7 Different Levels of Web Hosting for Your Site

The different levels of web hosting are shared hosting, reseller hosting, cloud hosting, Virtual private server hosting, dedicated server, co-location, and self service.

As an online merchandiser, it is always vital to keep track of the growth of your online business. When your business meets higher demands, then your web hosting should be upgraded to accommodate all of it. Here's a comparison of the different levels of web hosting you can use.

Shared hosting

With shared hosting, your site is set up on a server that is shared with other websites. This type of hosting is handy for those who are just starting or have a limited budget. Fees can be as low as $5-$-10 a month, because of the shared cost. One drawback, though, is that the cost also depends on the other shared websites. A site that has more traffic can affect your own performance.

Reseller hosting

Generally similar to shared hosting, reseller hosting has extra tools and options which assist you in reselling hosting space. Usually included in a reseller hosting package are free website templates, white label technical support, and servers under private names. This option is more costly than the shared hosting at $15-$50 per month, depending on the features.

Cloud hosting

Cloud or grid hosting is a more advanced hosting feature that allows many servers to seemingly fuse making it look like a giant single server. While the number of sites continues to grow, a new hardware can easily be added to accommodate them. The price you pay is parallel to the degree of service you are receiving. Fees for extra bandwidth and memory usage may be charged.

Virtual private server

A virtual private server, or VPS, acts like separate servers but actually shares only one server. They each have a specific program of the computing resources, though it is just sharing hardware resources. It spares your website from getting down from your hosting neighbors while at the same time evading higher costs. Prices usually range from $50-$200.

Dedicated server

You are entitled to one rental physical server from a hosting service when you have a dedicated server. This gives you full control of it. These options are much more expensive and may cost a least $100 per month.

Co-location

In this set-up, you rent a space in a date service provider. You have your own server hardware, while they provide power, internet uplink and other necessities. You are in-charge of your own software and data and are responsible for any drawbacks from your hardware.

Self-service

This is do-it-yourself set-up and is considered the best option of all. You purchase the servers and do all the configurations by yourself. Things you might need are extra bandwidth, server hardware, systems administrator, data back-up and more.

Web hosting is important. Customers always go for the website which is accessible and convenient. If your site is slow due to heavy traffic or it needs a better web server, try getting a new one, or you may lose some potential customers.