All Websites Need Hosting. Tips on Choosing the Right Hosting for Your Business

05 Nov 10

So you've decided you would like a new website and you're probably in the process of collecting quotes from a number of web designers/developers. In all the excitement of designing the new site, remember not to overlook web hosting - an important part of the planning stage.

All websites need a hosting service of some description.  It allows individuals and businesses to make their own website accessible via the world wide web.  Companies that offer web hosting typically provide space on a server that they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing internet connectivity, typically in a data centre. 

In a nutshell, hosting affects the performance of your website. A slow website is just like vehicles who are stuck crawling along a highway - visitors to your site are likely to become impatient and frustrated while waiting for the conditions to speed up!  Worse yet, if your website is slow visitors are more likely to click the 'back' button on their browser and head elsewhere to seek information and/or make a purchase. 

Whilst the most basic (single) web page hosting is usually sufficient for personal web pages, a more complex site for a business requires a more comprehensive package.   For instance, database support and application development platforms provide the ability to write or install scripts for applications like forums and content management systems.   The hosting package may also include an interface or control panel for managing the web server and installing scripts as well as other services like email.

From a shared server in Delhi that costs just $100 a year to a dedicated server in Brisbane, there are plenty of hosting options available. But which type of hosting is the most appropriate for your business?

Shared Hosting

The data for a number of websites - sometimes a few, sometimes thousands - is stored in a partitioned, shared server so it is one of the most common and affordable forms of hosting. Unfortunately, whilst more affordable, it presents risks. Security can be compromised in shared hosting, as it doesn’t support secure sites. Also, because the data for a number of sites rely heavily on the central processing unit (the brains!) and memory of a single server, they can end up vying for resources, which can occasionally affect performance.

Virtual Hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is when a number of websites share a machine, but the server is set up to perform as though each has it’s own individual server. So essentially, your website operates off a virtual server that is itself hosted on a 'physical' server.

Virtual hosting can be a good option for small businesses, as it works on the assumption that small business websites aren’t constantly busy. So when one website’s data isn’t being used, its capability is stepped down so it can better enable the other sites hosted on that machine. And vice versa. VPS brings benefits for small businesses, such as better data transfer and higher storage limits. Whilst the cost is higher than shared hosting, it is usually less than dedicated hosting.

The downside of virtual hosting is occasionally the sites do sometimes need to compete for the provider’s service in times of high traffic.  Also, your business’s site might need to share an IP address with a site that doesn’t complement yours very well, which can sometimes affect your search ranking.

Cloud Hosting

This is a new type of hosting platform that allows for powerful, scalable and reliable hosting based on a number of servers that similar to a virtual private server, are able to manage the load plus the utility billing.  Cloud hosting removes the risk of single-point failures and allows customers to pay for only what they use versus what they could use.

Dedicated Hosting

This form of hosting gives your website its own physical server, so allows for the greatest degree of control and flexibility with which to operate your website, plus the highest level of security. This is the most expensive form of third party hosting, but the cost is still much less than setting up and maintaining your own server. If you opt for dedicated hosting, look into what kind of service and maintenance will be provided.  If you are thinking of spending a significant amount on hosting, it is reasonable to expect both phone and email support in case your website were to crash for some reason.  Typically, dedicated hosting is best suited to content-rich sites that have very high levels of traffic.

For more information, read about the websites we design, and the various website hosting and ongoing web support packages Pomegranate Marketing provides.