Choosing the right web hosting is not always an easy decision. It is dependent on many factors and varies depending on the type of website. While very basic hosting may be adequate for some sites, others might require much more advanced solutions. This article looks at some website examples and the hosting factors that need to be taken into consideration for these.

Large E-commerce Websites

E-commerce sites are likely to require their own dedicated server, mainly for security reasons. They deal with peoples bank details and could be liable if they are not dealt with in a secure manner due to the websites/businesses negligence. Hosting companies that offer dedicated hosting generally take steps to ensure this is secure. The lack of other websites sharing the server also makes a dedicated server more secure.

High Traffic Websites

Sites with a high amount of traffic require a high amount of bandwidth, otherwise the hosting won’t be able to cope with the traffic being received. This could lead to the website being slowed down or not being visible to visitors at all. This does, of course, depend on the exact amount of traffic which is difficult to predict. It is always a good idea to have a little more bandwidth than you think you will require.

Small Brochure Websites

Many businesses only have small brochure sites. These include small hotels, independent shops and a wide variety of other businesses. These sites may have relatively small amounts of traffic and therefore might not require complex hosting. Shared hosting might be the sensible option as the low traffic means paying higher costs is not necessary.

Government Websites

Government websites can be very large and can attract millions of visitors. Dedicated hosting, therefore, is likely to be essential. Plenty of bandwidth may be needed as might a high amount of disk space to cope with the size of the site. Large organisations such as this might host individual websites on a dedicated server or may host several of their sites on one dedicated server, but without external sites sharing it.

International Businesses

Websites of international businesses may have visitors from all over the world, so again dedicated hosting could be required due to the expected traffic levels. In some instances the site will need translating into different languages or have particular sections dedicated to a particular country. This can result in large sites meaning a high amount of disk space could be needed.

Multimedia Websites

Websites that contain audio and video present their own challenges. An adequate amount of disk space and bandwidth is important here as it needs to be able to cope with the content without slowing the website down and frustrating those who visit the site.

Websites with Large Databases

Large databases also require a high amount of disk space. This is simply down to the amount of content within the database rather that the type of content.

Website Owners with a Lack of Expertise

Those with a complete lack of knowledge or interest in web hosting are likely to want their hosting completely managed for them. This makes a Managed Hosting package an attractive option. It does cost more than unmanaged packages but means site owners won’t have to worry about their hosting as it is taken care of for them. This includes everything from hosting changes being made for them to problems being established and resolved.

Website Owners who want Control

Those who wish to have a high amount of control over their own hosting will want their own server that they own and run themselves. Here, Colocation might be the best option. This is where site owners buy their own server and hire rack space at a data centre/colocation centre where it is hosted. This is cost effective compared to hosting it at their own premises. It gives them access to the data centre’s infrastructure (saving more money) and some support may be available if necessary.