When it comes to getting advice from SEO experts we often see mixed opinions on various aspects of web optimisation. One of the most crucial elements in starting any online development of our websites is how we choose to host our sites. A common occurrence for companies is to use packages which provide shared hosting, whilst other specialists may advise individual companies to use a dedicated server. There are quite significant differences to using both these methods and which you choose is really down to your personal preferences, website requirements and budget.
There are many shared web hosting services and packages available that it can get confusing. A shared host basically means that you will share the services of the hosting site with other websites who are signed up to it. A dedicated server basically means that the company in question own the server and any resources and facilities are not shared with anyone and are solely the property of the company. In the first instance, a lot of SEO experts may automatically steer towards dedicated servers, but depending on the nature of your business a shared service could work just as well for you.
Smaller businesses in particular that do not expect or require an immense number of visitors to their site can benefit from a shared hosting scheme. For starters, it is a lot more cost effective as the cost of the services are being shared amongst many companies. If your business is small then you could be wasting money on your own dedicated server as you may never require the reliability and performance that a dedicated server gives you. It is worth noting however, that there are restrictions on installing applications on a shared hosting site, so they are generally best used if you are more likely to keep things simple.
If you have a large business or website or you are looking to expand your online business rapidly then investing in a dedicated server is usually a better choice. With a shared hosting site you are sharing the IP address for a start, which is not the ideal situation if you are a larger business looking to build brand identity. Adopting a shared hosting strategy also means that other sites linked to you could affect your reputation or your page rankings.
Lastly, if you are building a website with more detailed or alternative content, such as videos or images, then a dedicated server will probably work best. With shared services there are more occasions of server crashes and you have less control over server issues. If you have large file sized content then this could be a hindrance to a shared hosting site. Even on a dedicated server there can still be issues with video content in terms of file size. A good solution for this is to stick with your dedicated server but use a video hosting site such as YouTube to post all your larger videos. You can still include a short video trailer on your main site but without the hassle.
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Posted by James.
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