Although it’s practically limitless, web space has a cost, though compared to actual, physical land, it’s much less expensive. However, as in all things, site owners will get what they pay for, and if they pay for a sub-bar hosting service, they are taking a gamble with an essential aspect of their business. For many companies, a smoothly running site is no longer a luxury or a mark of excessive pride. It’s now a crucial way to build a customer base and get clientele informed of the company’s initiatives. That’s something that should be safeguarded, and cheap and free hosting services can’t guarantee that in the slightest. And of course, if a site owner is willing to partner with a premium service, they will reap a number of benefits that can put them ahead.
How much does web space cost?
The simple answer is, it depends on what kind of service a site owner expects. There are a few levels of service among web hosting companies, and they include:
- Shared hosting – this is least expensive form of hosting, and can even be free in some instances, but it offers a company the least amount of control over their site. Specifically, it means that many sites are placed on a single server, with minimal regard for how the data is arranged. And in the case of free hosts, there is likely little regard for how the server is secured as well. Finally, resources are shared among all hosted sites, which means that a site can experience slower speeds if other sites on the server experience a sudden increase in traffic. In general, site owners can expect to pay a few bucks a month for shared hosting.
- Virtual private server (VPS) – this is a step up from simple shared hosting, though it still takes many sites and places them on a single server. However, sites on a VPS are given their own environment to use as they see fit, and are given resources not shared with other sites on the server. That makes VPS sites like condos, where everyone is still in a shared community, but tenants are allowed freedom to customize their space as they see fit. VPS hosting normally costs about $20 a month at the low end, and ranges quite a bit from there.
- Dedicated server – clients with dedicated hosting get a server to themselves, so they can run multiple sites and pieces of software. In general, a dedicated server means a lot more resources and much improved security, so they are ideal for high traffic sites that house sensitive data, like customer financial information. Companies with a dedicated server usually pay at least $100 a month for the privilege, though this web space cost will increase as more resources are added.
Even though hosting is affordable, even on the high end, business owners occasionally try to cut corners. Don’t fall into that trap. A top hosting service will keep a site safe and running around the clock, which is worth every penny.
