Hosting is a very important part of owning a website, because without it your site will not appear online. The first step is purchasing a domain name but the very next step is purchasing hosting so the site can become live. If you have just a single website or are a newbie into the world of websites then the chances are you won't want to own your own server (the computer that makes the website "live") and you certainly won't want to equip your own data centre in which to place the server. That is where hosting companies come in. There are a range of services offered by hosting companies as described below.

Shared Hosting

This is perfect for those with just one or two websites who don't regularly update them and for whom the website is not a central part of their business. The biggest advantage of shard hosting is the price, because it is so competitive the rates are rock bottom. This system allows multiple users or webmasters access to the same server. The hosting company will ensure it is totally secure and free from bugs. They will carry out any necessary tasks or maintenance and fix any problems that crop up straight away.

If opting for this system of shared hosting, there one or two things to consider. The hosting company should offer 24 hour support, as well as provide a very simple to use control panel through which you can access all the information you may need. If either service is missing, you may want to look elsewhere. The competition is plentiful in the world of shared hosting so if one company is not quite right, there are plenty more to choose from.

If shared access to a single server is not appealing and you would prefer additionally server space and an extra layer of security then dedicated hosting may be more appropriate.

Dedicated Hosting

This goes further than shared hosting and is often the preferred method for serious webmasters and those with multiple sites. Dedicated hosting enables users to rent their very own server with a unique IP address. This means no one apart from you has access to your server and this makes it more reliable and definitely more secure than shared hosting. It provides the user with far greater overall control of the server too and allows more than one website to be hosted at a time. It also results in faster loading times. This is particularly important for websites with many visitors as slow to load sites are very unpopular and discourage visitors from returning.

E-commerce sites should always be hosted by a dedicated server as the financial transactions taking place need the very best security and customer details must be kept as secure as possible. Shared hosting just doesn't provide adequate levels of security for these type of sites.

Going yet further still however, colocation allows companies or businesses to own their own servers but rent the space within a data centre in which to place them. Owning the hardware itself guarantees the greatest control and security for a webmaster.

Colocation

When a company has their own server physically stored in a rack belonging to a hosting company, this is known as colocation. It is a very beneficial way of managing your company's IT infrastructure because it means that you don't carry the costs involved with managing and storing the servers yourself. By renting space in a data centre in this way you can avoid associated costs such as bandwidth and network costs, power, air conditioning, maintenance costs and more. Owning the hardware however means you retain full control of it and can guarantee its continued security. Colocation also allows you to make regular checks of your server at the data centre because you have physically placed it there yourself.

Server hosting can seem daunting at first, but once you know the basics it is relatively straight forward. Whether it is colocation you are looking for or just access to a shared server, there is a solution for everyone. With intense competition amongst companies offering hosting, it is not too difficult to find affordable hosting and even cheap dedicated servers to rent.