The Best Hosting Environment for Your Website
One of the most important things to consider about your website is the hosting environment. After all if your hosting is not working as it should, no one can even see your website. There are number of approaches to consider depending on what your particular hosting needs are. Here are some scenarios outlined with pros and cons that may be helpful deciding which way to go.
Host with a Shared Company Such as GoDaddy
Despite being "cheap", this is a perfectly viable option in many situations, especially if you run a simple website and do not require a great deal of customization or resources. For example if you're happy with a simple WordPress website and write an occasional blog post, or if you're a photographer and want to publish a simple photo portfolio this can be a great option. Here are some pros and cons of shared hosting
Pros:
Affordable - sometimes just few dollars per months
Control panel - great if you like to get technical and do stuff yourself
Server updates - someone else takes care of maintaining the server
Cons:
Resources - often servers are jam packed with clients to keep cost low, making service potentially slow
Flexibility - no possibility to create customized set ups
Support - level of support in line with paid price, i.e. low
Emergencies - when something goes wrong, you may be tossed around like a hot potato between the host and developer, each blaming each other until the issue has been pinpointed
Host with a Your Web Development Company's Dedicated Server
This can be a good solution to make web design and development go smoothly. Many web design companies have their own server or number of server serving their clients. Your web designer is familiar with the server environment and troubleshooting is generally very quick and efficient. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros:
Fast - limited number of clients per server means more resources to your website
One point of contact - in case something goes wrong you contact just one company and troubleshooting is quicker
Flexibility - if your website requires customized set up, in most cases it can be done for you
Server updates - someone else takes care of maintaining the server
Cons:
More costly - limited number of clients per server may increase the cost
Get Your Own Dedicated Server
This approach offers you ultimate resources and flexibility but it comes with added responsibility. It is the most expensive option but in some cases the only viable to certain organizations that do not allow hosting in shared environments. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros:
Fast - all server resources are yours and no one else's
Security - no one else is sharing resources with you
Flexibility - you can do whatever you want to the server
Cons:
Price - you alone cover the cost of the server
Server updates - server maintenance and updates are your responsibility, or you need to hire someone to do that for you
We would be happy to discuss hosting options for your website. We've familiar with various aspects of hosting requirements and can recommend the appropriate package for you. Contact us today!