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How to pick web hosting for very small and large websites
Small static websites - Will your website be an online brochure or business card, a one page sales letter with no e-commerce or shopping cart software? Maybe up to 5 pages with some product or service information, a lead capture or contact form with an autoresponder? What we're describing is a "static" website. We've got good news for you. You're pretty safe going with an "el cheapo" web hosting provider package. You don't need a lot of disk space, you're probably not going to get much traffic so bandwidth is not an issue and you just don't need most of the other features that drive up your monthly costs. Plus, if your web hosting needs suddenly increase, don't panic… Most web hosts will migrate your website to another package for a nominal fee. There's no need shop around for another company, especially if you're satisfied with the service and performance of your current web host. Just make sure they can accommodate upgrading your account. Price and disk space are usually the deciding factors for small static websites. Don't sacrifice going with a reputable web hosting provider with good tech support over another company just to save a few dollars a month. There usually isn't that much of a price difference anyway. Even 5 bucks more a month for a reliable web host only adds up to $60 for the year. Dedicated hosting for large high traffic websites - Let's go to straight to the "big kahuna" website option for now, so we can finish up with the web hosting needs of the small to medium size business. We'll tell you why they need special attention later. Large companies, the ones with mega-sites that rely on peak performance and the highest levels of firewall security usually opt for dedicated hosting. Their websites are an extension of their day to day business operations. In addition to their size, bandwidth and security requirements, these sites often use large databases and intranets for 24/7 access to vital information. Large websites need lots of server space, but more importantly, they need tons of bandwidth. Their high traffic websites need access to the highest levels of bandwidth capacity and load balancing to handle occasional spikes in usage. Large high traffic sites can't afford to lose business due to slow server response or excessive downtime. Shared server space just doesn't provide the level of attention and performance required for the hosting needs of these websites. If your business hosting needs require the highest levels of size, performance and security, with no regards to cost, then fully managed dedicated hosting is for you. Dedicated hosting is very expensive, but worth the cost to maintain optimum performance. |