Different Types of Web Hosting Services to Consider

Thinking about changing your hosting plan or buying a new hosting plan for your website? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve drawn up a list of the different types of web hosting plans available to help you decide the best option for you.

Indeed, there are many ways a site can be hosted. What’s best for your site will depend on your budget, preferences and the site’s needs. Read ahead and find out which hosting plan type will be best suited to your requirements.

Cloud-Based Hosting

Cloud hosting is a relatively new technology that is rapidly rising in popularity. The technology behind the service can be a bit complicated, but in simple terms, this tech lets hundreds of servers work together to form one huge super server. It allows the hosting company to keep adding new hardware to increase the capability of the cloud or the grid. This is highly advantageous to websites: a cloud-hosted setup effectively handles large volumes of traffic flowing to a single site or multiple sites. All the servers can pitch in to handle the traffic, which eliminates the chance of a site crashing.

As for disadvantages, cloud hosting packages can be a bit expensive. However, prices will vary depending on the type of package you opt for.

Shared Web Hosting

This is the most common type of hosting plan. Shared hosting basically means your site will be hosted on a server shared by a number of other websites. The total number of sites on a shared server can range from dozens to hundreds. Shared hosting plans are unbelievably cheap. You can easily find a package that only charges about $5 a month.

While shared hosting offers a great price advantage, there are cons associated with it as well – notably, bandwidth allocation. If one site on the server suddenly experiences a traffic surge, the other sites will suffer in terms of speed. If your site experiences the same, there is a chance the server will not be able to handle the workload and your site will crash. For some websites, security can be a concern as well.

Reseller Web Hosting

Reseller hosting plans are essentially shared hosting plans. However, they come with extra features and perks that allow site owners to resell space. You can expect more control with reseller packages; for example, you will have access to a control panel and a number of software programs like billing software. Plus, almost all reseller web hosting plans come with white label tech support, meaning the hosting company provides technical support for all issues. You can even create a private name server.

Reseller plans can be as cheap as $15 per month, but prices can hike up to $50. If you prefer more technical control with a shared hosting plan, these are great packages to go with.

Dedicated Web Server

This is the type of plan where your site gets its own dedicated server. You will be renting a server, so dedicated hosting plans are never cheap. The biggest advantage is that you will have full control over the server. There will be little to no risk of your site crashing because there are no other websites to share bandwidth with. You can also take additional security steps to ensure absolute protection for sensitive information. If you have a big site, a dedicated private server is highly recommended.

Take the time to understand the different types of hosting plans available to you, and choose a package that best serves your site’s needs. After all, with websites now being the core sales funnel for many businesses, it is vital that you invest in the ideal hosting solution for you.