What Type of Web Hosting Do I Need?

There are several ways to categorize various website options. First, let's talk hardware . Within these options there will be various things that will effect the final price and strength of the option.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is a term that means you are sharing a server - a computer, with others. Any web server is capable of serving up many site, just like a server in a restaurant can serve many customers. Shared hosting is where the majority of people begin because it tends to be the most economical.

The disadvantage of shared hosting is that you have less control, and things other people do can potentially cause your website to go down. Statistically, this does not happen often. Web servers have become very resilient and can handle many issue that once would have brought a server down.

Within the shared hosting world there are a variety of plans tiered based on price and quantity of things such as disk space (which effects how much information you can store), and band width which is a measure of how much of that information gets delivered in a given time period. Think of bandwidth as the number of gallons of water (web content - words, pictures, etc) delivered to each bucket (computer) in a given period. Typically this will be per month.

Dedicated Server

This option is out of order from a price perspective, but understanding this option will make it easier to understand the third option. A dedicated server is just that. You get the whole box. You know this was coming ... yes, within this option there is a very wide array of options. Disk space and bandwidth are some, but with a dedicated server you will also have the option of how much memory, how many IP addresses, and more.

A dedicated server will isolate you from the possibility of someone else's web site bringing yours down. But it also means you pay a much higher price. An option between these two that helps contain cost, while delivering more power is the virtual dedicated server.

Virtual Dedicated Server

A virtual dedicated server is sort of like option one, in that you are still sharing the "box" or the computer. But you are much better isolated. Today's modern web servers are capable of having "virtual machines". In a virtual dedicated server you can have a lot more control. Typically you can install your own software. Both the dedicated and virtual dedicated server options also bring greater responsibility. Many of the things that are automatically done for you in the shared environment will be up to you in the virtual dedicated and dedicated server worlds.

Now let's look at another designation - platform. Platform refers to the type of box, and the base software or operating system running on the box. Just as in the personal computing world, in the server world you have choices of platform. Primarily, you will choose a Windows server, or Linux server. Linux is usually a little less expensive. And yes, there are also MAC servers. Just like in real life, you guessed it, they cost more. But for high end applications and in the right circumstances, they may be the right solution. Linux is the most widely used server platform, followed by Windows. Which you choose is primarily a function of a) what software you are going to run and b) price, and C) your own preference or the preference of who is building out your site. But Linux is the clear default.

Next, we consider function. Function actually has more to do with software than hardware except when a piece of software will only run on a certain platform. But the likelihood is, you can find another similar functioning software that will run on your chosen platform. Often, in fact usually, your hosting solution will come with many software packages that can be easily installed with just a click - and free! Let's look at a few popular functions.

Online Brochure or Business Card

For this, you need little more than any server, any platform, and some HTML expertise ... or the next best thing, HTML editing software. Templates can also be a leg up. Templates give you a basic design into which you can lay your content (text and pictures). If this is what you need then nearly any host company will be able to supply lots of templates and easy, do-it-yourself options.

Daily posts, Articles, journaling

What you need here is a blog. A blog is nothing more than software designed to make it easy to publish articles and information on a regular basis. Setting up a blog may not be trivial, but once set up, creating a new article is as easy as writing a new email message. Rather than "send" you will "post". You email went to one or more specific people's inbox. Your blog post will go on the internet for everyone to see. The most popular blog software is WordPress. There are two ways to use WordPress. You can simply go to the WordPress site and everything will be done for you. The downside is, it will not be YOUR site. Branding will be weak. To brand strongly, Wordpress is widely available to download and install on your shared, dedicated, or virtual dedicated server where you can brand strongly because you are publishing your own URL or domain name in every post. yboti's own Quick Blog Cast is also a strong contender. It combines the ease of use of a site on the Wordpress server and the strong branding of your own site. It also have features that also you to easily publish not only text, but voice (podcast) and video (VLOG) as well.

Online Store

Selling goods and services was once very expensive. You had to have a programmer write special code. Today, what once may have cost $10-$20,000 can be had for just a few thousand or less. And if you are willing to get your hands dirty and learn some new skills, you can have lots of horsepower for just the cost of your hosting plan because of the many open source software packages that you can often install with just the click of a button.

For some specialty stores, you may want to take a different approach. There are many companies that have ready made turnkey online solutions. Most MLM's now have websites that allow you to market their goods right online.

In the legal services world, within the U.S. and Canada, Pre-Paid Legal associates enjoy a complete turnkey system that allows them to sign up new associates and members online. Pre-Paid Legal offers an extremely valuable and desirable service which makes it an excellent business opportunity. Unlike most companies in the direct selling arena, Pre-Paid Legal has virtually no competition.

Another turnkey opportunity exists within the online booksellers industry. If you are looking to have an online bookstore or online Christian bookstore, 30fold, Inc. has the perfect solution. Everything you need is included except the customers. You have to bring them with you. But this is a great option for churches, ministries, charities, schools, and organizations that want something that is ready to run, takes little to no administration, and has a proven track record. The 30fold solution includes hosting. You would spend $50-$100,000 to duplicate what you get ready to run in a 30fold store.

For general stores where you want to sell your own array of products, then Quick Shopping Cart is a great way to go. It's easy, inexpensive, and because the software is integrated into the hosting, you never have to worry about being up to date.