Website hosting is a key component of the World Wide Web, commonly referred to as the Internet. In fact, without web hosting, there would be no internet. Hosting is what makes it possible for files stored on one server to be accessed remotely from another computer. An organization, or individual, can either decide to host their website on third party servers or on their own servers. Each of these options has advantages and disadvantages which must be weighed carefully before a suitable hosting service is chosen. In many cases, financial institutions, government agencies and large private corporations may choose to host their websites on their own private servers for security reasons. Everybody else can use a third party website hosting service.
Hosting Plans
Since there are different types of websites, such as eCommerce sites, blogs, informational websites, video-sharing sites, marketing websites and gaming sites among others, website hosting firms have come up with a variety of hosting packages to suit the needs of different types of clients. They include; dedicated server hosting, VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting and shared hosting plans among others. You may be wondering what is shared hosting? Well, read on to find out.
The Ins and Outs of Shared Hosting
This service entails hosting several websites on the same server. The basic premise behind this service is the idea that not all clients can fully utilize the resources of a computer server. Therefore, the unused resources can be utilized by other users and the cost of maintaining the server shared amongst all the users. Imagine hosting your new blog on a dedicated server. Unless your blog becomes an instant hit, much of the storage space, processing speed, RAM and bandwidth will be underutilized. If the server is rented, you will still be required to pay the agreed lease fee, broadband service, electricity and server monitoring. These expenses can force you to shut down your business even before it takes off.
Instead of renting a dedicated server, you should consider signing up for a shared website hosting plan and share both server resources and maintenance costs. If your business picks up steam, you can always upgrade to a high-performance hosting package. If not, you can continue to use the low-cost hosting service.
Benefits of Shared Hosting
The service allows for efficient use of server resources, reducing wastage as a result. For instance, a lot of electrical energy is saved when a single server is used by several clients compared to when clients have multiple servers each drawing the same amount of power. Obviously, shared hosting is more affordable since the cost of maintaining the server is distributed equally amongst the users. In addition to being affordable, the service will still make your website accessible online, just like dedicated server hosting and VPS hosting services.
Shortcomings of Shared Hosting
Every good has a bad. This is a well-known fact, and shared hosting is no different. While the service may be affordable, the server may crush every now and then whenever all the hosted websites get a lot of traffic at the same time. The server may simply freeze if all the RAM and bandwidth are used up by internet traffic. Since there is no way of limiting how much storage space, processing power or bandwidth each client can use, one client may use up all the space at the expense of other clients. A shared server has only one IP address, which means clients have to share a single IP address. This may have a negative impact on privacy and security. The shared IP may also hurt the reputation of a business because running a search on that IP address will yield the name of the hosting company as opposed to the client’s brand name.
If you have been wondering — what is shared web hosting? Now you know. Your budget, privacy, security and performance needs will determine whether or not this is the most suitable service for your business. After all, you may need advanced security and better privacy but your budget won’t allow. Millions of websites are currently being hosted on shared servers, which is a testament to the popularity of this service.
Learn more about shared hosting:
http://tonydilemma.blog.com/2015/01/11/what-is-shared-hosting/
Learn which shared hosts are the fastest:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/258480749/Fastest-Shared-Web-Hosts
Web hosting is an absolute necessity when trying to build a site. It is the platform on which the project will be launched. This does not mean, however, that you have to endure massive monthly bills just to keep your site hosted. There are plenty of ways to keep the hosting rates within a reasonable range. The following are some of the most effective means of reducing service subscriptions fees:
Promo Codes
Every now and then, hosting companies release discount coupons which may be used during checkout. These could slash fees by a significant amount resulting in hundreds of dollars in savings. A lot of providers publish them to commemorate public events and special occasions. Holidays are a good example of this. You might find a couple of coupon codes specially generated for Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, Memorial Day, and the like. Others may be given out more as a promotional tool for new products and services. They create some buzz that may persuade those who are on the fence to take the plunge.
Saving money with web hosting coupon codes allows customers to stretch their budget. Just be mindful that they are only valid for a limited period. You need to act fast if you wish to take advantage of them. Some may work for only a day, a week, a month, or a season. The perk could be 10% to 30% off on an entire order or it may be getting the first month for free. There are codes that target first-time purchases although most can be applied to all interested buyers. Companies may have different coupons for each individual product line. For instance, those for hosting are different from the top level domains.
Long-term Contracts
Another way to economize on hosting purchases is to sign up for long-term contracts. The logic behind this is similar to wholesale procurements. You get to pay less for a product if you buy more of it instead of obtaining them piecemeal. You will not have to pay much upfront if you are opting for monthly payments but this isn’t the most efficient use of your money. By signing up for 2-year contract, for instance, you may cut down your overall bill to almost half for the same time period. Other timeframes may be possible depending on the service provider.
If you have the money to spend, then go for the longest type of contract you can afford. Just be sure to do a thorough background check of the company before locking yourself in with them. This move involves a bit of risk. The webhost must be completely reliable so that you will not regret your decision in the future. Read up on their company history, online reviews, and package specifications. Perhaps try to test their service for a while with a shorter contract and upgrade to a longer one if you are satisfied with the initial impressions.
Package Selection
Before spending for a webhosting package, you must first become certain of what your needs exactly are. It is tempting to go for gold when you see all of the fancy trimmings present in the most advanced plans. After all, who wouldn’t want to get the premium features for optimum performance? Yet many of these are unnecessary for the majority of clients. Dedicated servers, for instance, are more suited to large corporations who expect millions of hits on their various websites. The top level infrastructure will allow them to serve visitors without crashing despite the massive traffic.
Most people do not have such requirements. If the goal is to launch a personal blog or a small business site, then shared hosting will often suffice. Find a good host and you should be able to handle thousands of visitors without suffering from technical difficulties. You would also have enough web applications at your disposal to create a site from scratch especially with all the excellent open source apps available. Select an appropriate package for what you wish to accomplish so as not to overspend. Combine this prudence with coupon codes and a long-term contract for big savings.