The Web Hosting Plan Best Fit For All Aspiring Website Owners

From far and wide, there aren’t any specific alternatives to a shared web hosting plan. And although there are alternative upgrades, none of them are as cheap as a shared space. One of the best alternatives to shared hosting includes WordPress. With dedicated hosting, running a VPS server, and other semi-dedicated hosting options.

All of these will end up costing more than a basic shared hosting plan. But, they’ll provide you with greater customization and performance levels. Shared hosting is a great choice for beginner webmasters or new site owners. Website users whose sites don’t receive a lot of traffic. Remember, you can always upgrade or change hosting environments with time.

When the time comes to choose where to host your website you’re going to have a ton of options at your disposal. Beyond deciding which company to host with, you’ll also have to decide what kind of hosting package suits you best. One of the most popular hosting options is shared web hosting.

Get Started: Start Hosting A Website On Bluehost Starting At Only $2.95/Month

When it comes time to get your website up and running on the Internet, you’re going to have to first pick a type of hosting plan. For many people, this comes down to a simple decision between going with a dedicated web hosting plan versus a shared web hosting plan where the platform allows hosting shared by multiple customers.

Unfortunately, the decision isn’t always as simple as it looks. Based on your individual or company needs — as well as your budget — you will have to account for the present. But, also your future growth as well. At least in the short term as you can always switch plans if your web hosting company has scalability options.

What Hosting Is All About

Hosting (also known as Web Site Hosting, Web Hosting, and Webhosting) is the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more Web sites. More important than the computer space that is provided for Web site files is the fast connection to the Internet. Currently, in terms of hosting, there are many key options think of.

Such as Cloud and VPS Hosting (large scale) and Web Hosting (small scale — shared plan and large scale — dedicated plan). All these types of hosting plans have their advantages and disadvantages. But, the bottom line comes down to which is a better fit for your company, your skillset, and your budget.

Start Here: Get The Best Domain Name Ideas — Business Name Generator

Basically, through Web Hosting, setting up your own new Domain Name is actually a relatively quick and easy process. But, the hardest part is deciding on the actual name. Especially, as so many domain names have already been taken. So, your first step is to get brainstorming – type some keywords into a domain name generator and then wait for the results.

Then again, share your ideas with friends and family, and make a firm decision on your suitable name. And once you’ve registered it, you are ready to start creating your website. Through the domain name generator, you can try thousands of combinations instantly. Whereby, it will automatically add popular domain name beginnings and endings.

More so, to whatever you type in the search box. But, sometimes it will show a generated name as available when it’s really not. This is because it checks domain availability by looking it up in the zone file. They can do this instantly because they store the zone files in results with a slower but more Verisign accurate query to make sure it’s available to register.

That’s why memory on these servers is in a very efficient format. By now you know what I am talking about when it comes to a domain name search. That said, let’s learn a few site features plus why web hosting come in handy.

A Good Web Based Business Website Features

In the first place, a good website design and development plan govern everything involving the visual aesthetics and usability of a website. Such as color scheme, layout, and information flow. In addition to everything else relating to the visual aspects of the UI/UX (user interface and user experience).

But, what are some common tools that distinguish the web designer from the web developer? By all means, on one side, a bad website is easy to recognize. They are just flat-out bad, and often ugly. They hurt your eyes, have terrible navigation, and are also annoying. This quickly sends visitors away by irritating, confusing, or dizzy.

If you could use a good laugh then check out Websites That Suck. While, on the other side, a good website is the most common type, but harder to identify as it usually looks just like an effective website. It should have a professional appearance, sensible navigation, good content, etc. It is not difficult to create a good one, so most fall into this category.

Learn More: 42 Must-Have Features for Your Business Website

The problem is, well does not equal effectiveness. Meaning, that an effective website is a kind that has the most benefits. The primary difference between a good and an effective one. Besides profit, is that it anticipates the needs of the customer/visitor and meets those needs. Ironically, these are rare.

Most websites try to “sell” rather than address the needs of the visitor. To be effective they require more planning and effort to create, but the rewards are worth it. And then again, they also need a good web host that is equally resourceful for whatever they plan to do online.

What Is Web Hosting?

Web Hosting is a service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page onto the Internet. A web host, or web hosting service provider, is a business that provides the technologies and services needed for the website or webpage to be viewed on the Internet.

Websites are hosted or stored, on special computers called servers. When Internet users want to view your website, all they need to do is type your website address or domain into their browser. Their computer will then connect to your server and your webpages will be delivered to them through the browser.

Most hosting companies require that you own your domain in order to host with them. If you do not have a domain, the hosting companies will help you purchase one. Below are some of the key features to expect from your hosting provider.

Consider the following key host provider elements:

Email Accounts	As mentioned earlier, most hosting providers require users to have their own domain name. With a domain name (e.g. www.yourwebsite.com) and email account features provided by your hosting company, you can create domain email accounts (e.g. [email protected]).
FTP Access	The use of FTP lets you upload files from your local computer to your web server. If you build your website using your own HTML files, you can transfer the files from your computer to the webserver through FTP, allowing your website to be accessed through the internet.
WordPress Support	WordPress is an online website creation tool. It is a powerful blogging and website content management system, which is a convenient way to create and manage a website. WordPress powers over 25% of websites on the internet. Most hosting providers will tell you right away if their plans are WordPress-compatible or not. The simple requirements for hosting your WordPress websites include PHP version 7 or greater; MySQL version 5.6 or greater.

If you decide to create and host your website with Website.com, in addition to access to the drag and drop site builder, you can get a custom domain, email addresses, and web hosting all bundled into one subscription. If you would rather build your website through coding or a CMS tool like WordPress, a few hosting providers as follows can be a good start:

Hosts to consider:

Bluehost
Hostinger
KenyaWebExperts
Liquid Web
Rackspace
Truehost
Doteasy

In order to publish your website online, your business website requires a web hosting service. However, a web host gives business owners more than just web hosting services! For example, web hosting firms typically employ in-house technicians to make sure their clients’ websites are up and running 24/7.

Plus, when website owners are in need of help or troubleshooting (e.g. script debuting, email not able to send/receive, domain name renewal, and more), the web host’s in-house support is the go-to people. A professional web hosting service ensures a hassle-free experience for business owners, so they can efficiently focus their time and effort elsewhere.

Shared Web Hosting

Shared Web Hosting is an arrangement in which multiple websites are hosted on one server. Whereby, resources such as disk space, CPU, and memory are shared, and costs are split between all the users on that server.

Shared hosting is a popular choice for many website owners because it is often the most affordable and user-friendly option available. This may sound great, however, the reality is that different types of hosting arrangements are designed for different needs and functionalities. Shared hosting is no different.

Hosting a website on a shared server comes with its own unique set of strengths as well as limitations that can hinder your site’s performance if you go for it without first understanding how it works and what kind of website it is meant for.

This sharing of real estate and resources is why shared hosting is so affordable. A shared server can accommodate hundreds of websites, but because resources are shared, it is an option best suited for smaller websites that don’t receive tons of traffic or require considerable space.

How Shared Web Hosting Works

As I mentioned, a shared hosting plan is mainly for those who are building out their first websites. Since it allows multiple websites to utilize a single server. Usually, you’ll have no idea who or what websites you’re sharing the resources of a server with. Each customer usually has a limit on the total amount of server resources they can use.

But this will be defined by your hosting package. Shared hosting is easily the cheapest and most economical option for your needs. However, the cheap price also comes with some limitations too. Most hosting companies will offer the same amount of space and storage. That’s why it’s important to choose a company you can trust.

As opposed to shared, cloud hosting allows you to use the resources of multiple servers, instead of being confined to one single location. Learn the benefits of each type of hosting before you choose between cloud vs shared hosting below.

Shared Hosting Pros:

Low maintenance and the cheapest hosting option available.
The usual price for this style of the web hosting plan will range from $2.99 to $9.99.
Most hosting companies have multiple levels of the web hosting plan available.
You can always upgrade your hosting package at any given time.
The user-friendly feature makes shared hosting a great place to start.
Shared hosting usually comes equipped with a built-in cPanel, which makes it easy to manage your site.
Most non-technical maintenance is done on your end-to-end server.
Usually, most features are already included in part of your web hosting plan package.

Put simply, shared hosting can be a great option for website owners with a small budget, or those just getting started online. You can always upgrade to another hosting package with time, as your budget allows, so you’re not stuck with this level of hosting forever.

Shared Hosting Cons:

Shared hosting sounds pretty good: it’s affordable, has solid uptime, and is easy to manage. But, it has certain drawbacks.

The load time can be a lot slower than dedicated servers.
The server can become overburdened by other sites that are sharing the server.
At higher levels of traffic, you’ll begin to notice that your site might begin to perform much worse.
You never quite know who your neighbors are.
Although rare, it is possible for other sites on the server to pose a risk to your own site.
There’s a lack of customization options to truly get the highest level of performance from your website.

For most people just getting started online, the advantages of shared hosting will greatly outweigh the disadvantages. Especially, if you’re trying to get a site up and running as quickly as possible and have little tech skills.

It’s also important to note that a responsible web hosting plan giver will let you know when your traffic hits a level that it’s time to upgrade. And, will monitor and shut down any sites that pose a risk to the others on the server.

Dedicated Hosting Vs VPS Hosting Vs Cloud Hosting

To understand if shared hosting is right for you, it’s important to consider other hosting types, as well. Beyond shared hosting, dedicated server hosting and virtual private server hosting are other common hosting arrangements.

A Dedicated Hosting Plan means a website is hosted on its own server. This gives customers full control over how their server is used and guarantees exceptional performance because resources aren’t shared with anyone else. Having complete control means you can configure the server to your needs and preferences.

Additionally, it also means you need technical knowledge and a good understanding of server management. Dedicated hosting is geared toward big businesses that get substantial traffic and have access to a technical/development team.

Dedicated Hosting Pros:

It’s more secure and difficult to hack
Faster speed, connectivity, and upload time
Ability to manage large amounts of traffic without interrupting service
More storage and data options with total control of your own server
Dedicated hosting is ideal for companies with lots of customer information or large corporate accounts
Ability to run software and utilities of your own choosing
The Control panel has more features giving you a greater amount of control
Customer service is more “hands-on” with dedicated servers since you are paying more

Dedicated Hosting Cons:

Higher price than shared servers
Need to administer the server so prior knowledge (or outsourcing the job) is needed
Diagnostics and problem resolution are more difficult

A VPS Hosting Plan is similar to shared hosting in that the server is shared with other users, but instead of sharing resources, customers are allocated their own resources and dedicated space on the server. Hosting a website on a virtual private server offers several perks, such as having root access to the server.

Root access allows site owners to install their own software and operating system and ultimately have more control of their website. Managing and maintaining resources requires technical knowledge, unlike shared hosting, which is more fully controlled by the hosting company.

VPS hosting is ideal for medium-sized businesses and site owners who have some technical expertise or access to a technical/development team.

Learn More: Business Website Design Benefits For Webmasters To Know

Notably, Cloud Hosting Plan is the latest hosting type to hit the market, and it’s become extremely popular in recent years. This type of hosting operates across many interconnected web servers that supply an affordable, scalable, and reliable web infrastructure. To enumerate, cloud hosting is a type of web hosting which uses multiple different servers.

More so, in order to balance the load and maximize uptime. Instead of using a single server, your website can tap into a “cluster” that uses resources from a centralized pool. This means, that even if one server fails, another kicks in to keep everything running. Visualize the cloud as a web of different computers that are all interconnected.

As more machines are hooked up to the network, more resources are added to the overall cloud. With cloud hosting, you get a part of the so-called cloud cluster. As opposed to traditional web hosting, where you get a certain amount of space from a single server.

The main benefits include:

a major focus on uptime,
isolated resources,
easy scaling,
dedicated IP address, etc.

Typically, cloud hosting plans offer unmetered, reliable bandwidth and an infinite amount of disk space for unlimited domains. This explains why so many large businesses are turning to the cloud. It’s an effective method of running a website with resource-intensive applications. Or large content assets such as images, but at a much higher cost.

How A Web-Based Business Can Benefit From A Web Hosting Plan

In its bare form, a Website is a single domain that consists of different web pages. And we should all know that by now, as well as the benefits a website can provide for your business. It’s shocking to witness how many businesses don’t actually have a website or online presence!

If you have a business and no website, you are losing out on great opportunities for your business. It helps accomplish many different marketing strategies to grow your business. As a business owner, you need to know where your consumers are. So, what happens when consumers know your business and what you can offer. Yet, they can’t reach you?

That’s one of the risks you take by not having a website for your business. For generations, retail was simple. Brands are sold to retailers and retailers sold to shops. But, in the internet age, consumers can interact directly with brand manufacturers. Though it’s a small thing, it has a dramatic change in the way people interact with a brand.

A recent study highlights the need for a good brand website. Thus, the majority of consumers expect a better experience from a brand and from a retailer. Meaning, that a personalized website with a cohesive design and strong content solidifies your expertise. Hence, presents the opportunity to demonstrate what sets your practice apart from the rest.

How To Choose The Best Web Hosting Plan Provider

Choosing the right web posting plan and provider to host your website is quite possibly the most important decision you will make when it comes to setting up your website. This can be a little daunting because the market is saturated with providers claiming to be the best of the best and promising unparalleled service and speeds.

Not all shared hosting providers are created equal. Some will be good and some won’t be. Meaning, that you’ll need to do your research and follow the advice set out in this guide. In the end, you should be able to sift through the noise and separate the reputable providers from the questionable ones.

Sometimes, a shared web hosting plan is often associated with slow speeds and security risks. Fortunately, most hosting providers have had to up the ante over the years and adapt to the high expectations of users. While there are still dubious providers out there, the shared hosting industry has improved dramatically.

For example, at jmexclusives, our managed WordPress hosting service is technically cloud-shared hosting. But, we’re often implementing software and putting redundancies in place now and then. More so, to eliminate the security, resource, and SEO issues that sometimes crop up with a traditional shared web hosting plan provider.

1. Understand your needs and requirements

The fact remains that a reputable shared hosting provider is a great option if you’re a small or medium business. Or, otherwise, if your budget is tight, or if you don’t know much about website development and management.

Before you start approaching a web hosting plan provider, you need to have a good understanding of what your current requirements are. As well as what your future needs will hold for your business. This will allow you to ask the right questions and ensure you choose a plan that fits your needs.

Some of the questions you should ask yourself are:

What platform will you use? WordPress works on most systems. But, if you are using a custom-built website you need to make sure it is compatible with your host’s system.
How much traffic do you currently get and what is your predicted growth? You need to ensure your new hosting plan can handle your traffic or you risk a poor-performing site.
Will you need technical support and guidance? If you aren’t well versed in the technical aspects of running a website you should look for a host that offers 24/7 support.
What kind of content will you publish? If you are publishing high-definition images and interactive media, you will need a hosting plan that can accommodate this.
Do you need any specific features and add-ons? Most hosting providers offer a wide array of additional features, but it will help if you know what you need.

Always remember, that security can be an issue with shared hosting in some instances. Simply, for one thing, instead of each website having its own directory where files are stored, everyone on the server shares the same directory. Eventually, if a hacker manages to infiltrate the directory, they will have access to everyone’s files.

2. Look for strong uptime rates

The amount of time a server is available (i.e. your website is available) is called uptime. This is generally defined as a measure of system reliability and maintenance quality, so it’s arguably the most important metric when looking for a hosting provider.

Although some sites can get away with occasional downtime, if you are running a site that requires seamless responsiveness then you need a host that has dependable uptime rates. It also impacts SEO, so if you are putting money and time into optimization efforts, high uptime rates are essential.

While sharing resources means lower costs it also makes you vulnerable to sluggish performance and system crashes. If everyone on the server is maxing out their resources you are going to notice and so will your users. This also limits you when it comes to running resource-intensive functionalities.

3. Customer support is important

Having access to responsive customer support is not just nice to have, it is vital if you are serious about keeping your website running smoothly and efficiently. If your site is suddenly down or you encounter an error, you want to know you can get in contact with customer support and resolve the issue quickly.

This is, particularly, important if you don’t have much technical knowledge. Obviously, because it means you can get answers and help whenever you need it. You can read reviews to find out what a provider’s reputation is first. Also, check out what options are available for getting in contact with the support team (e.g. email, toll-free phone number, live chat).

4. What security measures are in place?

Whether you are starting up a boutique bakery or e-commerce store, security is not something you can compromise on. If your website is hacked or infected with malware you risk jeopardizing your business and reputation. Users are unlikely to visit a website again after a security breach.

Most hosting providers have measures in place to safeguard against cybersecurity attacks and intrusions, but security features such as SSL encryption, DDoS prevention, and a reliable backup & restore system are all features you should expect from a hosting provider.

There’s also the potential impact on SEO to consider as well. Keep in mind, that this’s a hotly debated topic right now. Even a recent experiment on long-term shared hosting revealed that hosting your website on a shared server can negatively impact search engine optimization. That’s if you end up in a ‘bad neighborhood’ with low-quality, spammy websites.

5. Scalability is key for future growth

If you plan to expand your business or want to prepare for an increase in traffic you should look for a provider that offers room for expansion and easy upgrades. In most cases, a shared web hosting plan has several variations.

Therefore, it’s generally quite very easy and simple to upgrade to a dedicated web hosting plan. A good rule of thumb is to check the limitations of your chosen web hosting plan. And then again, find out what the next tiers for that web hosting plan are. As well as what other options are available for the web hosting upgrades among other web-based add-ons.

Perse, you can consider the SiteCare managed cloud hosting package, to begin with. Bearing in mind, that it’s specially curated to include everything a business needs — from top-notch technical features to outstanding customer support. You can get in touch with them to learn more about their main hosting plans for your overall web-based business site.