Shared Or Dedicated Hosting - Which Should You Choose?

You probably already know what web hosting is, but it never hurts to refresh. Web hosting is a service that enables you to publish your website to a space on the Internet for viewing by either the public, or just people you invite. Before you get to the stage of choosing web hosting, you will need to choose your domain name and get it registered. You can choose whether you would like to keep your domain name private, so that people cannot find out your information if you do not want them to. When you come to choose your hosting plan you will have three main options. You can choose between virtual private hosting, shared hosting or dedicated server hosting.

Which option you choose will depend on the level of control you require. You will also need to decide the level of security you require and the amount of disk space you will need.

Shared Server Web Hosting

When you choose shared server hosting you will be sharing your hosting server with other websites. You will share the same IP address. Shared hosting is the most common option for new website owners and small businesses that will not be receiving huge amounts of traffic and will not require a large amount of disk space.

There is less responsibility when you use a shared server. The web hosting company will look after the maintenance and security of the server and will fix any problems. They will also take care of updates and installations. They usually use an easy to navigate control panel that enables webmasters to easily upload files to their site and control what happens. You can choose whether you need Linux or Windows hosting, but nearly all shared hosting is for Linux, as it has maximum compatible control panels.

Some shared web host providers also offer Windows hosting. By choosing a shared web host you will have a very large choice as there are hundreds of shared hosting companies to choose from. This means there is more competition, so prices are very cheap.

Dedicated Server Web Hosting

Dedicated web hosting means that the webmaster will have their own server, which is not shared by any other websites. You should choose this kind of server if you are expecting a large amount of traffic. A dedicated server will mean that your website will load faster and will be easily accessible by many viewers. It also gives your visitors greater security, so it is very useful if you plan to take credit cards and other payment.

You will have far more control of your website with dedicated hosting; however you will also have extra responsibility to ensure the smooth running of your website. It is worth researching dedicated server hosting if you are planning to start a large website, or a website for a well known organization.

To find out more about your web hosting choices check out the info at, http://www.blogonhosting.com you can read reviews and find out how to ensure you get the best hosting for your business.

Catherine Smith Copyright 2009