What You Need to Know about Website Hosting
The Sprocket Report
Because you are busy in your business, website hosting may be a low priority. Still, you should have a basic understanding of what’s involved so you can make good decisions for your website.
A writer on Quora estimates that there are over 10,000 hosting providers. That’s a lot to research and compare! You can whittle that down to recognizable names and recommendations from colleagues, but before you make a decision, be sure to clarify what your needs are. Here is some basic background for weighing your options:
Free Hosting
Yes, there is free website hosting available, but read the fine print. “Free” usually applies to an introductory period or with third-party advertising on your site or until you have your own domain name. As you outgrow the free options, costs will start adding up and you may want to re-evaluate your choice.
Shared Hosting
As the name implies, with this hosting option your website shares space on a server with other websites. The advantage is that you also share the costs of maintaining the server, so each of you saves money. The disadvantage is that as one of you outgrows the space, it can affect everyone on that server.
Hosting on a Dedicated Server
To have complete and independent hosting control, you can choose a dedicated server. In addition to not having to share space, your team has direct access to the server for continued application development.
Hosting on a Virtual Server
Mid-way between Shared Hosting and Dedicated Server is the Virtual Server. While sharing the cost of a server, you still have permission-based access to independent space for your development team.
Managed WordPress Hosting
If you are creating your own WordPress website, this option can be attractive since the hosting provider makes it easy to get your site started and automatically updates your site to each latest version. On the good side, you receive the latest patches and newest features. On the less-good side, any plug-ins you have chosen to use may not be compatible with the update and could stop working on your site.
The internet has been around long enough that many in the industry assume that we all know how hosting works by now. But when you are immersed in your own business, keeping up with website technology is probably not a high priority. If you have questions about your website hosting, give us a call. We would be happy to help.
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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