The Downside of Dedicated Web Hosting

If you want to get a number of mix responses, just mention the words dedicated web hosting.  This will do it every time.  But, the good news is that most responses will be positive (and sometimes that is all you can ask for).  When looking at it from the stand point of a server, most will suggest that dedicated web hosting is the best.  While dedicated web hosting can be great, you need to know that there can be a downside to it as well.  We will discuss some of the problems and issues that go along with having dedicated web hosting.

Dedicated web hosting is expensive

Dedicated web hosting is a cut above the rest, but for a price.  It is one of the most, if not the most, expensive type of hosting available.  Why?  Well, mostly because you are getting an entire server to yourself - which can mean less web site crashes.  You better be ready to pay a stiff price, if you are planning on getting a dedicated server for web hosting.  Be prepared to not only pay an upfront fee and a monthly fee for a dedicated server.  (Usually, other hosting plans don't require an initial fee.) The reason for the high cost can be traced to the cost of the service and the hardware provided by the company.

You have to be tech-savvy

Yes, you need to know what you are doing before you venture into buying a dedicated server for web hosting.  If you don't, you better make sure that the company you are purchasing the dedicated server from has great customer service - you will need it!

Content

Just because you are paying for a dedicated server and have dedicated web hosting doesn't mean you have full control over what is on the server.  Some content on a dedicated server is off limits.  For example, you cannot post adult content on most dedicated servers.  So, if that is your plan, you might want to find another option.

Nothing is perfect online, and this will include your dedicated web hosting. But if you are ready to gamble, then why not; dedicated web hosting has some basic features that can address your needs.

Beginners Guide to Choosing a Web Hosting Company

Most people do not realize what plays the biggest role in the success of their online business, do you?  If you said anything other than choosing the right web hosting company to host your website, then you were wrong.  Your business website is the gateway to the world.  It will be the place that people go to access all the information on your products, but more importantly than that, it will be the place that people go to buy your product - which means money in your pocket!  In today's society, you cannot afford to not bring your business online.  If you do, your business could very well fail!

Not sure what to look for in Web hosting?

We can help!  Here is a great guide to follow.

Because you are new to venturing online, and your business will have a relatively small impression, it is best to start small.  If you have a niche business, starting small is definitely the only way to go.  It is best to choose the smallest plan with the smallest amount of space available.  There is no point in choosing the largest plan when you don't know if that will be profitable.  Start small and work your way up, you can always upgrade later.

One of the most important factors, and often the most overlooked, in choosing a web hosting company is the server reliability.  Simply, how often is the web hosting company server, where your website will be, will be up and functioning.  If your website goes down, then people cannot buy from you.  If people come to your site a lot and it is always down, you will begin to lose all your customers - even your most loyal ones.  (As far as web hosting goes, Godaddy is by far the best for pure web hosting and has 99.9% uptime - by far an industry best!  Two other great options for eCommerce are BigCommerce and Volusion.  All allow you to choose a domain name and all have different size and priced plans.  We will talk more about all of the later.)

Here are some tips to help you avoid unreliable web hosting companies:

1.  Look for reviews on the company that you are looking at to buy web hosting.  The best part about the internet is you can find the good, the bad, and the ugly with a simple Google search.  There is a plethora of reviews on web hosting alone.  You will be able to find everything you need to know about a company by reading their reviews.

2.  Determine if they oversell their services.  If they put to many customers on a server and give them too much bandwidth and space, the server will most likely crash a lot.  (Don't worry if words like bandwidth, megabytes, gigabytes, and memory confuse you and you don't know what they mean, we will discuss that stuff in another post.)

3.  Simply email or message a company's customer service/ help department and ask some questions.  If they aren't willing to be helpful and answer your questions, they probably aren't the best company to be with.  If you are new to web hosting, you are probably going to have some questions, so choose a company that is willing to help you.

Eventually, and I do mean on down the line because it is expensive, you will want to get your own dedicated server.  A dedicated server is just what it says - a server dedicated just to you.  The narrower the pipeline the less chances of server problems and crashes.  

I hope that you have found the web hosting guide helpful.  You are now educated and ready to start looking for a web hosting company for your business.  Remember, choosing the best web hosting company can make or break your business.