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Even 20 years ago, just having a website put a business ahead of the competition, but today things are a little different. Now, everyone has a website, and to stand apart, you need much more. Your visitors and potential customers are more discerning, and even something as small as how long a page takes to load can impact whether a visitor stays on a page long enough to read it or not.
Consumers have high expectations, and not just in loading times, features, security and more all matter. This means every aspect of your website is under scrutiny, and one of the biggest choices you have to make as a website owner is whether to opt for shared hosting or a dedicated server. This choice affects almost every aspect of your site, so it is important to be aware of the options.
What is Shared Hosting?
As the name suggests, this type of hosting uses a shared server to host your website. That is, the server will include many different websites all allocated a share of its resources. Shared hosting of this type is by far the most economical way to get your website up and running, and for many people and small businesses, it is all they may ever need.
However, it is not perfect, here are the pros and cons:
Advantages of Shared Hosting:
- Cost Efficient – With shared resources, costs are kept to a minimum making this the most affordable way to host your website.
- User Friendly – With one-click installs and simple control panels, this option is ideal for anyone new to website management.
- Excellent Support – Your hosting provider will handle server and security updates as well as server maintenance, so you don’t have to deal with any of them.
Disadvantages of Shared Hosting:
- Limited Resources – With server resources shared between many sites, it can have an impact on site performance if too many sites are busy at once.
- Security Risks – While you may take care with security provision, a breach in another site on the server could leave you vulnerable too.
- Less Control – With a share of resources and a reliance on host-provided management tools, you have less control over scalability and customisation.
What are Dedicated Servers?
Here, you have an entire server just for your site. No shared resources, you choose a server and you get all of it to host your site. As you might expect, this is a more expensive option than shared hosting, but it does have its advantages.
Advantages of a Dedicated Server:
- Performance – With just your website on the server, performance is significantly improved. Faster loading times, and even if you get a surge of visitors, your site will maintain that performance.
- Improved Security – Whatever security provision you implement, it covers your site. You don’t have to worry about another website compromising your security through shared resources.
- Greater Customisation – You can tailor your server setup to meet your specific site needs, getting even better performance and reliability.
Disadvantages of a Dedicated Server:
- Cost – There is no getting around it, a dedicated server costs significantly more than shared hosting.
- Requires some technical understanding – With this type of hosting, you are pretty much on your own when managing the site. If you don’t have the necessary IT experience, there is the option of managed hosting, but this adds further cost.
Which hosting option is right for your business?
If you are on a budget or very new to the idea of owning and managing a website, then shared hosting is a great place to start. However, if your business is growing, and you are starting to see higher traffic volumes that cause slowdowns of an existing site, a dedicated server is your best option.
Things to consider when choosing your hosting:
- Traffic – A high-traffic site works better with dedicated hosting, avoiding slowdowns that can ruin the visitor experience.
- Security – If you are dealing with sensitive customer data, you can protect it much better on a dedicated server.
- Costs – Shared hosting is significantly cheaper, but if you think about the cost of a security breach or lost business due to slowdowns from shared hosting, if you need that extra capacity and security, the cost is well worth it.
Web Hosting in Ireland
Image IT offer the best speeds and localised support that ensures your Ireland-based business has the hosting solution it can rely on. We work with you to find the right option, whether shared or dedicated hosting or managed solutions that take care of the technical aspects of server management on your behalf.
Don’t forget your emails
In addition to website hosting, don’t forget the other crucial aspect of your business online, professional email hosting for fast, secure and reliable communications with your customers and suppliers.
Conclusion
While a shared server may be a compromise, its low cost and ability to perform well for lower traffic situations make it a great option for anyone just starting out, or looking for the budget option. If your business is growing and has traffic that pushes the limits of shared hosting, a dedicated server is well worth the additional cost and delivers an improved visitor experience that will make a difference to your potential customers.
The hosting you need, today!
If you need advice about which type of hosting is the right fit for you, whether shared or dedicated hosting or even fully managed hosting if you need it, Image IT have dedicated hosting experts to help you find the right option for your business.
From securing your site to managing the content, Image IT can guide you through everything you need to know, call today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
