Best Rated Web Hosts
The Ten Best Web Hosting Services of 2022
Forbes Advisor Ratings
How To Choose the Best Web Hosting Service for You
To choose the best web hosting service, consider the most important aspects of your website needs. For example, content-heavy sites, such as a portfolio site or an online learning site with a lot of video tutorials, will need a large amount of storage. Whereas, a small e-commerce site might not require as much storage, but will need an SSL certificate in order to accept payments online and additional security features to help protect sensitive data.
One key feature that web hosting beginners tend to overlook is technical support. While you may not have issues with your host or the service it provides, web hosting tech support is vital for beginners because its top-notch support can assist with general website and WordPress issues.
How Does Web Hosting Work?
Think of web hosting as the process of finding your website a home. The contents of your website—the domain name, HTML code, images, text, etc.—all need a place to live. Web hosting provides a place for this content to live on a server.
In short, a server is a computer that connects users to your website. In other words, the server is like a large condo building or office building and web hosting is the process of renting office space or buying a condo in that building.
Web Hosting vs. Domain Hosting
Before you can find a home for your website via web hosting, you first need a domain name. While related, web hosting and domain hosting are very different services. Web hosting is the process of connecting your website to a server, whereas domain hosting is the process of securing a domain name or web address for your website.
Following our earlier analogy, if web hosting is akin to renting space in a building then domain hosting is like putting a nameplate outside your door with your name and address. The domain is what people use to navigate to your address on the Internet.
Many service providers provide both domain hosting and web hosting, which can provide one-stop shop convenience, but depending on your needs, you may want to consider separating the services. Regardless, before you can even consider web hosting, you first need a domain name via a domain registrar.
Types of Web Hosting
There are several different types of web hosting available. While there may be a tendency to favor the cheapest option, depending on your needs, this can lead to problems down the road. For this reason, it's important to look not just at cost, but customer service, security, speed and customization options as well.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is most popular with small businesses and websites that don't need a lot of customization or expect a lot of traffic. Shared hosting provides space for several websites—dozens, hundreds or thousands—on one server.
Because the costs are relatively low, it is an economical option, but there could be service disruptions or slower connection speeds because several clients/websites are all accessing the same server's resources, including disk space, RAM and central processing unit (CPU) power.
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
A step up from shared hosting is VPS hosting. Similar to shared hosting, various websites are all housed on the same server, but each website's files and content are housed in their own dedicated space on the server. You will pay a little more than with shared hosting, but you also have your own section of the server isolated from other clients on the server. For this reason, VPS hosting is more secure. Additionally, VPS hosting is scalable to your needs and you'll be able to modify the server and install any software that you need.
VPS hosting can be managed or unmanaged. If you choose managed VPS hosting, the host will provide all maintenance and services necessary to keep the website and server up and running. You'll pay a little more for managed VPS hosting, but you won't be responsible for maintenance.
Conversely, using unmanaged VPS hosting will mean you are responsible for configuring and maintaining the server yourself, monitoring security threats, installing software upgrades and backing up your data. Unmanaged VPS hosting is a good option for website developers, businesses with a dedicated IT department and individuals with a technology background.
WordPress Managed Hosting
Because WordPress is such a popular content management system, many web hosting providers offer WordPress-specific hosting. In addition to web hosting, these providers also offer services such as technical support and software updates specific to WordPress. It offers advantages like scalability, speed and security, but it comes at a price with a cost of about $2 to $30 per month. Additionally, there are less customization options since it is limited to WordPress features.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting houses your website on multiple servers for maximum performance and connection speeds. It is more expensive than shared hosting, but it will minimize any connection or speed issues because it can handle traffic surges with ease. Cloud hosting also offers scalability, backups and disaster recovery. These additional services come with a price, however, and the pricing models of cloud hosting providers can be confusing, depending on customization of the plan.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated web hosting is when a website has sole use of the entire server. Because you have your own dedicated server, you minimize security and connection issues. But it comes at a price.
The costs may be justified, however, in a few situations. For instance, if you expect your website traffic to increase significantly, service disruptions and slow connection speeds could be detrimental to your business. In this case, the cost of a dedicated server would be worth it because it will provide uninterrupted service and quick connection speeds. A dedicated server will also provide additional security, which will be helpful if you are dealing with personal information like credit card information.
Web Hosting Cost
Pricing varies significantly between various types of web hosting services. Even within each type, there can be price differences between service providers depending on the level of customer service and the length of service plan chosen. In general, prices range as follows:
- Shared web hosting: up to $15 per month
- VPS web hosting: $18 to $85 per month
- WordPress managed hosting: $2 to $30 per month
- Cloud hosting: $5 to $50 per month
- Dedicated server hosting: $80 to several hundred dollars per month
Methodology
Our staff researched over 50 of the top web hosting companies and compiled thousands of data points to narrow down our top ten recommendations. The data collected were divided into five major categories—each with several subcategories of their own. These categories include:
- Pricing, as well as contract length, renewal pricing and money-back guarantees
- Key features, such as storage and bandwidth limits
- Extras and inclusions, such as a free domain, SSL certificate and one-click installation
- Customer service
- User reviews
We sorted through technical jargon to make sure you're getting the basics plus noteworthy features, all to come up with the top contenders based on aspects your company actually needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is web hosting and why do I need it?
Web hosting is a service that allows anyone to essentially rent space on the internet, and websites must have web hosting in order to be accessible online. Some content management systems (CMS), such as Squarespace and Wix, include web hosting as part of their monthly fee, whereas if you're building a site on WordPress, you'll need to purchase web hosting from a web hosting provider, such as MochaHost or IONOS. Learn more about what web hosting is.
What are the different types of web hosting services?
There are a number of different web hosting services, but the most common are shared, VPS (virtual private server) and dedicated. Shared is the most popular choice as it's also the most affordable. However, VPS and dedicated hosting offer more site security and enhanced website performance, making them a more popular choice amongst large and well-established websites.
How do I choose the best web hosting services?
When choosing the best web hosting services for your business, you'll need to consider a variety of factors. The most important include your website's size, traffic and goals. You'll also want to consider the type of hosting you need—shared, VPS or dedicated hosting. And finally, factors such as which come with the extras you need (e.g., a domain name or business email) and support in your preferred contact method (e.g., live chat, phone or email) should influence your decision.
Which type of hosting is best for a small business?
The best options for a small business are either shared hosting or VPS hosting. Both options can cost around $20 or less per month (usually when paid on an annual basis) and offer a high level of security and reliability.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-web-hosting-services/
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