Insight Publication

Three Main Categories of Web Hosting Plans

Choosing the right type of web hosting plans for your website or business is a very important step in your business.  There are hundreds of plans available, but most of them fall into three distinct categories.  These are shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and reseller hosting.  Depending on your type of business, you will be able to decide which of these types of plans is the best one for you.

Shared hosting is usually the most affordable of the different web hosting plans.  These are great for small websites or for people who own several small websites.  The server is shared with other websites and each is allocated a certain amount of disk space and a small amount of bandwidth on a monthly basis.  Cost is definitely a plus, because it is often as low as $3 per month.  However, the limited storage and RAM may be a problem if your site begins to have heavy traffic. 

For websites that already have or are expecting a high volume of traffic, dedicated web hosting plans may be preferable.  With constant heavy traffic, you don’t want a slow loading time because of insufficient RAM.  If you require lots of storage because of many products, you will also prefer dedicated hosting.  The basic difference between dedicated and shared is that with a dedicated plan you will have a server that is only used by your website.  No other domains will share with you, so you will be able to use all of the resources.

Although the dedicated server will be more expensive, it will usually be faster and more secure.  It may also be easier to customize and you may have access to additional configuration options.  Working with the hosting provider is a good way to get your specific needs met.  They want to keep you happy and help you increase your business.  If the cost of dedicated web hosting plans is a deterrent, there is also the option of virtual dedicated servers.  These are similar to the dedicated plans, but the dedication is all virtual.

The third main category of web hosting plans is called reseller hosting.  This is where you have multiple websites or even clients you are creating websites for.  If you wish to maintain control over the hosting of those sites, then you should look into reseller hosting.  This is generally done with a shared server that has a large account dedicated to you.  You then parcel out and allocate the bandwidth and disk space as needed for each of the websites you are working with.

Reseller hosting gives you control over your client’s websites and allows you to adjust the allocations as necessary.  You create each account and spread out the amount of disc space and bandwith you are paying for each month between these accounts.

As you can see, the first step in choosing web hosting plans is to determine what your actual needs are and decide on the category you fall into.  Then it is time to do a little research into companies that offer the type of plan you need. After choosing a plan, if your needs change you can always switch to a different type of plan.