How to Select the Right Hosting Plan

There are many types of hosting plans available for your small business website from many different companies. Clever Monkey Domains offers three types of hosting plans:

1. Shared hosting
2. Virtual Dedicated Server
3. Dedicated Server

These hosting solutions range from low cost to high cost respectively.

Shared hosting is the least expensive option.  Shared hosting means that many websites other than yours are all sharing the same computer.  This isn’t bad, it just means that your site may not be super fast, and it may not be able to run certain programming.  It’s the best solution for websites that are just starting out and don’t expect a lot of traffic. Cost starts at around $5/month

Having a dedicated server means that one computer is completely dedicated to running your site.  Generally you have more control over a dedicated server, so you can run almost any programming language on it and install any type of software you want.  These are good for sites that have a lot of traffic and require a lot of control over the hosting environment (for installing software and custom programs). Your site will load more quickly with a dedicated server too, but the cost is much higher, starting around $80/month.

Virtual dedicated servers give you a cross between shared hosting and dedicated servers.  They are good for people who need improved performance, but don’t require as much control over their hosting environment. They boast many of the benefits of a dedicated server, at a lower cost, starting at $30/month.

Questions to answer before you purchase a hosting plan

1. How much traffic do I think I’ll receive to my website in the first year? This will determine the amount of bandwidth you’ll need.  If it’s a low number, than you won’t need as much bandwidth and could choose a lower cost hosting plan.  If it’s a high number, you may need the higher cost shared hosting or you may look at a virtual dedicated server or dedicated server.
2. Am I going to be running any programs on my website, like an email service or other software that requires additional resources?  If the answer is no, then shared hosting is probably okay.  If the answer is yes, you may need a dedicated or virtual dedicated server.
3. Am I hosting one website or many websites? - Some hosting plans allow you to host multiple websites.  For instance, my dedicated server hosts multiple websites.  If you only plan to have one website, however, the lowest priced shared hosting plan may be enough for you.
4. What programming languages am I using for my website? Make sure that the hosting plan you choose supports the programming language of your website.  (i.e. MySQL,  PHP, Ruby on Rails, etc)

When in doubt, contact a professional to help you make a good decision about your hosting plan. But don’t sweat it too much.  You can always upgrade a shared hosting plan or transfer your site to a dedicated server down the road when you start getting more traffic to your site.

Purchase hosting now