Whether you’re planning on putting your first website online, or are considering what happens when your present website grows and you might need more space and facilities, the various types of web hosting can be a bit mystifying.

Knowing what the differences are and when you might need them is a great help.

Shared hosting

This is usually the first option and applies if you’re running a small blog up to a fairly sizeable business website.

Websites are held (hosted) on your web host’s servers, and you in effect pay for space on the server. With shared hosting, you’re literally sharing server capacity with other website owners.

This works well for a while in that most hosting companies worth their salt can accommodate at least something like a Wordpress site receiving some 40,000 visitors a month.

The limitations with shared hosting are obviously those of capacity - you are limited to a certain capacity and bandwidth limit as there is only so much room on the server. There is also the possibility of your site’s performance being influenced by other sites on the server although the host should try and minimise this.

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting

The advent of cloud computing and hosting provides a viable next step rather than having to opt for a dedicated server (see below).

In effect, one server is used as with shared hosting but it is divided up into segments (partitions) each of which is for one site’s sole use. It means this space is just used by one site and is not influenced by other sites on the same server - for example, yours won’t be slowed down by heavy traffic on someone else’s site.

VPS hosting is best provided by companies experienced in cloud computing. Click here for a good example.

Reseller hosting

A way of reselling hosting provided by your hosting company to others. It’s popular with web designers and web development companies who often provide their own customers with a full web service including design and hosting. The hosting can be branded to your company even though it’s provided by someone else.

Dedicated server hosting

The most expensive option usually. This is where your site, or sites, are the only ones on a particular server that you control.

Along with the full capacity of that server being dedicated to your sites, it also means you can load whatever software you wish including customisations. It’s also a good option where security is paramount.

Think carefully before committing to a dedicated server; you may find the VPS option above meets your requirements at a cost likely to be significantly less expensive than a dedicated hardware server.

Choose wisely

Whatever type of web hosting you think is right for you, choose your hosting company wisely. Check who others with similar requirement stop your are using, and check sites like this one for the latest in technology news.

While price is clearly a factor, make sure your chosen hosting company will meet your current and future requirements.