Starting up a small business can be stressful, especially if you’re looking into starting up your own website. Choosing the right type of web hosting may seem confusing, but don’t worry. Here’s a quick overview to help you understand what you need for your business.
Web Hosting Packages
There are four different types of web hosting packages: shared hosting, virtual private server, dedicated server, and cloud hosting.
- Shared Hosting: Shared hosting is the most common type of web hosting available. If you’re new to web hosting, this may be your best choice because your service provider handles all necessary components of hosting your site. It’s also one of the cheapest — most sites charge less than $20 per month.
- Virtual Private Server: A second option is a virtual private server (VPS). Here you have more control over your site than a shared host, but you’re still sharing your server with other people. You can choose your own software as long as it’s compatible with the operating system. It’s like renting a portion of a server where you have full control. You can get a VPS server for $15 per month.
- Dedicated Server: A dedicated server allows you absolute control over everything concerning your server and website. Dedicated servers are the best option for people that have knowledge and experience with hosting sites or servers — it can be somewhat complicated otherwise. The price of dedicated servers is on the higher side because you have an expert monitoring the server at all times. You can purchase a domain on a dedicated server for around $149 per month.
- Cloud Hosting: Cloud hosting is much different from any other service listed above. Instead of being hosted on one server, resources are pulled from several clustered ones. This works by sharing a balanced load to allow users optimum access to your site. Cloud hosting can be purchased for as little as $5.95 per month, depending on the package you choose.
Plan Specifications
When you look at your plan specifications they may look incredibly confusing, but it’s relatively easy to break down. First of all, they’ll tell you how many websites you can create. While you can only have one domain in most circumstances, some plans allow multiple sites. A domain can be used to build a website, an email account, or both. Your domain’s also what people use to find your web page.
Storage space is also an essential thing to check — it’s what allows you to have files on your website for other people to access. Without adequate storage space, you may find that your site doesn’t host all of your files. However, storage space is different from your bandwidth which is the amount of people that can access your website and your files. So, you can upload a video using storage space, but if people access the video they’ll use bandwidth.
Customer Service and Reliability
If you feel like you have a good grasp on the basics of web hosting for your small business, you need a company that allows you to upload content, but also provides assistance when necessary. Not every company’s the same and if you anticipate that you may need extra support, be sure to host your site with a company that has excellent customer service and reliability. Many web hosting services have 24/7 customer service, which would be perfect for someone who’s just starting out.
