A website for your company is vital nowadays, and several resources exist to assist in this endeavor.
You may not need web hosting if you use a website builder or an e-commerce platform that includes hosting as part of the offering, but you will need to do so if you purchased your domain name separately.
There are a lot of excellent choices for those looking for the best web hosting for small companies.
To help you choose the best hosting platform for your website, we will compare and contrast six of the most popular website hosting providers catering to small businesses in terms of functionality and pricing.
5 Types of Web Hosting For Your Small Business
Now, you may spend all day reading in-depth evaluations of hosting companies, but you won’t be able to make an educated choice if you don’t know the difference between the various hosting options and what to look for.
So, let’s start with the foundational knowledge.
There are five major categories of web hosts, and picking the right one will rely on your specific requirements and objectives. In that case, let’s analyze them one by one.
1. Shared hosting
To keep costs down, small enterprises should go for shared hosting. Your website would join other websites in being hosted on a server, as the name suggests.
If you exceed your allotted bandwidth or storage space on a shared hosting plan, you will likely be charged extra or forced to upgrade. Therefore, only low-traffic websites should use shared hosting.
Also Read: Starting an Ecommerce Business: The Complete Guide
Assuming your company expands as planned, you will rapidly outgrow the shared hosting package.
Don’t be fooled by a hosting company’s low shared hosting prices. You should consider the price of more expensive plans if you need to upgrade sooner rather than later.
2. Managed WordPress Hosting
In other words, managed WordPress hosting is specifically tailored to websites built using WordPress.
Since this is the case, managed WordPress hosting is often more reliable and secure than ordinary shared hosting. As a result, the cost is often more than with shared hosting.
Overall, it’s a solid pick if you’re using WordPress to create a brand-new website.
3. Dedicated Hosting
Paying for a dedicated server is worth it if your site receives many visitors.
You may rest easy knowing that your website will have enough storage space and traffic with this web server. Another advantage is increased safety compared to traditional shared hosting.
Inevitably, the cost is more than with a shared hosting plan.
4. VPS Hosting
VPS hosting solutions provide the security of a dedicated server within the context of a shared server.
Virtual private server hosting is affordable to dedicated hosting that provides similar features.
Keep this in mind. Nevertheless, that small business web hosting providers don’t efficiently allot server resources for VPS. Researching potential VPS hosting providers is essential.
5. Cloud Hosting
When you use cloud hosting, your website is stored on many servers connected over the Internet.
As a result, cloud hosting is often more reliable and secure than shared, dedicated, or virtual private server hosting.
Cloud hosting, not surprisingly, is the most costly option for a small company’s website.
Best Ecommerce Web Hosting For Your Small Business
Bluehost
Due to its user-friendly interface, Bluehost has quickly become a go-to for both individual and enterprise web hosting needs.
Bluehost, like Namecheap, provides inexpensive web hosting services for companies of all sizes, whether they want a basic informational website or a sophisticated e-commerce platform.
You’ll also get a free domain if you join one of their yearly plans.
Bluehost’s hosting plans consist of the following features:
Shared. Popular among both people and company owners of smaller establishments. Pricing is $7.99 monthly and includes e-commerce support, WordPress integration, and a dedicated support team.
VPS. If your company needs greater control over how its server space is used, you may want to consider upgrading to a Virtual Private Server (VPS) from the Shared tier. The price is $29.99 per month.
Dedicated. Maximum protection and service for busy websites. This is one of the finest web hosting solutions if you run a small company with a complex e-commerce website that requires as much bandwidth and protection as possible. The monthly fee is $119.99.
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosts for small businesses. It offers:
- Shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting
- 24/7 support via phone and chat
- Basic website builder
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Automatic backups
- Free domain for one year
- Free SSL certificate
- 99.98% uptime
Namecheap
If you’re just starting, the best web hosting for your small business may be the one that offers 24/7 technical support and goes the additional mile to get your site up and operating the way you want it to.
Namecheap goes above and beyond by providing chat help around the clock; their staff of technical support professionals is there to answer any issue, no matter how trivial, and will even make adjustments for clients who lack the knowledge to do it themselves.
Furthermore, as one would expect from a company with such a name, they provide reasonably priced web hosting.
Namecheap offers many plans for website hosting, including:
Stellar Business. With this feature, your site’s speed won’t be throttled, even during peak use times. In addition to being PCI certified and e-commerce ready, it also includes free automated backups—a monthly fee of $4.44 for the first year, followed by an $8.88 annual fee.
EasyWP Turbo
The cheapest WordPress hosting plan with 50 GB of storage and up to 250,000 monthly visits. The monthly fee is $7.88, with the first month being discounted to $2.
Qasar. Linux-based full VPS hosting is ideal for businesses that want unrestricted access to their networks and the freedom to manage their online presence as they see proper. The monthly fee of $24.88; new customers may get started for $19.88.
Xeon E3-1240 v3. A hardware-based hosting option for organizations with demanding server requirements. The monthly fee is $74.88, with the first month being discounted to $36.88.
HostGator
Dedicated server hosting is an option to consider if your website will serve more of a purpose than just providing a place for visitors to locate you. HostGator may be the ideal web host for your organization if that’s the case.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “dedicated server hosting” refers to renting out an individual server inside a larger provider’s infrastructure. You will have your own dedicated server and the necessary software and customer support tools rather than sharing with any other websites.
HostGator also provides additional beginner-level hosting solutions that are competitive with similar providers.
What you get with HostGator is:
Dedicated server plans. The three levels all use servers powered by Intel Xeon-D CPUs. In addition, plans are available with 16, 24, and 30 GB of RAM.
A fully redundant network, limitless databases, round-the-clock onsite assistance, and three unique IPv4 addresses are just some of the features included on all of our dedicated servers. A monthly plan may be had for as little as $118.99.
Shared web hosting business plan. A better option for smaller enterprises or those with less demanding website requirements than HostGator’s dedicated servers. Free business domain names, unlimited storage space, SSL certificates, and SEO software are all included in this service. Monthly plans begin at $5.95.
How To Choose The Best Web Hosting For Small Business
As you can see, choosing from the several best web hosting choices for small business sites may be daunting.
With each option, you get world-class security, enough storage, the capacity to manage a high traffic volume, web analytics tools, and much more.
However, although the best web hosting systems will all help your small business in certain ways, there are some subtle distinctions between them.
Thinking about what you’re looking for might help narrow down the options. A website with just a few pages of content will not need much space. In the same vein, it won’t need any robust safety measures.
The more minimal site requirements, the more likely it is that a leaner, cheaper alternative will suffice. However, a strong hosting solution would cost much more if you operate a large retail establishment or a medical office that stores sensitive customer information.
After that, you should consider your company’s ultimate goals.
You should consider the possibility of future growth while making decisions about your website, even if you aren’t currently using it extensively.
If you’re looking for a web host that can scale with your site, look for one that offers tiered support and storage plans.
The final word
You may narrow your search for a suitable web host by knowing what features you want, how much you are willing to spend, and what platform would enable you to realize your goals.
At this stage, it’s important to keep an eye on costs, customer service, and any extra features (like website creators or e-commerce capabilities) that can sway your decision.
In addition, as we have seen, the best web design and hosting alternatives for small businesses often include round-the-clock customer service in addition to a wealth of other features.
Reach out to several platforms’ customer support teams to discover more about their solutions and whether or not they would be a good fit for your company if you’re having difficulties picking which one to use.
