how to pick the right web hosting planFew things are more exciting than starting your first website or blog. Two of the most time-consuming and frustrating parts of this process is choosing your domain name and where you are going to host your website. The domain name is extremely important, but very time-consuming simply because there aren’t that many good domain names left. This means you are going to need to try a bunch of things and get a bit creative. When it comes time to choose a web hosting provider, this usually also takes some time because it’s quite overwhelming to see all of the different options out there and then choosing a reliable solution while not spending too much money in the process.

Don’t stress out too much with this process, because here’s what you really need to know. The majority of web hosting plans and providers out there are all very similar in pricing and structure. You just need to find one that offers the hosting solutions you need to scale your site or business over time, while also having great customer reviews. There are many web hosting reviews sites and guides already out there. All you need to do is “Google” the name of the hosting company you are considering, then also add the word “review”. You will then have more than enough information to help you stay confident in your hosting decision.

Before making the leap with a web hosting provider, it’s also important to make sure you know what type of hosting you need. To help with this process, be sure to run through each of the hosting choices listed below.

WordPress Hosting

With WordPress quickly becoming the most popular way to create a website or blog on the internet today, many web hosting solutions are going with their own specialized WordPress hosting plans. While the concept of downloading WordPress and installing it on your server seems easy enough, there are actually many moving parts to the CMS once it’s up and running. Going with a purpose-built WordPress hosting service will allow for faster loading times, improved security, automatic updates and installs, and of course better WordPress management and performance.

Shared Hosting

Of all the different hosting plans available, shared hosting is often the most popular and cheapest. The way shared hosting works is that a hosting company has a powerful dedicated server, which is then loaded up with a bunch of smaller web sites and blogs. Since the hosting company can place a bunch of sites on one server, this allows for the most cost-effective hosting plan out there. The benefits of a shared hosting plan are that it’s usually only a few dollars per month and more than enough for anyone just starting out. The negatives are that you are sharing a server with a bunch of other sites and that it could potentially slow down the performance of your own site.

Virtual Private Servers

Shared hosting is great for anyone just starting out. Virtual Private Servers are best for anyone that has a site they are making money with or looking to run a business online. VPS hosting is basically the next level up in hosted from shared hosting plans. The costs associated with VPS hosting is a bit more than shared hosting, but it also comes with more layers of security and higher site performance in the process. This is due to the increase in CPU and RAM that is powering your site and allowing others around the world to access its content.

Cloud Hosting

As more data and information hosting companies are looking to the cloud as a way to improve services and security, while also lowering costs, we are seeing the same thing in the world of web hosting. Cloud hosting allows for businesses, brands and site owners to go live with a site without the need to deal with the frustrations of server monitoring or IT technicalities. In most cases, all cloud based web hosting plans are set up so they are ready to go right after the sign-up process has been completed. This allows for easy access and expansive scalability to grow out your website and services as your business or brand continues to grow. When comparing cloud hosting to shared and VPS hosting in pricing, cloud hosting will usually fall somewhere in the middle.

Dedicated Servers

When it comes to the highest level of web hosting, look no further than dedicated server hosting. While other hosting options like the ones mentioned above share resources and place multiple sites on the same servers, with a dedicated server it’s all yours. This allows for your website or blog to run at full speed and performance at all times. Dedicated hosting is the most expensive option out of all the ones we’ve covered so far. If you absolutely can’t afford for your site to be down, dedicated hosting plans are the way to go.

Picking the Right Web Hosting for Your Site

With so many different hosting options to choose from, you might not be sure which is best. If you are going to run a single website or blog, a good WordPress hosting plans or even a shared hosting plan is probably enough for you. If you are a legitimate business or have some money to invest, a good VPS plan or cloud hosting will also get the job down. For e-commerce and any websites that are processing orders and generating a high number of leads or traffic, you may want to look into dedicated hosting.

No matter what hosting option you choose, always know that the option is there to upgrade to the next level up. It’s also important to look at the billing options when setting up your hosting account. Some hosting providers offer up to 60% off their plans when paying for 12, 24 or 36 months in advance.