Web hosting is critical for getting your website live online. There are different types of web hosting available in the market with various plans. For a beginner, it can be challenging to identify and select the right one. In this article, we will shed light on web hosting and its types. We will also cover how you should choose the right hosting for yourself. Firstly, let’s understand what hosting is.
What is Website Hosting?
Web hosting is a type of service with the help of which websites and webpages become visible to the users on the Internet. It generally means that your website will be stored on the server’s address so that internet users can view your website online.
These servers are like the CPU of the computer. Whatever information, post, image, you’ll do on your website, it will be saved on the server’s memory. It is significant to note that the users will be able to access your domain only if you have rented the hosting for your site.
The website owner generally rents this service along with other services such as server management, support, malware scanning, system backups, etc.
The whole process is known as web hosting, and the party who provides such services is called a hosting provider.
The prices of web hosting vary. From $10 to $100, you’ll get plenty of options in the market with different features. If you’re a beginner, it can be challenging to decide which one to select and understand the terms such as cloud, VPS. Now, let’s talk about the different types of web hosting.
Different Types of Web Hosting Plans:
Following are some of the significant types of web hosting services:
-
Shared Hosting
As the word suggests, you’ll be sharing the server space with certain other websites on the Internet. The number of sites available on the stack will depend on the setup, and the plan provided by the hosting provider. In this type of hosting, RAM, and space for your website will be shared with hundreds or even thousands of distinct sites.
Most beginners choose this hosting. It is simple and comparatively cheap as well. If you are a startup or an entrepreneur, or someone who wishes to start their blogging website, you can start with shared hosting. You can always upgrade your hosting.
-
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is like a luxury selection, as you will have a server all for yourself. Therefore, this hosting opportunity comes with a host of benefits.
Shared hosting is affordable. But with a dedicated hosting plan, you’ll have a dedicated space for your website, and you’ll have more flexibility to operate it.
You can choose this plan in the following two situations:
- If you’re an organization who has highly specialized needs in terms of hardware
- If your organization wishes to earn more control over data privacy or security than anywhere else
-
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
VPS hosting is rated as the most balanced among various sorts of web hosting. You’ll still be sharing space with other website servers.
It is a combination of dedicated as well as shared hosting. We can say that it is the best version of both types of hosting. It is perfect if you’re looking for more space and flexibility in comparison with shared hosting. In this type of hosting, you don’t share disk space, RAM, and CPU storage with other users or other domains.
In this type of hosting, you rent the entire server. It is an excellent choice for people or brands who have very high traffic on their website. If you’re an established brand that might get a lot of traffic online, you must choose this VPS hosting.
If you want to spend a little extra amount but still utilizing a shared hosting plan, we would suggest you must enhance VPS hosting after verifying the following features, including setup fees, CPU power, storage space, memory, and bandwidth facility. For companies that are aiming to develop and flourish their sites, VPS hosting is an ideal selection of hosting.
-
Cloud Hosting
It is similar to VPS hosting. The difference is that your site is a part of a whole network of servers, rather than a private physical or dedicated server.
Cloud hosting plans are generally expensive. But they can handle large amounts of traffic and also provides better security protection. The most significant benefits of cloud hosting is that this plan allows for unlimited expansion.
It is an excellent choice if you want to benefit from its scalable features. Most companies are upgrading from traditional plans to cloud-based VPS as it provides various benefits.
-
Managed WordPress Hosting
The Managed WordPress hosting plan is a plan wherein the host will manage all the technical aspects of WordPress related things. You do not have to worry about update packages, backups, and security system installation. The host will manage everything. From updates to backups, from uptime to scalability, you need to do nothing. It is beneficial if you don’t want to handle the technical part. You can easily focus on growing your venture.
How to choose a web hosting plan?
Following are some of the factors you must consider when choosing a Web hosting plan:
-
Technical Support
Technical Support is crucial. Your provider should have an excellent, solid reputation for their maintenance department. You should be able to contact a real person, available 24/7, no matter what happened. Most providers offer multiple levels of support, for example – like email service, toll-free phone, and live chat facility. Make sure that the service department is in-house and has not been out-sourced to another organization. Make sure that customer support service is a priority for the provider.
-
Price
Price matters a lot, especially when we are making such crucial decisions to choose the best plans. However, with price, you need to check whether the service provider is providing excellent services. It is essential to understand that you’ll get what you pay for. Compare the features, offers that different service providers are providing.
-
Email Features
Business emails look very professional, especially email addresses, which include the name of your domain. Various hosting providers offer email addresses for free. Whereas many charge some extra amount. There are specific hosting plans which also include advanced email features – For example – forwarding and filtering services, auto-responders, and enhanced security systems.
Check and compare what email features your service provider is offering to you. Check if they are providing spam protection or not. These are essential areas of concern that you should consider while filtering the best plan. You will most likely have to check answers to these questions to find out the right plan.
Keep the above things in mind while choosing your hosting plan. We highly suggest you take a look at the features of each price plan and analyze disk space, RAM, bandwidth, CDN usage, and additional measurable support services. Shortlist and compare two-three service plans. Choosing an accurate web hosting plan is what you must take seriously. Invest time in researching and selecting the best plan if you want your site to perform better. Choose a hosting according to your needs and according to the features.
Neeraj R – Author Bio,
Neeraj works as a Growth Assistant at AirTract.Com, a social platform wherein people ask any questions, write and learn from articles, publish and learn from online courses. Graduated as a Computer Science Engineer, he is now a digital marketing enthusiast who reads and finds the latest techniques to grow an organization. If he is not working, either he would be on a football pitch or listening to music.
