Website Hosting
Choosing your host is an important step in bringing your website online. A lot of stress can come from downtime or problems with your host, We’ll go over types of hosting and what to avoid first.
Types of Hosting
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is the most common form of hosting, usually moderately priced. It’s called shared because there are many customers and sites on the same server. It’s up to the host on how they manage it, but you share resources from the server. You have no resources dedicated to your account. So your experience can differ wildly. Most often you find bloated, unoptimized sites here.
VPS – Virtual Private Server
This is where a server is sectioned off, and you have dedicated resources (frequently). Typically, you will need an IT specialist to use this type of service. Your experience can differ wildly with this kind of service, but generally, you have a lot more control over how those resources are used, thus it’s typically faster. This is a good option if you have the staff or people to make it work. Less downtime, faster, not much more expensive than shared hosting. Or for people who aren’t afraid of getting their feet wet.
Dedicated
Dedicated hosting is when you get an entire server’s resources for yourself. Generally, the servers are the same, and you pay to unlock or upgrade your service. This is typically used for large traffic sites. This service is always the more expensive option, renting a server. Managed services are typically very expensive. You will need IT staff to use this option too.
Other Options
There are, of course, many, many more options available. Lots of cloud hosting options do not fit in those categories. There are places you can provide your own hardware. The majority of websites fall into the three previous categories. You generally want to stay on those options unless you’re developing a web app or have exotic needs.
An important distinction is managed versus unmanaged hosting. Managed hosting is when IT work and care is done by the host company. Shared hosting is always managed, VPS and Dedicated usually aren’t managed, but can be. Managed hosting is always recommended if you don’t have your own IT staff on hand.
However, paying someone to set up a VPS server typically ends up being very fast and the cheapest option.
Site Builders
There are a few big websites hosts out there that offer web page-building programs. There is a high and hidden cost to using these services. If you’re on YouTube, you’ve likely heard of them.
There are three major issues you’ll run into with these services. The first is you’re locked into their expensive system. These page-building companies will not let you transfer your website to another system. Mostly a technical reason, but they have zero motivation to fix that.
Next is Internet traffic. I’ve rarely stumbled upon these sites. I note how each site was built when I visit. Quite a few that I run into are made very well on WordPress. These page builder sites do not rank well on searches, and they don’t give you the proper tools to market your site.
Next is cost. For most people, they’re not cost-effective. There are a few exceptions, so unless you have a gigantic social media following and sell products directly, you won’t make your money back. If you don’t care about making a profit or traffic, just a business card to share, it works well. Still, it’s an expensive option.
The term for these services is “WYSIWYG” or What You See is What You Get. Good for basic websites, but doesn’t often give you the tools or options you need to make a great website and make it effective with traffic or search rankings.
While they have a lot of flaws, they are easy to use, but this comes at a large cost. You can’t move the website out of that environment. If you want to change hosts, you will have to rebuild the site. They are an expensive option, and they want to keep you locked there.
Which hosting companies are good?
The second major pitfall for websites is the wrong hosting company. If you care about quality, there’s one major company to stay away from; Check the list and info here.
Know that most of the ‘top web hosts of the current year’ are paid content. Don’t fall for it.
When you check out this page: https://wordpress.org/hosting/
You’ll see two that go out of their way to be good hosting companies. Avoid Bluehost, a major one on the list.
The best hosting
By far, the best hosting is going to be VPS service. A do-it-yourself server setup. Where you troubleshoot and create the server from scratch and maintain it yourself. Getting an IT person to set up the hosting for you is going to be a lot cheaper than spending 3 years at another host for worse performance. This is always my go-to option as I can set up a server very quickly. Though, if you’re on your first site, stick with Shared Hosting.