Choosing a Hosting Plan – Everything You Need to Know
If you want to launch a website, you will need to host it on a server and take it live. After the website has been fully developed, the only thing left to do is buy a hosting plan. There are many companies that offer hosting plans throughout the UK. A cursory search online will reveal the hundreds of different hosting packages you can choose from. Obviously, not every hosting package is good. Depending on the nature of your website and the type of service you are offering, you will need to choose the right hosting plan.
Most hosting plans generally start at around £5 per month and can go as high as £50 or more, depending on the services offered. Most of the cheap hosting plans that you will come across use a shared hosting model. Basically, shared hosting is when two to four websites are hosted on the same server. In some cases, there can be up to ten websites hosted on one server. Needless to say, choosing the right hosting plan is essential for your website.
Why Is It So Important to Choose the Right Hosting Plan?
You will need to do a lot of research when choosing a hosting plan. For instance, you need to check the uptime ratio as well as other factors, such as the company’s reputation and any facilities that might be on offer. If you choose the wrong hosting plan, your website may be down for a longer period than you might think. You will eventually end up losing revenue as a result, especially if you are running an online store.
There are two options available for you when it comes to choosing a hosting plan. You can either opt for a standard shared hosting plan or choose a dedicated hosting solution. Dedicated hosting solutions are generally more expensive as compared to shared hosting plans.
Is Shared Hosting a Wise Idea?
Shared hosting is a wise idea for website owners who do not expect a lot. If you want to run a simple blog or a basic website where you can publish content, it is a great option. However, before you purchase a shared hosting plan, it is important to know their limitations.
For starters, you do not get dedicated customer support. Basically, your website will be one of the thousands hosted on the company’s servers, so you can’t expect any preferential treatment. If a problem arises, the company will just issue a ticket and put your query in a queue. Furthermore, because two to three websites will be hosted on the same server, a virus infection in one of the websites could also cause widespread damage to your website.
In fact, if something goes wrong with the website or if someone uploads malware on the server, all the websites on the server will be affected. As a result, this could lead to a serious amount of downtime until the server goes back online. As you can see, shared hosting is not a wise option for media-centric websites that focus on providing up-to-date information and breaking news to their customers. Furthermore, this is not a good option for people running online stores. If you are running an online store, you will be catering to a global market. Therefore, your website needs to be online throughout the day and night. If there is a considerable downtime, it will considerably affect your website’s reputation, and deter customers from ever ordering again.
Dedicated Hosting
The best option available is a dedicated hosting program. Companies such as CWCS offer a variety of dedicated hosting solutions to customers at the most affordable prices. CWCS’s dedicated servers offer plenty of benefits as compared to shared hosting plans.
First of all, the biggest benefit you get for choosing a dedicated hosting solution is priority customer support. Basically, a dedicated hosting plan is one where your website is hosted on a dedicated server. Obviously, this means you get priority support. If something goes wrong, you can just contact the company and they will immediately assign an agent to handle your case.
Apart from that, dedicated hosting also provides much greater flexibility. When you rent a dedicated server, you can choose which software programs you want to install. In fact, you can even choose the operating system of the server, depending on what’s compatible with your website. You can also change the hardware specifications of the server depending on your requirements. For network-savvy individuals, this is an excellent option. It gives you the freedom to choose how to get the best out of your website.
While they are more expensive than shared hosting plans, dedicated servers offer a series of benefits that are perfect for online stores and website owners who need maximum uptime. Since your website is the only one on the one whole server, you don’t even need to worry about virus infections. Most hosting companies that offer dedicated hosting plans will spend a considerable amount of money in order to protect the servers, namely by installing high-quality firewalls and antivirus solutions. This ensures that all of your data remains safe on the servers.
In fact, you will also get a free cloud backup option so that your website never goes offline. Dedicated hosting plans are a perfect solution for most website owners. Not only will you get access to a high-speed server that you can customise according to your needs, but you can also make as many changes as you want in order to improve the user experience of your website. Dedicated servers are slightly more expensive than ordinary servers, but they definitely offer value.
However, before you rent a dedicated server, it is important to consider your choices. Compare the options and add-ons that are being offered by different companies before making a decision. It will give you an idea about which hosting plan is the best for your website. This will allow you to make a sound decision!
