Web hosting is something that you can’t easily wish away should you decide to run an online business.
If you are somebody that doesn’t understand the industry terminologies, you may be asking “what are the benefits and limitations of web hosting?”
While some people will give reasons such as self-branding, global presence, borderless transaction, etc., those who prefer running a brick and mortar business will still not get sold.
That is why this post will try to address what the benefits and limitations of web hosting really is.
We do know that there are different types of web hosting, that is why this post will be looking at the pros and cons of web hosting from a general view, instead of it being written based on the type of web hosting involved.
By the end of this post, you should be sold and finally see reasons why you should sign up for a web hosting plan today.
Let’s get started…
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is a service that helps people and companies to publish their websites or web pages on the Internet.
A web hosting provider is a company that is in charge of providing the facilities and technologies that are required for a website or webpage to be accessed on the Internet.
In web hosting operations, websites are hosted or stored on servers, which are special computer networks.
The term “web hosting” usually refers to a business that rents out its computer/servers to house your website as well as provides Internet connectivity so that other users can browse the documents and files on your site.
You should know that your website is nothing more than a list of various media elements and files.
What you normally do is pay for a web server and use it to store all of your files.
Support, server maintenance, email accounts, and other services will be provided by your web host.
They’ll also provide you with tools that will enable you to manage your server with ease, even if you don’t have any technical knowledge.
The next step after signing up to a web host is to point your domain name to your hosting account after you’ve purchased hosting and uploaded your website’s files to the webserver.
That way, you’ll have a website that everyone in the world can use this way.
The Benefits of Web Hosting
One of the things I like about lists like pros and cons, benefits and limitations, merits and demerits is that they allow you to quickly get the most out of any feature.
We at WebHost Bros are huge fans of web hosting, as you might already know. As a result, putting together a succinct list of web hosting advantages, or pros, should be a top priority.
The following are some of the advantages of web hosting, which we believe can persuade you to sign up with a web host right away.
1. Online branding
In this day and age, every company, large or small, must have an online presence either in the form of a website or social media profile.
If any of these factors are missing, the company’s presence will not be regarded as trustworthy by its customers.
Having a website will assist companies in improving the public’s view of their company.
Furthermore, it can assist you in reaching previously unimagined boundaries, since being online allows you to target almost everyone.
2. Lots of free perks
What good is a low-cost, high-speed web hosting service if you can’t do anything about it?
Many hosts choose to hook up customers with hundreds of free features and resources that cover practically everything you’d like to do with server space in order to provide customers with easy-to-use and robust services.
Customers can find simple ways to access the programs and services they want, from an easy-to-use control panel interface and SSL certificates to free email accounts and hundreds of one-click device installs.
Some web hosts also offer you the option of adding ecommerce and website builders to your account.
3. Landing local customers
It’s a no-brainer for companies to have an online presence these days, particularly with search engines gaining momentum and the fact that most people turn to the internet for answers.
Since it is almost unlikely for any company to go online without getting a website, web hosting is an absolute must.
Furthermore, if you want your website to appear on the first page of the search results for even the most basic types of queries, you could end up with some extra business if you focus on developing an SEO strategy to rank your keywords.
In addition to reaching out to local consumers, your website will help you create brand awareness in the neighborhood, which will help you land local clients.
4. Branded email address
You’ll need a branded email address that includes your domain name if you want to appear professional.
If your domain is “myawesomedomain.com,” for instance, your email address might be “peters@myawesomedomain.com.”
If you’re sending emails to customers and clients, the last thing you want to do is use your personal Gmail account.
You’ll be able to create your own domain-specific email address if you use a good host service provider.
Although some hosts will only allow you to create one domain-specific email address, others will permit you to create an infinite number.
As a result, when communicating with people via your website, you will appear professional.
Most web hosts also offer a range of email management tools.
You’ll be able to send, receive, and check emails, as well as set up email forwarders, so you can control your emails from your favorite email provider.
5. Leveraging email marketing
Email marketing has been one of the most popular methods for increasing sales, keeping in touch with consumers, and generating conversions in recent years.
People can sign up for your email list on your website, which is powered by your web host.
Once you’ve built a following, you’re free to send as many emails as you want.
6. Improved website security
The protection of a website is something that many website owners overlook.
Although it’s almost impossible to have a completely safe website, you never know where the next attack will come from.
There are already steps you can take to make your website as safe as possible.
Your host service provider is the backbone of your website’s security; and besides, this is where all of your website’s files will be kept.
A good host would have several layers of security in places, such as routine website backups, DDoS attack protection, and spam protection.
To begin with, there is a physical data center, which will be safe. The servers themselves are then protected by any requisite firewalls.
Finally, security mechanisms would be in place to secure your site from other websites using the same server, depending on the type of web hosting services you have.
7. Affordable cost
Thanks to the ridiculous fierce competition in the industry, particularly among shared hosting plans for beginners.
When it comes to hosting their websites on the internet, customers and webmasters will get some pretty good offers.
In the world of web hosting, the term “cheap” does not always imply “poor.”
Extra features, quality support, stronger protection, faster performance, and the most user-friendly design tools are all competing for your business.
In order to survive and gain momentum in the market, leading hosting companies are increasingly innovating and extending their product portfolios to include a cost-effective product portfolio.
Due to this, there are a bunch of top-tier web hosts to pick from that charge less than $5 per month for their services.
8. Understanding customers
The use of websites should not be limited to sharing information about your company with the rest of the world.
You could also leverage your website to know more about your buyers, which you can then use to increase conversions and sales.
Setting up surveys on your website will help you learn more about your customers’ preferences.
You can create surveys using a variety of online tools, and you can also monitor your site’s analytics to gather vast amounts of data about your visitors’ activities.
9. Outstanding support
If you sell goods or services on your website, you should understand the value of prompt and helpful customer service. It should be the same about your hosting provider.
Almost any worthwhile host should provide round-the-clock support via chat, phone, and email.
Some web hosts have chosen to push the boundaries of support even further by hiring knowledgeable experts, prioritizing quick response times, and providing detailed knowledge base articles and tutorials.
For example, SiteGround is known for offering the best web hosting support, having developed several proprietary systems and responding to email support tickets in under 10 minutes.
10. Workplace decluttering
With the help of a web hosting provider, files that ought to be seen around the office can now be made in digital form and uploaded to a web server.
This way, loss of files due to some natural disaster like fire or flooding is avoided while also ensuring that the workspace is decluttered in the process.
See Also: Do I Need Web Hosting? – 14 Never Revealed Web Host Benefits
Limitations of Web Hosting
Peacocks are lovely, but they’re not something you see every day.
Only a few people understand web hosting, which is a complex, twisted network of wires and cables.
If cutting-edge developments aren’t adequately applied or fully understood, they may add to the burden of site ownership.
Even though web hosting has some disadvantages and limitations, the majority of them can be easily avoided by using a reliable web host.
If there’s one thing that web hosts are experts at, it’s marketing.
As a result, do your homework to avoid falling victim to one of the following web hosting drawbacks:
1. Hidden fees
Calculating how much to spend for web hosting is usually a simple task, particularly during the first year of operation.
The majority of new website owners would choose a shared hosting package that costs less than $10 per month.
Nevertheless, depending on the host, the promotional discounts you received the first year will expire, raising costs either marginally or exponentially.
As a result, you can choose a web host that aims to lay out all of the costs associated with hosting a website on their platform.
2. Cost
Someone may want to argue that hosting a website on the internet may not exceed $10 per month.
Probably you may want to consider the cost as just what a cup of coffee costs.
Hey! Cost is cost, irrespective of the amount involved.
Deciding to sign up with a web host will ultimately set you at least $50 back in your first year.
In addition to the fact that if you are in any way lucky and your online presence is growing, you will soon need the additional resources of either a cloud or VPS plan.
Once you decide to make the switch and cross that bridge, web hosting prices may get too expensive and hard to calculate.
3. Security breaches
There seems to be no business that is resistant to data breaches.
Keeping your website details, as well as, say, potential customers’ personal or financial information, on server thousands of miles away in a data center you can’t reach, is unquestionably a confidence exercise.
Thank goodness, the web hosting industry employs several of the world’s top security specialists, who are constantly on the lookout for new threats as well as potential solutions and safeguards.
If you fully understand more about network protection than they do, you’re probably better off following some website security best practices and hiring a reputable firm.
Regardless of how cautious your web host is, all it takes is a determined hacker to turn the tables.
4. Limited unlimited
If you want a shared hosting package, as most beginners and aspiring developers do, you’ll be sharing a server with dozens or thousands of other people.
If your blog or next project becomes a global phenomenon, you’ll be hampered by the limited resources available.
While several of our favorite low-cost hosting services here at WebHost Bros advertise unlimited resources, you can still be charged if you go over a certain cap.
Moving from shared servers to a more modular solution like cloud or VPS hosting is the option here.
These plans come with a lot of tools that you can use however you want.
A virtual private server allows you greater leverage over a much wider slice of a server’s resources, while cloud hosting involves using a vast network of multiple servers to share the burden of delivering your website.
If you make the switch, you’ve just increased your hosting cost, as we’ve already discussed.
5. Technical knowledge
Hosting a website online with the help of any web host simply means that you have decided to begin the process of learning some of the industry terminologies.
You will have to deal with things like disk space, bandwidth, DDoS attack, malware protection, etc.
In addition, you will have to be able to install a WordPress theme and also customize it as well.
The excuse of not being tech-savvy will not save you from the scenarios above.
In an event that you decide to hand over the whole process of managing and maintaining your website for you as in managed web hosting, just be prepared to spend extra money.
See Also: How To Choose The Best Web Hosting – 25+ Things To Consider
Types of Web Hosting
When it comes to web hosting, there are a variety of options to choose from. Notwithstanding that there are many different forms of hosting, you should know that not all of them would be appropriate for your website.
The following is a list of some of the most prominent web hosting services.
Simply review it to determine which form of web hosting is most appropriate for you.
1. Shared Web Hosting
Yeah, shared hosting is just what it sounds like.
Shared web hosting without doubt remains the most basic form of web hosting.
Multiple websites are placed on the same server in a shared hosting environment.
This means that a single machine, referred to as a shared server, can handle a large number of websites, possibly thousands.
You won’t have access to other users’ personal data files or other data, even though you’ll be sharing resources with them.
Shared hosting solutions are affordable since the expense of running the server is divided between you and the other users.
Despite this, shared web hosting has its own collection of disadvantages.
- As compared to dedicated servers, it takes longer to load
- If the number of traffic increases, it becomes much slower
- There are also only a few options for customization
- With shared web hosting, getting better output is difficult
- A major drawback of shared web hosting is that the performance of your site would be harmed if your server hosts a common website
With that said, one of the benefits is that if your site is the most popular on the server, you can use a super server at a very low cost.
Resellers also make money by selling shared web hosting, and web companies often have reseller accounts to provide hosting to customers.
While shared hosting does not always have a strong reputation, your hosting company will have a significant influence on the quality of service you enjoy.
If you expect your website to grow rapidly, find a shared hosting company that also provides VPS and Dedicated Hosting plans so you can scale up in the future.
2. Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
VPS hosting is a significant step up from shared hosting and a good middle ground between shared and dedicated server hosting.
With a VPS hosting package, the website is still hosted on a shared server, but it has its own unique space on the server with a fixed amount of resources devoted to it.
Each consumer would receive 10Gb ram and 200Gigabytes of storage space if the server has 100Gb ram and 2000Gigabytes of hard disk space and it is been shared by 10 people
If a user reaches the cap set for the plan purchased, every of the site will go offline; however, all other sites will remain operational.
To help you deal with a spike in traffic, some VPS hosts can send you a small boost in disk space or bandwidth.
Most web hosts, nevertheless, would not do so on a regular basis because redistribution will affect other websites hosted on the same domain.
VPS hosting is ideal for medium-sized businesses with a growing number of websites and traffic.
3. Dedicated Web Server Hosting
A dedicated server is a physical server over which you have full power and which you rent from a hosting company.
If you have a dedicated server, you won’t have to worry about a bad friend taking your resources and slowing down your website.
Dedicated server hosting is the next best thing besides cloud hosting. Nonetheless, it is an expensive choice.
Dedicated servers, in contrast to shared web hosting, which restricts your configurations and use, provide exceptional efficiency, making them suitable for high-traffic websites.
The vast majority of website owners will begin with shared servers and then migrate to a VPS or dedicated web server as their requirements evolve.
Regardless of cost, a dedicated web server allows you to handle vast volumes of traffic without experiencing any lags.
It can withstand a 40-fold increase in daily traffic.
Dedicated hosting also ensures security and quicker website loading times.
If your site is having difficulty handling traffic congestion and you want more stability, dedicated web server hosting is the way to go.
4. Cloud Hosting
When it comes to cloud hosting, things get a bit more complicated.
This method of hosting combines a large number of servers into a single large virtual server that anyone can use based on their individual requirements.
Cloud-based web hosting, unlike dedicated hosting, which is more costly and requires technical skills to use, is easy to use and relatively affordable.
Scalability is another benefit of cloud-based web hosting.
You can add more servers when your website becomes too crowded, and you can reduce the number of servers when traffic decreases.
One of the most significant advantages of cloud computing is the pricing structure.
Most of the time, you just pay for what you use.
This makes it ideal for those who work with seasonal products like holiday and Christmas products.
See Also: What Is Cloud Hosting and How Does It Actually Work?
5. Managed WordPress Hosting
WordPress is the most popular web platform and content management system, primarily among small businesses.
Since WordPress is a self-hosted and open-source solution, it does require some upkeep.
What happens with managed WordPress hosting is that it is a type of hosting that is tailored to WordPress websites and the management of your server and hosting account is the sole priority of your web hosting provider.
To grasp the idea of WordPress hosting, you must first comprehend the extent to which this Content Management System (CMS) is used.
WordPress is a content management system that runs over 30% of the internet.
Managed WordPress hosting has a number of advantages to offer to your website.
- Manual or automated backups are available
- There is an improved security
- You get focused on running your digital business knowing that professionals are looking after your website
In a nutshell, managed WordPress website hosting is a service in which your web hosting company maintains your WordPress website updated, thereby helping to secure it from security attacks that might give hackers access.
6. Reseller Hosting
This strategy is for webmasters who want to resell their current web hosting services.
Reseller hosting accounts are basically shared hosting accounts with extra features to help you resell hosting space.
You can start your own mini hosting company with a reseller hosting plan, selling hosting to your customers and earning residual income for your business.
It’s also a good option for those who have multiple websites because it helps them to access them all from a single dashboard.
In this model, you don’t just buy server space; you even sell it.
This is also a shared hosting model, but it gives you more control over your server’s actions.
This model involves investing your money in a number of joint hosting accounts, which you then resell to your own clients for a profit.
See Also: What Are The Different Types of Web Hosting? – The Ultimate Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the advantages of a VPS over shared hosting?
VPS hosting is the ideal web host for larger sites and small companies, while shared hosting is suitable for personal sites and startups.
VPS hosting costs more than shared hosting, but you get more control over your resource limits, as well as site speed performance and efficiency.
Furthermore, in comparison to shared hosting, VPS hosting provides some degree of protection.
2. Is virtual private server (VPS) hosting faster than shared hosting?
Yes.
Since the users do not have to queue with other websites’ visitors to reach yours, a VPS hosting plan is almost always quicker than a shared hosting plan.
Again, with VPS hosting, there is less traffic congestion on the server, which also helps to reduce the chance of your site lagging.
3. Is WordPress a web hosting service?
No.
WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS).
But if you are looking for dedicated WordPress hosting, almost every web hosting service provider offers WordPress-based web hosting.
4. What is the cost of hosting a website?
The web server, content creation, domain name, website building, graphic design, and marketing are all costs associated with hosting a website.
For regular shared hosting, plan to spend between $1 and $10 per month. VPS hosting is much more expensive. While that amount will triple for dedicated hosting.
See Also: How Much Does It Cost to Host a Website? The Ultimate Truth
5. Is it a good idea to get your domain and hosting from the same company?
No.
Sincerely, we believe that registering the domains with a dedicated domain registrar and hosting them with a separate hosting provider is preferable.
This means that your domain stays in your possession in the event that something goes wrong with your hosting company.
When you register your domain with a third party, switching to a new hosting provider is much smoother.
Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for your domain to be released by your hosting company. This is complicated by the fact that they are now losing a cloud client.
But hold on! That is what we practice at WebHost Bro, not just because we are web hosting gurus, but because it is what we suggest.
Many webmasters, on the other hand, purchase their domain and host it at the same place. And that’s fine.
Do this only if you are using a reliable solution provider with a proven track record.
Conclusion
There you have it, the pros and cons of web hosting.
Now that you know some of the benefits and limitations of web hosting, we trust that you will take that very first step of signing up to a reputable web host.
At WebHost Bros, we don’t just let you sign up to any hosting provider, rather we go a long way to recommend to you the best web hosting providers in the market.
Seeing that the advantages involved outweighs its disadvantages, we seriously recommend that you sign up with a web host of your choice.
The web hosts we recommend if you are just starting our are either Bluehost or Hostinger.
Should you anticipate a high level of traffic in the quickest possible time, the web hosts we recommend for such high-traffic sites are Kinsta or Liquid Web.
WebHost Bros is an online resource that helps you to find the best web host that is best for you. Here is our list of the best hosting providers in the market.