Hosting Options for Small Businesses
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When running a small business, you have a lot to keep track of. Having a website is an important part of expanding your company and growing productivity. Once you have your website designed and ready to go, you’ll need to find a hosting service to get it up and running. There are several different hosting options for small businesses. The one you choose will depend on the scale of your small business and what your online hosting needs are. Here are the options you can choose from and the benefits each has to offer.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most commonly used and cost-effective hosting option available to small businesses. In a shared hosting plan, your website shares server space with many other websites. A team of experts from your hosting service can then manage and maintain your website so you can focus more on growing your business. Here are the pros and cons of using shared hosting.
Pros
- Quick and easy to set up
- Free 24/7 support
- Free migration assistance
- Drag-and-Drop Site Builder
- Daily backups
- Fastest storage options available to the hosting industry
- Multi PHP environment
- Free DDOS protection and CDN
- SSH Access
- Over 300 applications ready to install with one click
- Easy to upgrade to different plans and options
Cons
- Shared resources with other websites
- Less control over specifics compared to other hosting options
- Lower traffic and upload/download capabilities
- Can’t personally tweak, tune, or upgrade server parts
The shared hosting option is perfect for small businesses that don’t need a lot of resources or too many web pages. Many small businesses find that a shared hosting plan is perfect for them. Because you share server space with so many other businesses, you don’t have the option to change or directly manage the server. However, this allows you more time to work on your business, as the server managers from your hosting provider are going to ensure that everything is safe, secure, and up to date.
Virtual Private Server Hosting
VPS hosting is a wonderful in-between option for small businesses that need just a bit more power. Like shared hosting, your company is sharing the server space with other companies. However, you are given an allotment on resources that aren’t shared with others. Much like with dedicated server hosting options, you can tweak and fine-tune the resources you have to create the desired server settings you want for your site. Here are the pros and cons of using virtual private server hosting.
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Complete control with VPS Panel
- Easy to upgrade server parts and resources
- 24/7 customer support
- Free migration assistance
- Daily backups
- Fastest storage options available to the hosting industry
- Multi PHP environment
- Free DDOS protection and CDN
- SSH Access
- 2 free IPs
Cons
- More costly than shared hosting plans
- Requires more initial setup consideration and slight management
- Access and resources restricted to only partial server use
VPS hosting is great for small businesses that are looking for a little extra resource power but that don’t quite need a full dedicated server. Like with shared hosting, server managers from your hosting provider will ensure that your software is secure and up to date. You can leave most of the work in their hands, but you also have the option to take control and customize your server settings as you see fit.
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Dedicated Server Hosting
With a dedicated server, you don’t have to share your resources with anyone. Small businesses that use a dedicated server will have complete control over all settings and resource allotment. This option is perfect for companies that need extra power to run multiple websites with high levels of user engagement. Here are the pros and cons of using dedicated server hosting.
Pros
- Full and complete control over every aspect of your server and websites
- 24/7 customer support
- Free migration assistance
- Daily backups
- Fastest storage options available to the hosting industry
- Multi PHP environment
- Free DDOS protection and CDN
- SSH Access
- 24/7 reaction monitoring
- 2 IPs and unlimited domains
- Optimized and hardened setup
- Increased bandwidth, RAM, and processor speed
- Optional full management services
Cons
- Most expensive of all hosting options
- Requires additional management time and energy
- Requires additional setup time
With dedicated hosting, your small business can quickly grow into a larger enterprise. The resources and tools at your disposal allow you to power amazing websites that users will continue to return to. You can choose to fully manage the server yourself or allow your hosting provider to keep it secure and up to date. Either way, you’ll have the resources you need to grow your business.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is the newest option available to small businesses. With cloud hosting, you essentially lease a virtual, dynamic structure to host your websites. Through this structure, resources become available on-demand. Unlike dedicated hosting, you aren’t maintaining and paying for resources you might need to cover traffic patterns. Instead, cloud hosting makes these resources available only when they are needed. This saves you and your small business time and money that other hosting options require.
Hosting Options through HostForWeb
At HostForWeb, we’re dedicated to providing high-quality hosting options for small businesses. Our company’s desire is to help your company grow. We have several plans within each hosting option, each designed to fit your resource needs and budget. You can browse our available hosting packages online or give us a call at 1-833-201-8322 to learn how we can support your business.
