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Step 1
Introduction -
Step 2
Types
Of Hosting -
Step 3
Choose
A Domain -
Step 4
Choose
A Host -
Step 5
Go Live!
Types Of Hosting
Personal Sites & Blogs
Shared Hosting is where there’s a large web server that hosts thousands of websites on one server. They usually include unlimited features, which is perfect for someone just starting out or on a limited budget. You may not always get the best performance, but for the price you really can’t beat them. This is exactly where I started out hosting my first site and my 3 picks below should give you the best performance and value over all others.
My top 3 picks:
Busy Sites, E-Commerce, Web Design, Programmers
VPS Hosting is where there’s one powerful physical server OR servers connected virtually (Cloud). You can then choose how much processing power , memory, bandwidth, etc.., that you want. These are a great stepping stone from Shared hosting to Dedicated hosting because of the price and performance. Typically people that buy VPS servers are more technically inclined, but the hosting companies have made this extremely easy and offer customized support to help you choose the right one. These usually include specific feature limits (bandwidth, disk space, etc..,) and cost more, but you get far better performance than Shared Hosting for your website.
Very Busy Sites, E-Commerce, Multiple Websites, Reseller
A Dedicated server is a single server that only runs your website(s) and only you have access to. My #1 pick is Hivelocity and where my dedicated server is hosted at (I’ve been with them for over 3 years). These typically start at $75/mo, but give you the ultimate in speed, security, and control. They’re perfect for running a single website at blazing speeds, multiple websites at blazing speeds (with server upgrades), or even Reselling hosting to others (with server upgrades). This is the type of hosting that I use to host my websites (100+).
Resell Hosting To Others or Host All Of Your Own Websites
A Reseller plan allows you to resell hosting to others to make extra money or simply host all of your own websites. Many hosts offer specific plans called Reseller accounts, but you can also use a VPS or Dedicated server to do this with the right software. I still have a Reseller account at Hostgator that I use to host several of my sites on for SEO and redundancy reasons.
WordPress Focused Hosting
A WordPress hosting account only allows you run a WordPress website, but since it’s focused only on that CMS your site runs far faster than hosting it on other types of accounts. The best value for this is Sitepoint, but the absolute fastest is WP Engine and worth every penny.
Which Hosting Type Is For Me?
The easiest way to figure that out is with a few questions.
If you answer “Yes” to 3 or more questions in a section, then note that type of hosting as a possible choice for you.
Shared Hosting
- Is this your first website?
- If not, does your current website get less than 25,000 visitors per month?
- Do you want the most economical hosting?
- Do you want the simplest to use and set up?
- Do you want unlimited bandwidth?
- Do you want 1-click installs of software like WordPress? (most include this ability)
- Are you able to pay $1/mo?
VPS Hosting
- Is this your first website?
- If not, does your current website get more than 25,000 visitors per month?
- Do you want better performance?
- Do you plan on selling anything?
- Do you need an SSL certificate?
- Do you need a dedicated IP address?
- Do you want the ability to increase or decrease your memory, disk space, etc.., as needed?
- Are you able to pay $15/mo or more?
Dedicated Hosting
- Is this your first website?
- If not, does your current website get more than 100,000 visitors per month?
- Do you want the best performance possible?
- Do you plan on selling anything?
- Do you need an SSL certificate?
- Do you need several dedicated IP addresses (most come with 3)?
- Do you want the most secure hosting possible?
- Are you able to pay $75/mo or more?
Reseller Hosting
- Do you want to sell hosting to others (now or later)?
- Do you want to sell domains to others (now or later)?
- Do you have multiple sites that you want to host?
- Do you want a simpler setup than VPS or Dedicated?
- Are you able to pay $20/mo or more?
WordPress Hosting
Do you only want to host a WordPress site?- Do you want the best WordPress performance?
- Do you want an easy to use interface?
- Do you want a CDN (content delivery network) to speed up your site? Most include this.
- Do you want to host less than 3 WordPress sites? (most allow 3 or less)?