Among all the things that you need to worry about when organizing a moving business, your web hosting does seem like an unnecessary burden. After all, while there are different types of web hosting, surely all of them can support a simple moving company, right?
Well, technically, yes. But, to make the most out of your online presence, you need to do a bit of homework and understand what web hosting is and how it can affect your everyday business.
Different Types of Web Hosting
Every moving company needs to have a website. Whether it is big or small, local or international, your company needs an online presence. That is the only way to find customers in today’s market. To run a website, you need to find a host and use their server. Every website in existence functions in this way, and yours will be no exception. Now, this is where things can get a bit trickier.
There are different factors to consider when choosing between different web hosting services and what’s right for your moving business.
Namely, when it comes to servers and web hosting, there are different options that companies provide. You can opt for the top-notch option with the most considerable support. But this can be pretty expensive.
On the other hand, you can choose the lowball option. But, if your website grows enough, your web host may not be able to support you. In that case, you can choose to change your server. But this is quite troublesome, not to mention costly. So, it is in your best interest to first understand which web hosting options are out there and then choose one that will meet your needs and budget for your website.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most common option for websites as it can give great value for the money. In simple terms, shared hosting is when you share a single server with multiple users. This, of course, does not mean that you access the files of the people who share your server, nor that they can access yours. So, with proper website security, you should not worry about data leaks.
The best thing about shared hosting is that it is surprisingly cheap. You can easily find a host for under $5 per month. Mind you, the quality of hosts can vary, and you need to do your part in ensuring that you find a good one. But, if you plan on running a small to medium website, shared hosting is a good choice.
VPS Hosting
The one potential downside to shared hosting is that you have little control over who shares your server. Good web host providers ensure that the websites are paired up so that they do not cause performance issues to one another. But even this isn’t always possible. If this poses a concern for you, then VPS might be the right solution for your moving company.
VPS stands for Virtual Private Servers. These are still shared servers but separated in a more direct way. With VPS, you get a virtual server that is designed entirely for your website. It allows you not to worry about performance but also to alter the server to better suit your website. Unfortunately, VPS does come at a higher price, as the cheapest versions will cost you between $10 and $20 per month.
Cloud Hosting
Even with a good VPS host, there is only so much computing power they can provide you on a single machine. If you feel that a single VPS server is not enough, you might look into cloud hosting. On its surface, it is pretty much the same as VPS. The only difference is that instead of sharing one server, you take bits and pieces of dozens that are connected virtually (stored in a cloud).
If you can hire a professional to help you, cloud hosting can be a great option.
This pretty much negates any performance issues that you might have as the hosting company has much more freedom to delegate resources to you when need be. But the potential downside is that you need to know a fair bit about servers and hosting to find a good cloud host.
There are tons of options out there, all varying in quality and performance. But the payment structures can be complicated, and you will struggle with the whole ordeal if you don’t know what you are doing.
Dedicated Hosting
If you are opposed to sharing, be it through VPS or cloud hosting, you can always opt for dedicated hosting. Here you have an entire server dedicated solely to your website. This gives you the freedom to customize it to your website and achieve peak performance. But this customizability and performance do come at a cost. Expect to pay at least $100 a month for a dedicated server.
Managed Hosting
Finally, if all of this sounds complicated, you can always opt for managed hosting. Here, the hosting company will choose the best hosting option for you and take care of day-to-day maintenance. Some hosting providers even offer round-the-clock support, which can be pretty valuable for a growing website. Sometimes the best course of action is to let a professional handle everything for you and if you use WordPress as your CMS then you could choose managed WordPress hosting for example.
What Web Hosting is right for your Moving Business?
So, with all these different types of web hosting, which one should you get for your company?
Well, that depends on a couple of factors.
First, how important is your website for your company? If you plan on investing serious recourses into it, you should consider having a dedicated server. With this option, you can scale your website properly and ensure good performance.
If, on the other hand, you are only starting with website management, we suggest that you opt for a cheaper option. Once you learn the ins and outs of online presence, you can look to increase your website’s worth and use a stronger hosting option.
All in all, you need to weigh out the expectations of your website with your budget. That way, you will get the solution that best fits your needs.