So, your business venture has reached the point where you need a website.
You’ve been looking into types of web hosting to discover that there seems to be a lot! Some of them seem too easy to be true, and some of them seem to be overly technical and complicated.
What does all of this mean and how do you choose the best fit for you?
Here’s a quick guide to the different types of web hosting and what needs they suite best.
What Is Web Hosting?
It’s difficult to choose between the different types of web hosting until you’re clear on what it actually is.
Every website is made up of files and data that all get stored together on a piece of hardware called a server. Your web host acts as the bridge between the server and your website displaying on a computer.
So when your website address is visited, the host draws all of your website files from the server and constructs them on the viewers’ device.
The Different Types of Web Hosting
Not all servers operate the same which gives us lots of different hosting options. They vary in the service they provide and the price.
Finding the right option for your website comes down to what your needs are. The hosting that worked for you in the beginning may not work so well as your site grows, leaving you scouting for the right type of web hosting to suit your needs.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most common type of hosting. When you share hosting your website is sharing a server’s resources with other websites.
This makes it significantly cheaper than other hosting options, but it’s not a suitable option for established websites with high traffic.
The most popular shared hosting service is Bluehost.
VPS Hosting
If your site has outgrown shared hosting, a VPS (virtual private server) is the next best option.
VPS hosting is similar to shared hosting in that sites still share a single server. The difference is that the main server is divided into “virtual servers” that are customizable for your website.
This means that your site doesn’t have to share resources with the other sites on the server.
Dedicated Hosting
This is the option to go for if your site is getting huge amounts of traffic, like upwards of 100,000 visitors a month.
With dedicated hosting, your site has its own dedicated server, so there’s no sharing of resources or server space. It also means that you can fully customize the server settings for your needs.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting uses multiple remote servers to store your website’s data. This means that your site’s performance doesn’t all hang on one server, it’s spread across many that can cover for each other if one server goes down.
The benefit of cloud hosting is its flexibility. Cloud hosting plans are set up so that you only pay for what you use.
This means that if your site gets a sudden surge of traffic you simply pay extra to accommodate this, instead of your site being overwhelmed and shutting down because of your plan’s limitations.
Wrap Up
Popular website template services like WordPress and Wix have their own types of web hosting specific to their products. These are often popular options for newbie website creators as they look after all of the technical jargon for you.
Our team is available to help you with everything website-related. Get in touch today and let us answer your questions.