Over the previous years, the term digital transformation has been the buzzword in the business world. It entails the transformation of companies in almost every industry to incorporate digital technologies. The COVID-19 pandemic did not only drive this point home; it forced businesses to transform digitally and go online.
Although some companies began their move online by joining social media platforms, this may not bring them success in the long run. Businesses can remain relevant and competitive online by creating well-designed websites and choosing the best web hosting service based on their needs.
Web hosting is a digital service that allows individuals and businesses to make and maintain sites accessible to the World Wide Web without buying the hardware for it. Web hosting service providers utilize their on-site servers to store websites until clients access them using a web address or domain.
Since access to servers are essentially what clients pay web hosts for, it is only logical to consider the kind of servers a web host uses. Choosing the right web hosting company for your business based on their servers can be a daunting task, but this article can help demystify this issue.
Web hosts typically use four kinds of servers: shared, dedicated, cloud, and WordPress. These servers differ in two ways: the number of websites they host and where they host the websites.
Shared servers are one of the more popular server choices for micro to small businesses. These are servers that host multiple sites in one piece of hardware.
Pros: Shared servers are typically the most affordable web hosting server, but they can do the job just fine.
Cons: Since multiple sites share one server, there is a possibility that the server cannot handle spikes in site traffic. A sudden increase in site traffic to one or more sites being hosted may decrease the uptime to all sites on the server.
Ideal For: This server type is ideal for start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses.
Unlike shared servers, dedicated servers have a one-to-one website to server ratio. These servers concentrate on running a single website guaranteeing uptime.
Pros: Dedicated servers can handle heavier site traffic without affecting the site’s uptime. Website design can feature large-sized background sounds and videos without affecting site responsiveness and performance.
Cons: Dedicated servers come off as more pricey than shared servers.
Ideal For: This server category is suitable for large businesses or any business that experiences heavy site traffic.
Hosting sites via Virtual Private Servers (VPS) is more commonly known as cloud hosting. A VPS functions similarly to a shared server in the number of sites that it hosts. The difference is that a VPS does not use a physical server.
Pros: Virtual Private Servers offer many features because of their redundant cloud computing, flexibility, and scalability. It guarantees uptime despite sharing the server with multiple sites.
Cons: Cloud hosting can be a bit more expensive than shared servers.
Ideal For: VPS or cloud hosting is for any business whose feature and computational requirements fluctuate.
If Virtual Private Servers are comparable to shared servers, WordPress is somewhat similar to dedicated servers since it only caters to WordPress-constructed websites.
Pros: WordPress offers a lot of features, including enhanced uptime, excellent security protocols, and a dedicated customer support team.
Cons: WordPress hosting can be pricier compared to cloud hosting. WordPress cannot host any website that is not constructed using the WordPress website builder.
Ideal For: Medium to large-sized businesses may better appreciate the features of WordPress despite the price tag.
Conclusion
In a time where a business’ survival heavily relies on its ability to make its online presence known, choosing the right web hosting company is crucial. But when it comes to web hosting services, the priciest option is not always the best option and vice versa. So in selecting your web hosting service provider, remember to consider your company’s server requirements first before the price tag.
When you need to take your business online, let LJordan Designs be your top web hosting company choice. We offer affordable hosting solutions without compromising bandwidth and uptime. Call us today to learn more!