Best Web Hosting Solutions for Small Businesses

What kinds of web hosting solutions should you consider for your business?

Today, there are so many ways to host your website online that it can become overwhelming. From budgets to site builders to server types – deciding where to host your website is essential. 

These are some things to look for and remember when choosing the best web hosting solutions for your small business.

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Traditional Hosting vs Cloud Hosting 

Traditional web hosting uses servers to host websites and can contain one or more websites. The servers store your website’s data and provide resources like bandwidth, CPU, and RAM.

There are three categories of traditional hosting: shared hosting, virtual private servers (VPS), and dedicated servers. The type of hosting you choose for your small business will determine the amount of storage and resources you get for your site.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is a server that hosts many customers and shares resources with hundreds of sites. Usually the most affordable plan, it is a great place for most small business websites to start. It’s the best hosting for websites with low to moderate traffic and CPU requirements.

VPS Hosting

Virtual Private Servers divide the resources and storage of a physical server into isolated environments. This way, users will get a secure virtualized environment similar to a dedicated server, but at half the cost. This allows for greater stability and performance of your website.

If you have a business that sees peaks in users or a large eCommerce store, a VPS might be a good option for you. When it comes to VPS with unlimited bandwidth, you can enjoy high-speed data transfers without worrying about exceeding any limitations.

Dedicated Servers

Dedicated Hosting is a single-tenant server assigned to a single organization. Your website is the only one housed on the server – this means all the resources will belong to you. You also have full control and freedom over the server. Dedicated servers are an excellent option for larger businesses with heavy website traffic.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting divides software into multiple servers. This division ensures each server is given an allocated amount of resources and that your website is highly available. 

Cloud Hosting offers scalability that most traditional hosting cannot provide, allowing users to change their space and resources efficiently. 

Other Considerations for Web Hosting

Drag and Drop Builders

Popular for their ease of use, hosting companies such as Wix and Squarespace use customized drag and drop builders that allow users to create their sites moments after purchase. 

These platforms have different levels of power per their plans, however, all plans are locked into their respective website builder.

Ownership of Content

One crucial aspect to remember is that with drag and drop builders such as Wix or Squarespace, you do not own the designed site you are hosting. Therefore you would not be able to migrate your website. 

If you self-host your website in a traditional or cloud environment and use a CMS such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, you own your website and content, which can be easily transferred across hosts. 

Identifying Your Hosting Needs – Space, Memory, and Bandwidth

If you already know what you would like to host your website but are not sure how to make that decision, this section will focus on better understanding your options. 

Storage/Disk Space: Storage or disk space is the amount of space that you’re given for your website files or web applications.

Memory / Processor (CPU): The CPU is the primary component of the server that processes your website code. Generally, the more memory your server has to work with, the better your website will perform.

Bandwidth: Bandwidth allows your website and your visitors to transfer data over an internet connection. It is important to allocate enough bandwidth to handle traffic spikes without risking downtime to your site.

Security: Your server should have multiple security checkpoints like firewalls, malware/virus scanning tools, SSL certificates, and strict access rules. These services can be offered for free or at a premium depending on the hosting provider.

Availability/Uptime: Assuring your website is online all of the time is important, so reviewing the hosting provider’s uptime, service level agreements, and general availability claims is a good step.

Choosing The Best Web Hosting Solution

When choosing a hosting provider for your small business, there should be a couple of questions you need to answer to find the best fit. 

Are you using a specific CMS? A traditional or cloud host might be the best option if you already have a website that uses open-source software like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. 

Does the host check off all the boxes on your list? From speed to security to resources, choose a hosting provider that fulfills more than your minimum requirements.

Do they have 24/7 customer support? Do you prefer chatting or calling whenever you have issues? While it might not seem like the most important factor, make sure you can get help when you need it most.

Are you in need of managed or unmanaged hosting? These options specify how hands-on you would like your provider to be with the upkeep of your server.

• Managed: With managed hosting, tasks like server maintenance, software updates, and general upkeep are handled by the hosting company. This means you can spend more time running your business, not your site. 
• Unmanaged: All tasks for the upkeep and customization of your server are on you or your IT team. If you have a dedicated person to oversee these tasks and specific settings they want to follow, this would be a good option. 

Company Reputation: While sometimes overlooked, the reputation of a hosting provider is very important. Research if they have had a breach in security lately, what others think of their customer support, and general satisfaction to assure you will have a good time hosting with them. 

Data Centers: Unless you opt for a cloud hosting provider, data centers and their location to Internet Exchange Points are important. Server locations can affect your server response times, so the closer the data centers are to your customers, the better the speed will be.  

With InMotion Hosting, you can expect:

• Exceptional Uptime: InMotion Hosting maintains an uptime of 99.99% to give you the confidence your website is always live.
• First-Class Security: InMotion Hosting takes your security seriously. They provide DDoS protection, web application firewalls, malware scanning software, free SSL certificates, and advanced security monitoring.
• 24/7/365 Support: InMotion Hosting offers technical support via chat, phone, and ticket to give you the best customer support and experience whenever you need it.

Final Thoughts

So, what’s the best hosting for small businesses? As with many other things in the current market, it will depend on your needs. 

We recommend making a list of what your small business site needs from a hosting provider. As needs and technology change over time, find a host that lets you scale as your small business grows. Find out how an experienced company like InMotion Hosting can transform your small business.

With the right hosting provider and plan, you’ll never have to worry about your host or your server again. No matter what kind of hosting you need, InMotion Hosting has all the tools, features, and support to successfully host your own website.

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