Is Shared Hosting Right For You?
You’ve created your website. You’ve selected your web hosting company. Now you have another important decision to make: Shared or dedicated?
Shared hosting (also referred to as “virtual hosting”) is great for newcomers to the arena who are learning the ropes and getting a feel for how popular their web site is likely to be. In shared hosting situations, companies and individuals post a site from a central server that is shared with other web hosting customers. This arrangement is cost-effective for individuals or small businesses who cannot afford to have an independent server on the Internet for their web presence.
Shared hosting allows customers to share the cost of a server. This provides them the ability to host their site on a powerful managed server at a low monthly cost.
All reputable shared hosting services offer guaranteed uptime. Your shared host should also offer around the clock technical support and include unlimited file transfer services so that you can update your web site as needed.
Finding the right shared web host for your needs requires research and evaluation. Many tools exist online that can assist you in finding a reliable hosting service.
Remember that your web host must be trusted to provide superior network infrastructure. If you select a host that cannot provide superior connectivity, then your site’s availability to the world will be limited. A good web host handles all the technical issues for you so that you can concentrate on running your business.
As one small businessman put it: “I had the incorrect idea in my head that I could save money by not hiring a web host. Prior to hiring a shared web host, I spent more time messing with my server than I did working on my own web page, building my business and servicing my customers. I was losing massive amounts of money every single day.”
Before you choose your shared web host provider, you might want to consider the following:
Technology
Since shared hosting services use multiplexed equipment, potential customers should make sure that the server technology used can accommodate the number of users on the server.
Fast Connection
It is important to find the fastest internet connection possible. Since you are competing with other users for resources in a shared hosting environment, you should ensure that you have at least a T3 connection that is utilizing less than 50 percent of available bandwidth.
The Ability To Grow
Make sure that your host can accommodate you as your site grows in complexity. You should be able to upgrade your site to accommodate increased bandwidth and resource requirements like scripting, database support and multimedia streaming.
A Quick Look At Dedicated Hosts
A dedicated server is a single computer that is dedicated to the requirements of one customer. It allows for faster access to information and provides greater flexibility in software deployment, site traffic management, security and scalability.
Customers with dedicated hosts have total control over their Web presence. The customer chooses the operating system and the software they wish to use and can tailor the settings specifically for their unique requirements. Dedicated hosting services are a good choice for customers that require custom software or enhanced server control but do not want to make the costly investment required to purchase a server.
Dedicated server web hosting is necessary if the traffic on your site is likely to increase substantially and/or your site is taking too long to load. You don’t want to alienate potential customers by making them wait too long to get into your online store. An analysis of the traffic to your site will tell you whether you should go to a dedicated server. Talk to your web host about the best way to conduct a traffic analysis.
Dedicated hosting is particularly important for large businesses who want complete control over the server so they can fine tune special shopping cart software, and other elements. Dedicated hosting allows customers to tailor the database, email and software applications.
When shopping for a web host of any kind, be suspicious of fly by night companies. The vast majority of web hosts are honest but in any profession there are people who will take your money and then shut down the store, leaving you high and try. Do your research. Finding the right host can mean the difference between turning into a pumpkin and “happily ever after.”
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