Dedicated Hosting vs. Shared Hosting
When businesses create a website, they need to first choose a domain. A domain is the name that will appear in the URL of their site. Each site must have a unique domain, and this domain will need to be periodically renewed. Purchasing a domain is fairly inexpensive, typically only $10-$20 per year.
Once your domain name is picked, it’s time to look into hosting services. A website host provider stores your website on their server. Your hosting company should be able to support your website platform whether you’ve picked WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, etc.
After establishing a relationship with a hosting service company, they will ask whether you are interested in dedicated hosting or shared hosting. Both options have their pros and cons, and it truly depends on your business model to decide which is best for your company. At Host for Web, we offer both dedicated and shared hosting services to our clients. We are happy to help you decide which one you should choose! In the meantime, learn all about the differences and why you might pick one hosting experience over the other.
What is Hosting?
All websites on the internet require hosting. WPBeginner defines hosting in an easy-to-understand way: “If the domain name was the address of your house, then web hosting is the actual house that address points to.” The hosting server is where all the files of your site reside. As mentioned above, website hosting is required for a site to go live. A hosting services company like Host for Web not only hosts your site, but they also provide various other essential services as well. For example, they will make sure your site is running properly 24/7. You don’t have to worry about your site glitching and crashing. Your hosting company will be on top of it ASAP, ensuring the issue is fixed and that your site is back up and running in no time. Web hosting companies typically charge a monthly fee for their services.
Shared vs. Dedicated Hosting
Hosting gets a bit more complex when website owners must decide between dedicated and shared hosting. The answer to the shared vs. dedicated hosting question depends on your business and website needs. Your hosting company will help guide you on the best choice to help your website be successful.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting means that your website shares server space with other sites. On a shared server, clients share resources but also share maintenance costs. A shared server is an excellent option for companies that are budget-conscious. At Host for Web, our servers combine CloudLinux Technology with a LiteSpeed Web Server to bring clients better site performance and resources. Host for Web’s shared platform offers clients daily backups, a drag and drop site builder powered by Weebly, free migration assistance, 24/7 customer support, and more! We have three shared hosting plans that are based on the size and needs of your site:
Mini Plan: for single websites
Smart Plan: for personal websites and blogs
Business Pro: for business websites and eCommerce sites
The shared hosting option also offers over 300 pre-installed apps like Cloudflare, WordPress, and Oxwall. The Pure SSD Drive gives users the industry’s fastest storage. Shared hosting services include an easy-to-use control panel so that clients can manage their files, email account, preferences, and more! If your business is looking for an outside-the-box hosting solution that won’t break the bank, shared hosting is often the best option.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is when a client leases out the entire server so they are the only ones on that server. Resources and costs are not shared with anyone else. While this option is more expensive than shared hosting, it does have its benefits. First, the server can be customized to the needs of your business. For example, if you decide to add more bandwidth or increase your processing speed, this is easily accomplished! Customization options like this are not possible in a shared hosting environment.
If your company has outgrown a shared server or is looking for customization options, a dedicated hosting service is the way to go. Dedicated hosting is also perfect for businesses that are forecasting growth in the future. A dedicated server gives space and options for growing companies. A dedicated server comes with 24/7 support, an industry-leading control panel, migration assistance, and state-of-the-art hardware. Host for Web offers single and dual CPU Intel Xeon services with various options based on CPU and RAM needs.
Every website needs a hosting company to store the site information on their server. The first step is finding a hosting company that you can trust. Your hosting company should do a lot more than simply hold your site on a server. They should be involved in everything from migration to routine maintenance and 24/7 support. At Host for Web, we offer our clients both shared and dedicated hosting platforms. We help you make the decision about which platform can work based on the size of your website, traffic, load speed requirement, customization needs, etc.
Whichever way you decide to go, we are here for you every step of the way with migration assistance and 24/7/365 support. If your site goes down, we are on it, whether it’s in the middle of the workweek or during the night on a holiday weekend. For more information about our services and whether you should pick a shared or dedicated hosting server, contact us today!