Compare Web Hosting: Personal Web Hosting & Business Web Hosting

Getting a blog started can be exciting, but it can also be an experience absolutely riddled with questions, especially those questions about hosting.  Knowing this, and understanding that the technical/web hosting aspects of blogging are always going to be a key concern, Art of Blog has developed a tutorial on hosting to take the guess work out of web hosting.  This will allow bloggers to focus on what they want to focus on, not spend time worrying about mundane details that ultimately have little to do with their subject matter. If you are looking more specifically for a hosting solution that specializes in Wordpress, we have a Wordpress Hosting guide too.

There Are Three Types of Hosting

Web hosting services almost always fall into one of three primary categories: shared web hosting, virtual private servers (VPS), and dedicated servers.  Each tier generally brings greater performance and control to the table for a price.  That price is always measurable in dollars and cents, but shared web hosting does have an advantage: most of today’s shared hosting solutions offer effectively unlimited bandwidth and storage capacities.

What is Shared Hosting?

Before discussing these perks, it is worth taking a few moments to understand just what shared web hosting is.  A hosting provider typically operates several servers, often referred to as a server farm, and each individual server can be configured in many different ways.  In the case of shared web hosting, the hardware on the server is shared by many different websites, often hundreds of websites.  Sharing hardware resources makes hosting affordable, but it also means a trade off in terms of performance and customization; if a website hosted on the same server gets a lot of traffic and/or uses a lot of resources at the same time, then there will be less to go around.

On the plus side, tracking the bandwidth and storage for individual accounts can be time consuming and thus most of the better shared web hosting service providers simply allocate unlimited resources.  There are often clauses in service agreements that allow the host to cancel accounts if they are placing an undue amount of stress on the server and thus causing complaints for other customers.  There are also limitations to the customization offered by shared hosting solutions.

Art of Blog has thoroughly reviewed a handful of hosting service providers, and come up with a few recommendations.  For those seeking shared web hosting, consider: AN Host, Bluehost, Dreamhost, HostGator, and HostMonster.

What is VPS Hosting?

VPS solutions are the next step up in terms of performance, but they come in many different sizes and types.  VPS solutions typically specify some or all of the hardware that consumers can expect their site to have access to, which means that a fixed number of sites are hosted on any given server.  Being virtual means that a VPS can be modified and even rebooted remotely, without affecting the other VPS packages being hosted on the same server hardware.

One of the downsides to most VPS solutions is that they come with metered bandwidth and finite storage limitations.  These can generally be expanded by buying higher-tiered packages, but sometimes those packages come with more processing power or memory than one will need.  Some of the best VPS providers on the market also allow for customized VPS hosting packages where customers can specify their needs.  Additionally, some VPS solutions allow for ‘bursting’ resources, or the allocation of additional CPU time and/or memory to VPS packages whenever they are available and in-need.

For those considering VPS hosting options, consider: DreamHost, HostGator, VPS.NET

What is Dedicated Hosting?

Dedicated servers are probably the easiest concept to grasp: one hosting account being run from a single server.  The server may host multiple websites owned by a single customer, but they will have guaranteed access to the entirety of the hardware’s performance 24/7.  Since the dedicated server is only being used by one customer, it is typically the most expensive option available, but that is the price one should expect to pay for performance.

Use our VPS vs Dedicated Hosting comparison to find out which solution is right for you.

Start Small, Grow Big

Maintaining a web presence is essential to keeping and increasing one’s audience.  This means that downtime is the enemy, and therefore planned downtimes should be avoided at all costs.  Before opting to sign up for a shared web hosting plan, consider what will happen when traffic eventually dictates that a VPS or dedicated solution is required.  If a provider only offers shared web hosting plans, then migrating will require a change of providers, something that rarely goes off smoothly.  Think ahead, and ask hosting providers how they can help make such a transition easier.

Storage Capacity

For hosting services with limitations on storage, it helps to come up with estimates on how much storage capacity will actually be needed.  The longer a site is up, the more storage it is likely to require.  The same is true of sites with active forums and/or ample amounts of media.

Bandwidth

As a site begins to receive a lot of traffic, it will start to consume a lot of bandwidth.  VPS solutions and dedicated servers often come with bandwidth limits, so be sure to plan ahead.  How much bandwidth is consumed each time the site is visited?  How many visitors per day will the site be serving?  Make sure to leave plenty of overhead for posting and proverbial rainy days.

Customization Counts

Top tier shared web hosting providers will allow for a reasonable degree of flexibility, especially if they use Plesk or cPanel, both of which allow for WordPress and other software packages to be installed.  VPS solutions tend to be far more customizable and dedicated servers often offer unmatched configurability.  VPS solutions are often nearly as customizable as their dedicated counterparts, which makes them extremely desirable from the standpoint of consumers who need the flexibility but not as much power.

E-Mail

E-mail addresses are usually offered by the hundreds or even in thousands if they are not offered in unlimited quantities regardless of what type of hosting plan one opts for.  E-mail features such as spam protection, customizable auto-responders, and aliases are all standard on most hosting plans, but it still pays to make sure that per e-mail size limits are reasonable and that webmail access is available.

VPS & Dedicated Servers: Measuring Performance

Both VPS and dedicated servers offer finite amounts of memory and processing power, but choosing which route to take can be challenging.  VPS solutions usually rate their processing power in a rather linear way, but the actually delivery of that processing power may be in nodes or chunks.  This means that a VPS with a rated 1 GHz of processing power might actually be two 500 MHz time-slices from separate processor cores, or even four 250 MHz time-slices.  The same is true of memory on VPS solutions, which means running many smaller processes is no problem, but larger applications and tasks may not be possible.  Dedicated servers do not have this particular issue to contemplate.

And finally, those needing dedicated servers should certainly check out: DreamHost, HostGator