When it comes time to choose a hosting plan for your website, the first thing you need to do is determine what kind of website you want to have. This is because different types of websites require different hosting plans in order to run properly. However, there’s no need to worry. GoDaddy offers several types of hosting plans, each one designed to best accommodate a specific type of website.
In this article, we will discuss the different types of hosting plans and which ones are best for certain types of websites. We'll also cover other factors you should consider when making your decision, such as price, uptime, location, customer support, and more.
So whether you're starting a personal blog or launching an e-commerce store, this article will help you choose the perfect website hosting plan for your needs!
The importance of choosing the right hosting plan
It’s so important to choose a hosting plan that is right for your website that it cannot be overstated.
On the other hand, the right hosting plan will give you the tools and resources you need to create a successful website that can handle anything you throw at it!
Here’s an example: consider a highly popular E-commerce shop using the most basic entry-level plan. Traffic surges in and it pushes the website hosting plan beyond its capacity. The website could crash from the server being overloaded. That is simply not a good idea!
Similarly, someone creating a very basic website will not need one of the top-tier business hosting options. They likely won’t ever use many of the advanced features they are paying for.
This is why it’s critical to choose the right hosting plan for your website from the start. Aside from other important factors, like SEO, hosting is fundamental to website performance and search engine rankings.
So, whether you are a student, job-seeker, a small business owner, or run an established corporation, choose a hosting plan that meets your needs. Not only will it save you money, it will also ensure your website is as fast, reliable, and secure as you need it to be.
How does pricing work for web hosting?
The cost of web hosting can vary depending on the type of plan you choose and between web hosting companies. Shared Hosting plans are usually the most affordable, while VPS (Virtual Private Server) and Dedicated Servers will be more expensive.
That being said, price is not always the best indicator of being able to meet your needs.
You should also consider other factors such as uptime, location, customer support, and features when choosing a web hosting service.
Related: Top 5 reasons why free web hosting is a mistake for your business website
Determine the type of website hosting plan you need
The first step in choosing between hosting packages is to determine what kind of website you want to have. Are you starting a personal blog? Do you need a simple website for your business? Or are you launching an e-commerce store with thousands of products? The answer to this question will determine which type of hosting you need.
Here are some important factors to consider:
- Size and scope of the website
- Amount of expected traffic
- Type of content
- Budget
- Level of control required over hosting environment
- Need for compliance with strict regulations
It’s important to take a moment to consider the hosting factors above when choosing the best website hosting plan for your needs. The size and scope of your website will determine the amount of traffic you receive and the type of content you have.
You also need to consider your budget and the level of control you need over your hosting environment. For instance, if you require a highly customized website or need to comply with strict regulations, you may need a dedicated server.
The different hosting plans to choose from
To help you understand which kind of hosting you will need, let's consider the differences between hosting plans.
There are six main types of website hosting plans at GoDaddy: Shared Hosting, Web Hosting Plus, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Server, WordPress Hosting, and WordPress E-Commerce Hosting. Let's take a closer look at each one to see which is best for your needs.
Shared Hosting: Shared server hosting, also just called ‘Web Hosting’, is the most popular type of website hosting. It's also typically the least expensive. With shared hosting, your website shares server resources with other websites.
This keeps costs down, but it also means that your site is more vulnerable to downtime and data loss. So, a sudden spike in traffic on another website could cause your site’s performance to take a hit. However, we still recommend this type of hosting for beginners and very simple websites. The cost is affordable and there isn't too much of a learning curve to get your site up and running.
Features include: unmetered bandwidth, daily backups, 1-click WordPress installation.
Web Hosting Plus: Web hosting plus is a step up from shared hosting. With web hosting plus, you get your own dedicated server space. This means your site is less likely to experience downtime and you can store more data.
Additionally, web hosting plus includes a free SSL certificate to help keep your website secure. Free professional email is also included free for the first year. If you're looking for more power and speed than Shared Hosting, Web Hosting Plus is a great option.
VPS Hosting: VPS hosting is a step up from Web Hosting Plus. With VPS hosting, you get your own virtual private server and more disk space. This gives you more control over your website and allows you to install custom software.
You can choose the operating system (Linux-based or Windows), data center location, and other custom configurations. VPS hosting is great if you need more power and speed than Web Hosting Plus, but you don't need a full dedicated server.
Dedicated Servers: If you have a large website or high-traffic online store, you may need your own Dedicated Server hosting plan. This is the most powerful and expensive type of web hosting. With Dedicated Server, you get your own physical server that is not shared with anyone else.
Dedicated hosting gives users with the know how the most control over your server environment and offers the best performance.
WordPress Hosting: WordPress Hosting is optimized for powering WordPress websites. WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that helps you easily create and manage your website's content.
With WordPress Hosting, you get pre-installed WordPress software, a free domain, and other resources to help you build and manage your WordPress site. If you're looking to launch a WordPress website, WordPress Hosting is a great option.
WordPress eCommerce Hosting: WordPress eCommerce Hosting is perfect for online stores built with WordPress. It has all of the features of WordPress Hosting, plus additional resources and software you need to run a successful online store. This includes shopping cart software, payment processing, and security features.
With WordPress eCommerce hosting, you get a free domain, free SSL certificate, and free Professional Email for the first year. WordPress and eCommerce plugins come pre-installed.
What kind of website are you starting?
Now that we’ve provided a basic understanding of each type of hosting, let's talk about the kind of websites each is for. This will help you best choose a hosting plan that is suited to your needs.
Personal projects, static websites, and simple websites - Shared Hosting
If you're just starting out or have a small website, shared hosting is the perfect solution. This is because shared hosting plans are some of the most affordable. Yet they come with all of the features you need.
Shared hosting is easy to set up and use. There's also no need to worry about server maintenance or management as with high-end plans. If you have a small website or personal project, shared hosting is a great option.
Image-heavy content sites - Shared Hosting or Web Hosting Plus
If you have a website with lots of images, Shared Hosting or Web Hosting Plus are both solid options. With either plan, you'll get unlimited bandwidth and the ability to choose your level of storage. This way, you can host as many high-resolution photos as you want. Plus, both plans come with daily backups and 1-click WordPress installation
Keep in mind that f you choose Shared Hosting, your website will be on a server with other websites. This means you'll share resources like CPU and RAM with other sites. If one site gets a surge of traffic, it can slow down the entire server.
With Web Hosting Plus, you get your own dedicated portion of a server (VPS). This means your website won't be affected by other websites. You'll also get more power and performance than with Shared Hosting.
eCommerce sites, plugin-heavy CMS, and high-traffic sites - Web Hosting Plus
If you're setting up an E-Commerce store or need a plugin-heavy CMS like WordPress, Web Hosting Plus may be the perfect solution. With Web hosting plus, you'll get the power of VPS (Virtual Private Server). But you won't need a computer science degree to operate the easy-to-use control panel. Plus, our team of experts is always available to help you troubleshoot any issues you may have.
Not setting up an online store or CMS? If you are expecting a lot of traffic, Web Hosting Plus is still a great option. With this plan, your site will be able to handle high traffic without issue thanks to the power of VPS.
Sites with increasing content (blogs), SaaS, gaming sites, websites that require an affordable backup environment - VPS Hosting
If you're running a resource-intensive website like a SaaS application or gaming site, then VPS Hosting is the way to go. With VPS Hosting, you get more control over your website and are able to install custom software. That's why this website hosting plan is perfect for system administrators and developers.
Not sure if you need VPS Hosting? If you have a website with rapidly increasing content (like a popular blog), then VPS hosting can help you keep up with the demand. It may also be perfect if you need full root access with SSH keys or want to use a custom control panel. For those wanting the benefits of VPS Hosting without being self-managed, GoDaddy offers Fully Managed VPS Hosting.
VPS is also a great option if you're looking for an affordable way to create a backup environment for your website. Keep in mind, that our team of experts is always available to help you troubleshoot any issues you may have.
Highly customizable, resource-intensive web applications, and fast speed - Dedicated Servers
If you have a high-traffic website or need complete control over your hosting environment, then Dedicated Servers are the way to go. With Dedicated Server hosting, you'll get your own physical server with its full processing power. That way, you can run resource-intensive applications without affecting the performance of your website.
Not sure if you need dedicated hosting? If you have a highly customized website or need complete control over your hosting environment, then dedicated servers are the best option.
Dedicated servers are also perfect for companies that need to comply with strict regulations (like PCI compliance). If you need help setting up your dedicated server, our team of experts is always available to assist you.
WordPress powered sites, blogs, and eCommerce stores - WordPress Hosting and WordPress eCommerce Hosting
If you already know that you want a WordPress site, than there’s no need to stress about which website hosting plan to choose. Just go with a WordPress plan. They are designed and optomised specifically for this popular content management system (CMS).
WordPress is a powerful tool that bloggers love. But it’s also great for a business or eCommerce website.
Other factors to consider when you choose a hosting plan
Now that you know the differences, it's time to choose a hosting plan! But before you do, there are a few other hosting factors you need to consider.
Price: The price of your website hosting plan will depend on the type of website you have and the resources you need. Shared Hosting plans are typically the least expensive, while Dedicated Servers have the highest price. Be sure to choose a hosting plan that meets your budget.
Uptime: Uptime is the amount of time your website is up and running. You want to choose a hosting plan with an uptime guarantee to ensure that your site is always available to visitors.
Location: The location of your server can affect your website's speed and security. If you're targeting a global audience, choose a hosting plan with a server that's located close to them.
Customer Support: When your website goes down, you want to be able to reach customer support immediately. Thankfully, all GoDaddy hosting plans include 24/7 customer support so you can get help when you need it.
These are all important factors that can help you best choose a hosting plan and provider. Additionally, if you anticipate your website needs growing over time, consider things like scalability and the ability to upgrade. These will help keep your online presence in top shape with fast load times and a great user experience.
Consider other features and resources for your website
We've gone over much of what you should be considering when you choose a hosting plan. But there are just a few more features and resources that may be offered by a web hosting provider. These are not part of hosting per se, but they should be factored in when choosing a hosting provider. Let’s discuss a few of those here.
Domain Name Registration
If you're planning on starting a website, you'll need to register a domain name. This is the address that people will use to access your site. It's important to choose a domain that is easy to remember and spells out what your site is about. For example, if you're a photographer, you might want to choose a domain like "photosbyexample.com."
GoDaddy offers a wide selection of domains at affordable prices. So, it's easy to choose the right domain for your website.
Professional Email
A professional email address is a great way to build trust with potential customers. It's also a must for promoting your brand. With GoDaddy, you can get professional email addresses that match your domain name.
For example, if your domain is "example.com," you can get an email address like "info@example.com" or "sales@example.com."
You can choose a hosting plan that includes email, or you can purchase it separately. Keep in mind, the GoDaddy team is always available if you need any help setting up your email accounts.
Website Builder
If you're not a web developer, don't worry! GoDaddy offers a Website Builder that makes it easy to create a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge. Plus, our Website Builder is easy to use and comes with everything you need to get started, including templates, images, and more.
It's important to choose a hosting provider that offers all of the features and resources you need for your website.
Editor’s note: Looking for a hosting company that offers a complete website solution? Look no further than GoDaddy for everything from domains, email, Website Builder, and 24/7 customer support!
Conclusion
It’s so important to choose a hosting plan that is best suited for your website. But with so many options available, it can be overwhelming. Thankfully, by considering your type of website and the resources you need, you can narrow down your choices. This will let you choose the best option for your website.
Just to recap, here are the hosting plans and suitable types of websites we mentioned in this article:
- Shared Hosting: Perfect for smaller websites that don't get a lot of traffic.
- Web Hosting Plus: Ideal for medium-sized websites that need more resources than Shared Hosting offers.
- VPS Hosting: Great for high-traffic websites that need more power and customization than Web Hosting Plus provides.
- Dedicated Server: Best for large websites with very high traffic and for system administrators needing total control over their servers.
- WordPress Hosting: Perfect for websites that are powered by WordPress.
- WordPress eCommerce Hosting: All of the WordPress functionality plus optimizations specifically for online retailers.
Remember, you should also consider other factors like price, uptime, customer support, and location when choosing a hosting provider. And don't forget to factor in other features and resources offered by a web hosting provider. These include domain registration, email, and an easy-to-use website builder.
We hope this article has helped you choose the best hosting plan for your website. If you need help deciding on the right plan, our team of experts are waiting to help!
