For developers, bloggers, small business owners, and others, learning how to choose a web host is like searching for Mr. Right. It’s a familiar question: Which hosting provider should I trust with my heart (er, websites)?
If done right, you can spend a lifetime of happiness with a reliable and high-performing host who is always available through phone, chat, or email to answer your burning late-night questions. However, rushing into a hosting relationship without doing your research could lead to feeling trapped, misled, or extorted. Choosing the wrong host often ends with headaches and a messy, expensive divorce — and you again alone, holding on to all the files you used to share.
We consider ourselves hosting matchmakers and have put together a step-by-step guide to share how to look for hosts and highlighted some of the hosts with the most attractive features — all in the name of helping you find a host you will love for a lifetime.
Know Which Type of Hosting You Need
Before you start looking for a hosting mate, take a moment to think about what you’re looking to get out of your next relationship. Just like light sleepers probably shouldn’t date people who snore, your needs will affect your compatibility with certain hosting providers and services.
Different web hosting configurations will appeal to users based on the size and traffic of their website.
A personal portfolio website doesn’t need a dedicated server, just like a high-traffic, high-volume online store shouldn’t cut corners with the cheapest shared hosting plan.
Shared Hosting is Great for Small to Medium Sites
In shared hosting, several customers and websites share the same server. On one hand, shared hosting is classic first-boyfriend material — simple and uncomplicated. Most first-time hosting customers should turn to a shared package when entering the web hosting world, then decide when it’s time to upgrade to a VPS or dedicated plan to meet your increasing needs.
From a different perspective, however, a shared host is cheating on you with hundreds or thousands of others. Because server resources are split among so many sites, performance sometimes suffers as your website grows. If you’re ready to get serious and really boost your traffic, you probably won’t want to settle down with a shared hosting plan.
Price, support, storage, and performance are all important features to consider when shopping for a shared hosting service. Other differentiators include eCommerce offerings and free domain options, along with perks like advertising credits, a website builder, and upgraded hardware.
VPS Hosting Offers More Flexibility for Fast-Growing Sites
VPS, which stands for virtual private server, is a happy middle ground between the casual dating of shared hosting and the commitment of a dedicated server. The server is divided into virtual machines, which act as independent dedicated servers. VPS customers still share a server, but they each have much larger portions and greater control than those with a shared hosting plan.
Because you can add or remove additional computing resources as needed, VPS hosting plans are akin to dating around — you might have a relatively serious relationship with your main server squeeze, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have someone else on standby for when you have an itch you need scratching.
Our favorite VPS hosts usually include storage with high-speed SSDs, or solid-state drives, along with managed services for software updates and patches. Depending on your comfort level with the technical side of things, you’ll want to look for a free cPanel license or full root access. You will also see top VPS hosts include monitoring, security, and CDN services to keep you around.
Dedicated Hosting Offers Maximum Server Resources and Security
Finally, you’ve found The One. High-performing sites need dedicated hosting, which entails using an entire server to power your website or applications. As the name implies, dedicated servers are ready to wait on you hand and foot and meet your every configuration need. Customers have complete control over the doting architecture, meaning they can customize security systems, operating systems, load balancers, and more.
The dedicated kind of love doesn’t come cheaply, however. Dedicated hosting plans are among the most expensive, given the top-notch hardware, managed services, and around-the-clock support. High-end hosting, however, comes with a number of luxury features, including automatic migrations and backups, dedicated IP addresses, and choice of operating system.
With this information in mind, we've found a helpful top 10 list for the best web hosting services.
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