Web Hosting: Shared or Dedicated - Which should you choose?

By Russ Mate

Before you begin your search for a web host you should first determine whether you absolutely need shared web hosting or dedicated web hosting.

A shared web hosting account is an account on a web server that hosts other shared accounts. The number of accounts on one shared server might vary widely; some servers host a few hundred, while others have thousands of sites hosted on one server. Hosting your website on a shared server is a successful solution for many small businesses, as shared hosting accounts are priced much lower than dedicated servers. Shared web hosting accounts have limited access to the core administrative functions of the server. Most web hosting businesses offer comprehensive technical support for users of shared hosting plans. Complete technical support is usually included in the price of your account plan.

A dedicated server is usually dedicated to one, or just a few web sites , usually for the sole use by one business . The cost of a dedicated server is higher than that of a shared hosting account. With a dedicated server, you have access to the core administrative functions of the server. With most dedicated server plans offered by hosting companies, youre pretty much on your own where technical support is concerned. If you dont have an IT staff or a server administrator to provide support, you can want to find a human to help you manage your dedicated server. Many hosting companies that offer dedicated server plans also offer "per issue" support, meaning that youll pay a certain amount, usually an hourly fee, for technical support issues. Some dedicated server plans have optional "support tickets" that you can purchase in advance.

Another option is whats called a "managed dedicated" hosting plan. With a managed dedicated plan, you get a dedicated server and the hosting company also provides comprehensive support like you usually find in a shared hosting plan. This is a efficient alternative for businesses that do not have an IT staff or a server administrator and do not want to get involved at all in the technical aspects of running a server. The price for a managed dedicated server is usually higher than for an unmanaged dedicated server plan as youre acquiring technical support included.

Whatever type of web hosting plan you choose, make sure that the plan youve chosen fits your needs.

Russ Mate is President of MateMedia, Inc.

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