New site owners often overlook the importance of web hosting for online success. Remember that, as a site owner or blog manager, it is your job to ensure optimal performance and accessibility for users. With a subpar hosting company, not only will you compromise loading speed, but you also risk your site’s uptime.
Keep in mind that no experience is worse than trying to access an unavailable page when you need it most. Additionally, if your site is down for a prolonged period, search engine crawlers may index your site as “unavailable” and therefore undermine any rankings you have attained.
That said, the worst thing you can do is to put the future of your website in the hands of a one-dollar hosting company. Instead, you need a proper hosting solution that can support a growing site with an increasing amount of traffic.
The Different Types of Web Hosting
Aside from picking a reputable web hosting company, keep in mind that you should also choose a specific plan that adequately matches the needs of your site. To help you decide, below are the different types of hosting you should know about:
1. Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most basic solution available in most web hosting companies. Since multiple clients will be sharing the resources of a single server, it is not ideal as a long-term solution. Keep in mind that if other users excessively utilize the server, the performance of your site will also suffer. Furthermore, you will be at risk of brute force attacks that aim to flood the server with traffic to deny access for legitimate users.
However, limited resources do not mean shared hosting is useless as an option. As the most affordable type of web hosting, you should consider starting with shared hosting when building a new site and only upgrade to a more capable solution whenever necessary.
2. Managed WordPress Hosting
Being the most popular Content Management System or CMS in the world, a lot of hosting companies already offer solutions that are specifically suited for WordPress. With managed WordPress hosting, the server resources will be optimized and dedicated solely for running the CMS. That means the WordPress installation is simplified; scripts are regularly updated for consistency, plugins perform better, and overall security is improved.
Furthermore, most managed WordPress hosting services offer a dedicated technical support team for all questions regarding the CMS—perfect for non-tech, DIY bloggers and would-be site owners. However, this type of hosting gives you less access to the technical assets of the server. You will also have limited options when it comes to plugins since the host will prevent you from installing unstable, outdated, and vulnerable plugins.
You can refer to the infographic below to know the main difference between managed WordPress hosting and shared hosting:
3. VPS Hosting
Take note that VPS or Virtual Private Server hosting still means you will be sharing the same server with some clients. However, you will have a dedicated pool of resources, meaning your site will be unaffected by the usage of other customers. Furthermore, VPS servers are usually capped at 10-20 users, so there’s less chance of overstressing the server hardware and causing performance issues on your website.
As a result, VPS hosting is pricier than basic shared hosting plans. These services usually clock in at around $25 per month. Many site owners settle for VPS hosting, especially if they do not run resource-intensive apps in the cloud.
4. Dedicated Hosting
Although VPS hosting can handle tens of thousands of visits, it is not as capable as dedicated hosting when it comes to raw horsepower. A dedicated hosting plan means you get an entire server for yourself. Not only will you get faster speeds and bigger bandwidth, but you also get to customize the server environment to meet your specific needs—giving you full access to the CPU, disk space, RAM, and software.
A dedicated server also means you will have your own IP address. It essentially compartmentalizes you and gives you more responsibility for your server. On the other hand, giving you full control over your data’s privacy is good for your security.
Another downside of dedicated hosting is the hefty price tag, which is around $100 per month. Getting a dedicated host too early could easily drain your funds, so it is not the ideal option for websites that are yet to unlock their real profit potential.
Conclusion
Always remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to web hosting. Now that you understand the difference between each hosting type, you should have the ability to decide which one is best for you.
