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Reliable web hosting is one of the most essential components of every successful website. If you’re about to run a website for your business/blog/commerce, considering which hosting provider and what hosting package to choose may be the hard decision. First of all – choosing the best hosting option for your website depends on many factors: will your website be big like e-commerce or small like a blog, do you expect websites to grow in the future and bring more traffic, how fast you want it to be, etc. Once you decide what you want and make a strategy, finding a hosting provider will be much easier. At least, you’ll know what hosting package you want and that hosting price always depends on many factors and that the cheapest option is not always the best one.

In this article, we are bringing you an explanation of what is different between hosting solutions, also explaining all pros and cons of every single hosting solution.

What is a web hosting and why is important

Let’s keep it simple – web hosting is a place where your website lives on the internet – it’s a storage for all information your website is built from and which are essential for its work. So, logically, you will try to find the most reliable (and affordable) host, so all your content will be safe and secure from all potential threats for a long time.

It’s okay to start with a budget-friendly web hosting, upgrading it as your business and website grow. For most people, the cost is usually the most important aspect of choosing a suitable web host. But, logically, you’ll usually get exactly what you paid for. The price of web hosting depends on many factors, like the quality of support, server condition, are you sharing it with other websites, etc. In the first place, you need to consider what type of website you want because it’s a crucial factor for your needs from hosting providers.

Now let’s talk about the common types of web hosting solutions so you can easily determine which one will be the best for the needs of your business.

Shared hosting

If you have a small website with less traffic (like a blog) that doesn’t consume much server resources, this is the best and the most affordable option for you. Shared hosting is also the most popular type of web hosting for websites like WordPress especially if you are a newbie. According to reviews on WebSite Planet, Hostinger has the best offers for small or medium websites, so you can check it out. Websites are hosted via a large server, working on the assumption that a website with less traffic doesn’t consume much server resources. That means your website shares the same resources with other small websites.

The advantage of this type of hosting is obvious – shared hosting means shared cost, which is great when you’re about to start an online presence. But, if some of the websites on shared hosting are more popular than others or are spammers, it will affect your website and all others, consuming more resources for its work.

Managed hosting

Managed hosting may be the perfect option if you’re not a professional in the tech field. It’s kind of premium hosting that you’re worry-free because everything you need on the technical side is covered by your hosting company. It is a kind of dedicated server and hardware associated with a single customer. The hosting provider manages those systems on the customer’s behalf. In the case of managed hosting, all you need to do is concentrate on creativity and relax.

The biggest advantage of managed hosting is a security system – with thousands of websites hacked every day, security should be your priority. But, many hosting providers restrict the use of certain plugins and also limit storage, so it can be difficult or non-affordable for your website.

VPS hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a combination of control of managed hosting, while you are still using a shared server. VPS is usually the perfect option for medium websites because of its flexibility – you have access to customize components to satisfy your needs. That also means you need to have some technical experience, or at least someone for website maintenance.

As long as you ensure that it has proper server resources, your website will not become unresponsive or slow down due to technical issues.

VPS hosting plans are plans that are customizable and you just need to pay for the features you need, and you can also get more control to configure your server with virtualization software. Of course, it’s more expensive than shared hosting: while fewer users share the same server, you have to pay more. Unlike shared hosting, VPS is less demanding for users but still needs more technical experience.

Dedicated hosting

Dedicated hosting is a physical server you’re renting from the provider – it means it’s all yours; you won’t need to worry if some other website will affect your traffic in any way. Disk space, memory, power, and everything are dedicated only to your website. Dedicated hosting is the best for high-traffic sites that need its server to provide the best performance like e-commerce, etc. If you’re searching for the best performances for your website, dedicated hosting is the absolute best option. It’s also providing the highest level of security which is extremely important for big, extreme traffic websites that require users’ information, etc. 

Since you are paying for the entire server, you have total control of it which means you can install any software or application as you want to customize the server as per your requirement and have whatever features you want. The main disadvantage is the price – since everything is dedicated to your website, dedicated hosting is expensive. It is not economical for beginners, and small websites. Also, maintaining a dedicated server requires technical knowledge – to set up, run or manage and install the server.

Conclusion

Finding the best hosting solution for your website is not an easy job: it requires a long-term strategy so you can see the future and think about where you are going with your online presence. Once you conclude what solution you need, the next step is a pursuit for a reliable hosting provider that will answer all your requirements in the long run. Read the reviews, ask someone with more experience, educate yourself so you can give your trust to the provider that is the best for you and your website.

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