Thinking about getting dedicated hosting for your website, but need more information? We get it.
Moving your website to a dedicated server is a big decision and a considerable investment so understanding what this type of hosting is all about is a must.
In this article, we’ll explain what dedicated web hosting is, who needs it, and we’ll list the top hosting providers to help you make a decision.
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What Is Dedicated Hosting?
Dedicated hosting is a type of hosting where a physical server is dedicated to a single client or organization.
This type of hosting is also known as managed hosting service or a dedicated server.
Unlike shared hosting where multiple websites share the same server or virtual private server (VPS hosting) where you get a virtual server to yourself, dedicated hosting means that you get access to dedicated physical resources, for your use only.
When you purchase this type of hosting plan, you are renting an entire server with all of its resources.
This type of hosting is significantly more expensive, compared to shared hosting or cloud hosting (where website data is stored in the cloud), but it also offers unique features not provided by other types of hosting — more on that below.
Benefits of Dedicated Hosting
The dedicated hosting market size surpassed $6 billion in 2020. Why? Because this type of hosting offers numerous benefits, from flexibility to security and more.
The benefits of dedicated hosting include:
Control
The greatest benefit of a dedicated server is that you have full control over it. You can choose the site management tools, apps and operating systems you want to use.
Security
A managed hosting service gives you greater security, because you are not sharing your space with some malicious website. You are the only user of the server so the chances of a data breach are much smaller.
With shared hosting, multiple users rely on the same resources, so if a website owner accidentally allows a hacker to breach the system, you are all at risk of losing sensitive data.
Additionally, you can customize your dedicated server to meet your security needs.
Flexibility
With a dedicated environment, you can configure the server settings to meet your requirements., You can install new software tools, disk space, random access memory (RAM) and adjust other resources accordingly as your business grows, including VOIP hosting.
Performance
Another great benefit of this type of hosting is that it can support even the most demanding applications and requirements.
Since you’re not sharing your dedicated server and bandwidth with other websites, there is nothing to slow down your website, so maximum uptime is guaranteed.
Web development agencies prefer this for websites that receive a lot of traffic on a daily basis as this hosting service ensures stable performance at all times.
Who Should Consider Dedicated Hosting?
As you can see, a dedicated server brings many advantages to your website. However, given that it’s a significant investment, it’s worth considering whether you actually need it.
You should consider getting dedicated hosting if:
Your Website Has High Traffic
For smaller websites that don’t get huge amounts of traffic daily, the resources of shared hosting will suffice. However, if your website traffic is growing and daily visits exceed 1,000 visitors, for example, it is time to consider switching to dedicated hosting to get more bandwidth and ensure better performance for your web design.
You Want To Improve Page Load Speed
If a website doesn’t load in under three seconds, most visitors will abandon it. If your pages take longer than three seconds to load, you might be losing valuable traffic and potential customers because of it.
Moving your website to a dedicated server will help you increase page load speed by giving you access to all the server resources. This will ensure faster loading times and a better website experience overall for your visitors.
You Need More Storage Space
If your website is growing and the available storage capacities of your shared hosting aren’t enough anymore, consider switching to dedicated hosting server.
This will enable you to add as many pages as you want, along with videos, comprehensive blogs and any other content, without worrying about running out of storage capacity.
You Need More Flexibility
If you want to install a certain operating system or software, or other features not supported by other types of hosting, consider moving your website to a dedicated environment. You will have all the flexibility you need to customize your server as you see fit.
Top 4 Dedicated Hosting Providers
Different dedicated web hosting providers offer various features, storage capacities, speed and more.
Here, we break down the top four hosting providers and the pricing each one offers, so you can choose one that matches your needs:
1. BlueHost
BlueHost is one of the most popular hosting providers. It offers three plans: Standard, Enhanced and Premium, so you can choose the one with the right features to match your requirements. Needless to say, whichever plan you choose, you get a dedicated server just for you.
Pricing: Starts at $119.99 per month for the Standard plan, $159.99 for Enhanced and $209.99 for Premium, but BlueHost regularly offers great deals.
2. HostGator
HostGator boasts incredible uptime performance. You can choose from three available plans: Value Server, Power Server and Enterprise Server, depending on how much RAM you need (8, 16 or 30 gigabytes).
Pricing: Pricing starts at $89.99 per month for the Value Server, and HostGator also offers great deals from time to time, so keep an eye out for special discounts!
3. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a bit pricier compared to the two previous options, but it also offers incredibly fast and reliable dedicated hosting. With A1 Hosting, you can choose from any of their four WARP plans and get free site migration. All four plans also feature free Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $249.99 per month for WARP 1, while the most expensive plan is WARP 2 Turbo Intel at $379.99. Be on the lookout for their deals as they often slash the prices almost in half.
4. DreamHost
DreamHost is the best hosting provider if your priority is storage space. The Enhanced plan boasts up to 64GB of RAM and 2 terabytes of space. They also offer a Standard plan with 4GB of RAM, which is a great option for websites with storage fewer requirements.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $149 per month for the Standard plan and $279 per month for the Enhanced plan.
Wrapping Up On Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is a great option for high-traffic websites and complex applications with demanding requirements. It provides you with control, security, flexibility and performance.
Consider this type of hosting if you:
- Need to accommodate growing website traffic
- Want to increase page load speed
- Require more data storage capacities
- Need more flexibility
If you decide that this type of hosting is right for your website, compare the different hosting providers to choose the best one for your needs:
- BlueHost
- HostGator
- A2 Hosting
- Dream Hosting
