While the reasons for paid hosting may seem obvious, it may not seem so obvious why you should pay more for your hosting than you currently are. Sure, this is not true for everyone. However, it’s more likely that you’re paying less for your hosting than you really should be. It’s human nature to want the best bang for your buck. But how can that hurt you?
You may be surprised to learn your cheaper hosting plan is coming prepackaged with some pretty big problems.
Why Shared Hosting Is The Worst
It may seem like a rather unnecessary topic for some, but others may be wondering what could be wrong with shared hosting. The problem with shared hosting is the same as the problem with using street graffiti for your business. You don’t own any rights to do it, it’s raw and unprofessional, and it’s susceptible to anyone changing it.
With shared hosting, you’re renting a folder on a server. That creates a giant security risk, which makes your website easily hackable. All these websites create different weak points of entry for someone to hack the server. Should someone hack a neighbor on the server, there’s not much stopping them from also accessing your directory. You’re not guaranteed any part of the server’s processing power, memory, or bandwidth. That means if your neighbors use up more than their fair share of traffic on the server, you can quickly end up with a broken website.
A virtual private server is isolated from the rest of the server’s environment as a virtual machine. That keeps the user’s data private from the server and prevents users from posing security risks to each other. The host typically uses mirror disk arrays as well to keep a real-time backup handy. If for any reason, your VPS becomes compromised, the host can quickly restore it to how it was.
Best of all, this type of plan comes with guaranteed processing power, memory, bandwidth, and hard drive space reserved for your account. Even if you aren’t using your full resources, no one else on the server can use them. Thus, it doesn’t matter what a neighbor does with their resources, either – it won’t affect yours. You both get to go your ways, and if one gets hacked, the other stays safe.
Why Unmanaged VPS Hosting Isn’t Much Better
If you’ve been using unmanaged VPS hosting for a while, you probably don’t need an article to tell you the issues. However, those who have had little experience with virtual servers don’t know why it is best to avoid them. Unmanaged hosting can quickly turn into a nightmare, especially for new users.
An unmanaged server means that the web host takes a pure hands-off approach to maintenance. All that work monitoring and maintaining it falls upon you. It’s also up to you to correct any issues you may run into while using it. There’s also often no guarantee the host has a backup ready for you. Backups also are most often left up to you, though some hosts offer automatic backups for an extra fee.
A managed VPS option takes care of these redundant tasks, though, as well as offers up a maximum security level with no questions. These heavily supported plans also typically come with 24/7 monitoring and technical support. Some may offer you a choice of pre-installed software or website migration, taking the headache out of the setup. The ideal managed virtual server environment allows the user to only focus on maintaining their website instead of having to focus on maintaining an entire (virtual) server environment.
GreenGeeks VPS hosting packages are an example of an upgrade from unmanaged and shared hosting that can cover a wide range of needs. Their plans can accommodate small beginner websites up to large networked infrastructures. They ensure a high service level by using the latest hardware in redundant, earth-friendly data centers. The virtual and private server plans, in particular, offer additional layers of security on top of the usual standard security protocols.
Your Website Deserves Your Best
When you stop wasting time trying to figure out what’s gone wrong or drowning in repetitive server drudge work, you buy more time. You buy more time to spend on crafting an accurate representation of your trade, and more time to spend on developing your relationship with your customers. Much like a brick & mortar store, visitors have more faith in your business when they see your website is always functioning at its best.
Your website deserves your best effort. It represents your brand, and your brand represents your entire work persona, from personality to skills. Such a project takes time, attention, and dedication, which can become diminished by administrative tasks. So why not treat your website and yourself to some more quality time by delegating mundane tasks to the web host? It’s not just good business. It’s good common sense.
