|
3 Options For Hosting Multiple
Websites
3 Options For Hosting Multiple Websites
by: John Lenaghan
The prices of domain name registration and web hosting have
dropped to the point that it's possible to own multiple
websites without going broke. If you plan to operate multiple
websites, here is some information on the different options
available to you.
The first thing to
consider when setting up multiple websites is whether or not to
host them all with the same web hosting company. Many
web hosts offer packages that let you set up multiple sites on
a single account and almost all will let you set up multiple
accounts, one for each site.
If you are happy with the hosting company you're using for
your existing website(s), one advantage of using them for
another site is the fact that you know they offer good service
and support.
They might also offer discounts for multiple sites, so your
costs might be lower if you stay with them again.
On the other hand, if you choose a different host you'll be
able to compare the quality of another company with whomever
you're currently using. If you ever run into problems with
them, you'll have an alternative. It's wise not to "put all
your eggs in one basket" as the saying goes.
Another advantage of using a different host is that you'll get
a different IP address for each of your sites.
If your sites are
related to one another and you want to link them
together, having different IP addresses can sometimes
help your site rank higher in the search
engines.
Links from other sites
are one of the most important factors in getting your site
ranked highly. If those links come from sites on the
same IP address, it is a signal to the search engines that they
are quite likely all owned by the same person, and they may
discount the value of those links.
If you do choose to host all your sites with one company,
there are essentially 3 choices - separate accounts for each
site, a reseller account where they are all hosted or a
dedicated server, again where they are all hosted.
Separate accounts are self-explanatory, so let's look at
reseller accounts. As a reseller, you are basically acting as
an agent for the hosting company - a middleman between them and
the end user.
The idea is that you can set up your own company offering web
hosting that is ultimately hosted by the company. You don't
have to resell this hosting however - you can use the hosting
services for your own websites, essentially "reselling" the
hosting to yourself.
A reseller account is nice because all your websites are
"under one roof" and you have a single point of contact for any
technical problems.
Hosting on a dedicated server gives you complete control of
the computer that is the web server. You can install any
software you want, any operating system you want and you can
allocate resources like memory and hard disk space however you
want to divide it up between your sites.
The disadvantage of a dedicated server is that you are
responsible for maintaining the server and sometimes even for
the technical side of things. If you aren't familiar with the
technical side of running a web server, you may need to choose
a managed dedicated server, where the hosting company looks
after these issues.
Dedicated server are, of course, more expensive than the other
options, so unless your websites are well established, with a
lot of traffic, they may not fit within your budget.
About The Author
John Lenaghan writes about web hosting and other related
topics for the Hosting Report website. For more information,
visit http://www.hostingreport.org/
About The Author
John Lenaghan writes about web hosting and other related topics
for the Hosting Report website.
by: John Lenaghan -
Back
to Top
| 
