If you are setting up a website for your business or looking for a new hosting company for an existing website, finding the best one is not always as simple as choosing the cheapest. The truth is many business owners do not know what they should be looking for when it comes to web hosting. In the following article you will find some helpful tips for choosing the best business web hosting company for your website.
Understand Different Types Of Hosting.
Not every form of hosting is exactly the same and it is therefore important to understand the differences between the types of hosting available:
- Shared Hosting
This is often known as virtual hosting and means that your website is hosted on the same server as many of the hosting company’s other clients. The host takes handles almost of all of the management of the server, though you obviously have full control over your account and site. Although the cost is low with shared hosting, because of the number of different companies using the same server, the heavy traffic on the server can affect how well your site performs.
- Collocated Hosting
This form of hosting requires you to purchase a physical server from a computer hardware provider such as HP or Dell. Then you supply this server to your hosting company. The hosting company then connects the server to its network and power systems and is responsible for ensuring their network is available. You are in turn responsible for the management of your server.
- Dedicated Unmanaged Hosting
This is similar in some ways to collocated hosting, with the exception that you only lease a server from the host company and do not own it. The level of support you receive can vary depending on your host and this often is only web-based help. You should always research how much support the host will give you before signing up to their services. Although this type of service is good for online gaming, it is not very good for businesses that need higher spec-hosting services.
- Dedicated Managed Hosting
Much like unmanaged dedicated hosting managed dedicated hosting means that you do not purchase but lease a server from the host. The difference is that they provide you with a high level of maintenance and support for the server and this normally comes with a reasonable guarantee. The maintenance you receive can include services like security patch updates, hardware warranty, server uptime monitoring and many more. Be cautious and check exactly what managed services are included in your hosting package, because some companies have been known to disguise unmanaged dedicated hosting as managed dedicated hosting.
- You Get What You Pay For
It is important to avoid making price the most important thing you look for in a hosting company. If you just look at the price and simply pick the cheapest deal, you may end up with nothing more than an internet connection and very little support.