site, and balancing those with what works best for your company is the foundation of any successful website.