There are many different types of web hosting out there. Some of these are more suited to larger websites with a lot of content and a high traffic volume. However, there are plenty of options out there for people with smaller budgets.

Every single type of hosting has its pros and cons. Some are very cheap (or even free), while others offer complete versatility and customisability. Some of the most popular types of web hosting include:

Free Hosting:

Free hosting generally comes in the form of websites with a company name attached to the domain. They don’t cost anything, so they are often useful for non-essential websites or blogs which are designed to share information with a certain group of people. Free web hosting is usually very limited. You won’t have a lot of storage space, load speeds will be slow if you have a lot of visitors, and customisability may be very limited.

Shared hosting:

Shared hosting is the most basic form of paid website hosting. You will be sharing a server with a lot of other people, which can lead to problems with site load times if you have any sort of traffic volume. It is generally a good choice for people who are just starting out on their website design journey – you can always upgrade later if your site takes off.

VPS Hosting:

VPS, or virtual private server hosting is very similar to dedicated hosting. However, you will be sharing a server with other people. The difference between VPS hosting and shared hosting lies in the fact that you will have a portion of the server dedicated to you and your needs, which reduces the risk of your site being affected by other sites on the server.

Dedicated Hosting:

Dedicated hosting gives you the freedom of your own web server. You won’t have to share with anyone else, and your load speeds and traffic capabilities won’t be affected by other sites on your server. Dedicated hosting is generally a good option for people with large websites that get a lot of traffic.

Cloud Based Hosting:

Cloud based hosting is one of the newest web hosting ideas, and involves the use of lots and lots of individual servers working together to act as one big server. There is one major advantage of using cloud based hosting over other forms of hosting – large surges in traffic can be accommodated for instead of causing your site to crash. Cloud based hosting is probably the next upgrade after shared hosting.

Final Word:

Choose your hosting plan based on your websites needs and the amount of traffic it receives. If you are just starting out, then you will probably find that shared hosting is more than enough for your needs. You can always upgrade your hosting plan at a later date if you need to.