The major responsibilities of a web hosting company are to provide server space, web services, and maintenance of servers that host websites owned or controlled by individuals and companies. Most of the web hosting companies offer shared hosting and dedicated hosting, which is explained in detail below.
Shared Hosting
Another name for shared hosting is virtual hosting or mass hosting. It works as follows: Your content and applications are placed on a server that is shared with other customers who also use that web host. Equipment and servers are owned and managed by the web host provider, with technicians on hand to monitor and manage the servers.
Companies opt for the shared hosting route as it is very cheap and it works well. In other words, it is cheap and efficient. While it may be worth your while to inquire about shared hosting management tools that will allow you to use shared hosting, but still get the benefits of a dedicated server (described below), it is important to review the control panel that supports hosting. The company provides you.
Although popular, shared hosting has its restrictions. This limits you from using certain scripting languages and applications, although you are often allowed to customize and add features such as shopping carts or online catalogs.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is a more sophisticated type of web hosting. This type of hosting lets you rent an entire server yourself and have access to all of its resources to host one or more websites.
With dedicated hosting, there is no transfer of assets or personnel to the web host. Either you or your web host has the tools. It is decided on several factors, which vary from company to company.
The web host usually does not take responsibility for anything other than hosting operations. Business processes, strategic direction, and debugging applications, for example, have to be managed by the customer.
Dedicated hosting is exclusive and the customer gets dedicated hosting benefits such as secure, high-quality physical infrastructure and high-speed internet connectivity. Hosting packages are often customized to meet customer needs with respect to bandwidth, memory, and storage space needs. Since you “own” an entire server and are not sharing it with another company, this allows CPU-intensive applications to operate smoothly and prevents your website’s performance from being disrupted by others.
This makes a dedicated hosting plan the ideal package for companies with large, high-traffic websites and gives them complete control over the hosting environment.
Root Server Hosting
Another name for root server hosting is semi-managed hosting. It is a form of dedicated hosting that allows you to take control of your servers by root access, providing various benefits such as reliable infrastructure, security, and maintenance of hardware. Root Server Hosting gives you seamless (uninterrupted) internet connectivity and the flexibility to choose the most appropriate operating systems and hardware specifications for your needs.
Since the root server is a semi-managed server, the hosting provider will manage the installation and hardware, but you, the client, manage all other aspects of it including backups and software upgrades. As a client you will also have root access or administrator access, so you will be able to do virtually anything on that server.
Root Server is a very versatile server where you can do whatever you want including hosting your own web server or mail server. Root server hosting is intended for those who need more flexibility and customization than a managed dedicated server.
Reseller Hosting
This type of hosting is ideal for entrepreneurs and businesses who want to host on behalf of their own customers. Reselling web hosting services means that you can contract with a web hosting provider and then sell your services under your own brand. Web hosting companies do this because they are able to sell more of their dedicated hosting space this way. The customer pays a set fee for the use of the services from the web host, which they can then resell under their own brand. Different hosting companies offer different contracts and agreements.
Features For Successful Web Hosting
So you need hosting for that great website that you have planned. You did the obligatory Google search and found that there is a gazillion web hosting companies. They are all offering what you need (web hosting) and you will find that the price varies from free to sky-high. You also found that there are many features some of which you are not aware of what they are. So now what you thought was going to be an easy task has turned into a semester of study at your local junior college. Well, trust me I know what you’re doing. Through trial, error, and mistake I have learned that not all web hosting is created equal. While in the area of features and hosting plans offered by web hosting companies, there are five basic factors you will want to make sure you are getting when choosing your hosting provider.
Databases
Make sure you are getting enough databases to support and expand your website. All blogging, forums, and websites that use any type of dynamic data application or capture user data require a database to function. Unfortunately, most shared hosting packages only provide one to five databases; This may limit your ability to expand and may not be sufficient to fulfill the planned functions of your website. The minimum number of databases you should be looking for is ten. Granted you may not need it, but if you do they will be readily available without spending the extra money to add to the database. Usually, the higher-priced hosting plans offer more databases but you should not opt for a more expensive plan to get 10 databases.
Multiple Domains
Web hosting companies usually limit the number of domains you can serve with your hosting plan. Some hosting plans, usually low-cost or free plans, only allow one domain name per plan. If you are sure that you will have only one website then it will be of no consequence. However, if you are planning to have multiple websites then you should look for a hosting plan that offers the ability to host multiple sites from a single hosting plan. A hosting plan that offers at least 5 domains is the minimum. You should know that the resources of your hosting server will be shared by all the domains assigned to the web hosting plan. Make sure the plan you get provides enough disk space, bandwidth, and databases to keep multiple sites running.
Developer Support
Developer support is the litmus test for any web host. You might be starting out with a simple website, but as time goes on, you may want to add additional functionality or features to your site. Also, additional capabilities may be needed when adding new websites to your hosting plan. This is where a hosting provider can easily make or break your plans. If your web hosting provider is limited on developer languages or web application offerings, you may need to find a new hosting provider. This is something you don’t want to do. Having multiple hosting accounts or hosting providers is a sure way to cause confusion and frustration. Most hosting companies offer different language support and variety. Application support but why not get it all. Yes, there are hosting providers that offer everything you need and there is no cost.
Customer Support
Working late at night on that website, or maybe on weekends (Sunday nights)? Got a deadline to get the site up and running but just ran into a problem. Perhaps you just found out that you need an additional web app or database. It can be very frustrating and sometimes costly if you cannot get customer support from your hosting company when you need it (on your schedule). Always look for a web hosting service provider that provides 24×7 customer support. ie 24 hours a day 7 days a week and I don’t mean email support only.
Email support is important and should be part of the customer support package, but you really want phone support. At times problems or issues need to be discussed in order to reach a quick solution, emails can take days or sometimes weeks to pass. Your number one tool for support should be the phone, make sure your web hosting company is awake and up to date when you’re done. You’ll want to make sure there’s an online knowledge base as well. The knowledge base is not only good for answering questions, but it is also very useful to use as a learning tool.
Server Uptime
Your website should be up and running 24×7. However, in the real world, there are things that can sometimes cause a website to go down. Regardless of the real-world problems, your web hosting provider should offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. With today’s Internet technology there are ways to ensure that websites are functional almost every minute of every day. Don’t settle for a hosting company that cannot guarantee that your website is running round the clock.
Web hosting is the backbone of your website’s success. While the content of your site is of the utmost importance, any deficiencies in your web hosting service are sure to translate to failure on your site. The hosting company you start with is most likely the one you’ll stick with, so take the time to choose the right web hosting company from the start, you’ll be glad you did.
Determining the Best Web Hosting For You
The Internet grows every day and thousands of websites are added every month. Some of them are substantial business websites while others are small personal websites that are created and updated by individuals. Whether your website is a huge corporate marketing tool or a place to host your family photos for the whole family to share across the country, you’ll still need a web host.
A web host is a company that stores your web pages and images for you and then publishes them to the Internet so that the whole world can see them. Without a web host, the world would not be able to see your site so it is in your best interest to find the best web hosting to suit your needs. It can be difficult to define what exactly is the best web hosting but there are some guidelines you can follow that will help you determine what is the best web hosting for your needs.
You need to do some research before signing up with a host. One of the first criteria you can use to determine the best web hosting is called downtime. A web host relies on a server to store your data and then publish it to the Internet. If a web host is notorious for low prices, but also for throttling its servers, your website will be online like no other.
If you are in business then a website that is too down has lost business and is not the best web hosting for you. A web host for the private person that’s down a lot seems like a bad value and not the best web hosting you can choose. So look at your potential hosts and see if they have a reputation for being up or down with their service. If they are known for poor service you will find people complaining about the internet.
Get the Most for Your Money
The best web hosting you can find is also the best value. You must register your web address before you need a web host. A web address registration company is not always a web host, but some of the more reputable registration companies also offer the best web hosting deals on the Internet. In some cases, you can get a better deal if you register your web address and web host with the same company but read all the fine print before signing any deal.
They provide development tools to help you build your website and offer a wide variety of packages to choose from to fit your budget. The second thing you’ll want to check out is the customer service via phone. This may not seem important when you are looking, but a company that offers good phone service can be very helpful, especially if you are new to website development. A helpful web host is usually the best web hosting service for you.