Hosting Multiple Websites some Options

The prices of domain name registration and web hosting have dropped to the point that it's possible to own multiple websites without going broke. If you plan to operate multiple websites, here is some information on the different options available to you.

The first thing to consider when setting up multiple websites is whether or not to host them all with the same web hosting company. Many web hosts offer packages that let you set up multiple sites on a single account and almost all will let you set up multiple accounts, one for each site.

If you are happy with the hosting company you're using for your existing website(s), one advantage of using them for another site is the fact that you know they offer good service and support.

They might also offer discounts for multiple sites, so your costs might be lower if you stay with them again.

On the other hand, if you choose a different host you'll be able to compare the quality of another company with whomever you're currently using. If you ever run into problems with them, you'll have an alternative. It's wise not to "put all your eggs in one basket" as the saying goes.

Another advantage of using a different host is that you'll get a different IP address for each of your sites. If your sites are related to one another and you want to link them together, having different IP addresses can sometimes help your site rank higher in the search engines.

Links from other sites are one of the most important factors in getting your site ranked highly. If those links come from sites on the same IP address, it is a signal to the search engines that they are quite likely all owned by the same person, and they may discount the value of those links.

If you do choose to host all your sites with one company, there are essentially 3 choices - separate accounts for each site, a reseller account where they are all hosted or a dedicated server, again where they are all hosted.

Separate accounts are self-explanatory, so let's look at reseller accounts. As a reseller, you are basically acting as an agent for the hosting company - a middleman between them and the end user.

The idea is that you can set up your own company offering web hosting that is ultimately hosted by the company. You don't have to resell this hosting however - you can use the hosting services for your own websites, essentially "reselling" the hosting to yourself.

A reseller account is nice because all your websites are "under one roof" and you have a single point of contact for any technical problems.

Hosting on a dedicated server gives you complete control of the computer that is the web server. You can install any software you want, any operating system you want and you can allocate resources like memory and hard disk space however you want to divide it up between your sites.

The disadvantage of a dedicated server is that you are responsible for maintaining the server and sometimes even for the technical side of things. If you aren't familiar with the technical side of running a web server, you may need to choose a managed dedicated server, where the hosting company looks after these issues.

Dedicated server are, of course, more expensive than the other options, so unless your websites are well established, with a lot of traffic, they may not fit within your budget.

What is VPS Hosting? Gudie

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is the hosting of separate entities for different customers in a single server. This technology allows the hosting provider to partition and create multiple virtual servers from one physical server. Customers would share the server which includes the hardware itself and the connection. However, they would enjoy the benefits almost similar to dedicated hosting such as their private operating system and file system, allowing freedom of accessibility and security. Hence, VPS hosting can be considered as a hosting environment in between a shared and a dedicated hosting. Ultimately, an advanced performance and privacy can be achieved at a lesser cost than for a dedicated hosting.

In terms of control, customers would be able to access administrative tasks such as changing server configurations, installing software, hosting multiple sites and rebooting the server. Thus it is imperative that customers who require greater accessibility and security of their server to opt for this type of account. If you are planning to move from a shared to a dedicated hosting environment without having to incur significant rise of costs, the logical step is to move to VPS hosting server first. With the price dropping to as low as $10 per month for some hosting providers, VPS hosting is definitely a worthy proposition for a lot of users. Since the operating system and file system are separate for each customer, users can expect a guaranteed share of the server in terms of CPU, disk input/output and network.

For those intending to do reseller hosting, you will be able to have more control on the services that you can offer, therefore having the edge over other resellers in the market. For web developers who plan to set up a social networking website or function-rich blogs, VPS hosting would be a suitable option. It is also a good choice for webmasters who are already comfortable with managing a shared hosting and intend to upgrade their skills on server management, without being exposed to the risks of running a fully dedicated server. Webmasters would be able to install custom applications or change modules for the server. They would also be able to enjoy guaranteed security over the websites that they manage since every VPS environment has its own software to run its hosting and is allocated its own portion of resources, hence reducing possibilities of intrusion.

In summary, VPS hosting is the perfect hosting solution for customers who want the control and flexibility of dedicated hosting at a cost similar to shared hosting. With this technology that enables webmasters to enjoy the best of both worlds, it is indeed a great value proposition.