If you are looking to take your business online there are one or two things that you need to know about before making the leap. One such thing is web hosting. Web hosting can be confusing for many and often businesses end up paying more than they should for a service that they don’t really need.

Although, it is true that every website needs hosting, not all web hosting is the same. Here in this article we will look at the three main options available to you and your business:

Shared website hosting

As the name suggests, this type of hosting allows multiple websites to operate from one main server. The web host generally will provide all of the necessary technical support and address any issues that may arise during the length of the agreed contract.

Shared hosting is one of the cheapest options available as it makes very efficient use of limited resources. For those who are just starting out, shared hosting makes a lot of sense, as they will have the backing of the technical support team and pay far less than they would if they opted for one of the other options available to them.

However, for bigger businesses, shared hosting may not be the best choice. If your site is especially large with a lot of traffic, you may wish to consider a more bespoke hosting package.

Dedicated website hosting

Again, the name tells you all that you need to know. Dedicated means just that; you will have your own dedicated server for your website. There are two ways for your business to have this type of hosting: you can either purchase your own server or you can pay a hosting provider to use one of their servers instead.

You will have full control over the server, allowing you to manage many different parts of the site. Dedicated servers are perfect for larger companies with a great deal of traffic and their own specialist IT team who can handle any problems immediately. For those without such backup, other options may be more appropriate.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting

Consider by many as a hybrid of the two aforementioned hosting options, VPS allows users to experience the best of both worlds. While one server is shared by multiple users with VPS, that number is limited, giving the user more room for growth and allowing them to make use of the hosting providers technical support team.

VPS hosting from Host1Plus allows your business to have the luxury of control without having to make such a large initial investment in its own server. Plus, it also removes the cost of housing the dedicated server too.

So, there you have it, the three main ways for your business to get online. Which one you choose will be solely dependent on where your business currently is and what you personally think your best option will be. One thing is for sure; every business needs an online presence these days. Without it, your business is liable to suffer at the hands of your competitors who have already made the decision to be online.

But these tweaks will make all of the difference to how those customers share your content with others.

The best thing about this is that, providing your content makes the grade, they will begin to do the donkeywork of promoting your content for you. Having a few of these evangelists onside can do wonders for growth, so nurture these relationships right from the start.

That’s it. Four simple things to get you started with your first foray into the world of websites. While a lot of the other questions you’ll have will be important, by following these four steps at the start you will be well on your way to creating a website that will not only stand out, but also stand the test of time.