Types of Website Hosting Plans

With so many website hosting companies operating right now, which do you choose? You may not know much about the web technology, and don't need all the jargon. As you read this article, we will go through the types of website hosting plan you might encounter, and select which is the right one for your needs.

Points covered in this article:
* What is website hosting?
* How does website hosting work?
* Types of website hosting plan
* Choosing a web host

::: What is website hosting? :::
To be able to have a website that is accessible to all, requires a computer that is dedicated to website hosting that site. A website can be hosted on your own computer, and in fact, in the early days of the web, this is how website hosting was conducted. As you can imagine, this turned out to be costly, especially when you had to pay per hour to use the web! Websites would only be available at some points in the day. A solution was needed, and dedicated website hosting companies started to spring up.

::: How does website hosting work? :::
A website is simply a whole load of html files, php files, and a number of other possibilities. When you either design your site or get a web designer to design your site, there are files which are stored on your computer. These need to be transferred to your dedicated space with your website hosting company.

Your domain is like an address, which you lease. No one can buy a domain, so to speak, we can only lease it. This is true whether for ebay.com or joeblogs.com. With a technology called DNS, DNS servers points whoever goes to your domain to route that user to your website hosting space.

::: Types of website hosting plan :::
There are many kinds of website hosting plans from the various website hosting companies; however, they generally come under a banner of 3 different types of website hosting.

Shared website hosting is basically a server (a computer which holds the sites), and is shared on a server with many other sites. This is a great option if you plan to host 1 site or only a handful.

Reseller website hosting is for people who want a bit more freedom. It can be utilized to run your own website hosting company, web designers to offer clients website hosting services or if you intend to have more than 10 domains.

VPS or dedicated website hosting gives you the most freedom; it is like owning property freehold. With dedicated, you basically get a dedicated server which you rent from a website hosting company. VPS is slightly lower, and you might share the server with 3-4 other people.

::: Choosing a website hosting plan :::
Choosing a website hosting plan is pretty simple, once you look at your needs, however, you will need to look at certain factors which can either benefit you or not. If you intend to run a small site, then shared website hosting can be the best option to go for. Always look at if you can upgrade in future.

If you have a larger site, you may want to go the VPS route; however, it can always serve to start with a smaller website hosting plan, then upgrade later. If you are a domain collector, then you may want to consider reseller website hosting or VPS.

Starting a website can be the hardest thing to do, the first time round. With so many new things to learn, it can be a steep learning curve. Finding website hosting that is right for your needs is possible, thanks to the shear number of website hosting services available. Look around, there are many website hosting companies that cater for people who are starting a website for the first time. These website hosting companies generally offer guides to help you have an easier route to starting your own website.