Web Hosting Options

Types of Web Hosting in New Zealand

Feeling bamboozled by the number of very different web hosting options available? There are different benefits for each type of hosting plan, so start figuring out what your website will need before you sign the dotted line.

• Web Hosting
• Web Design
• Domain Registration

No matter how much time you spend creating your website, it will never be seen until it’s hosted and live on the Internet. Web hosting options can seem daunting to the uninitiated, but knowing the basics can set you on the right path to deciding which package is best for you.

Free Web Hosting
If you can live with limited web space, banners, popups, and other restrictions ‘free’ web hosting options might be worth some consideration. While there are a number of free hosts that provide a high level of service, there is still no such thing as a free lunch, and those who opt for ‘free hosting’ are generally forced to show some sort of advertising so the host can re-coup their costs.

Main benefit: It’s free! However, the advertising associated with these types of web hosting options may make it inappropriate for business websites, so think carefully before you sign up.

Shared Web Hosting
Shared or virtual web hosting options are probably the most common, where you pay to share one server with a number of clients of your hosting company.

Main benefit: Price. Shared web hosting is usually the cheapest and most affordable solution for an online presence, as the hosting company hosts many websites on the one server, allowing them to pass their savings on to their clients.

Reseller Web Hosting

Reseller hosting offers interesting web hosting options for people wanting to create an e-commerce venture and sell web hosting and other related services under their own brand.

Main benefit: Reseller hosting allows you to earn income, and is particularly popular with website designers who can then offer clients a complete package that includes design and hosting.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
If you want control but you don't need the resources of a dedicated server, VPS web hosting options can be the right solution for your website. A VPS offers the features of a dedicated server for multiple web hosting customers, and resources are allocated in such a way that you cannot tell that the system has anyone else on it.

Main benefit: VPS is an attractive niche hosting solution for clients who would like the stability of a dedicated server, but on a smaller scale.

Dedicated Web Hosting
Unlike shared hosting where many websites are hosted on one computer, dedicated web hosting solutions allow a client to lease the complete computer and have access to all its resources to host one or multiple websites. Dedicated hosting solutions are particularly attractive for larger websites with complex applications.

Main benefit: A dedicated hosting package gives you access to the complete server, are usually tailored to the amount of bandwidth, memory, and hard drive space that you need.

Managed Web Hosting
Managed web hosting takes the dedicated model of service to higher level by providing support services for the web servers. It takes the dedicated features and adds extra services like monitoring, security, system administration and software updates.

Main benefit: Managed web hosting options offer the most hands-off solutions, providing the benefits of a dedicated server, as well is the management service that would ensure that the server operates at an optimum level.

Server Co-Location
When it’s essential you have your own hardware, hosting companies are available to host your server at their data centre. This allows the option to custom build your own server and supply it to the host, who will then plug your server at its data centre to provide you access to its network and infrastructure.

Main benefit: Co-location provides the most flexibility, choice and control for customers who know exactly what type of hosting service they need.

Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting allows customers powerful, scalable and reliable hosting, operated on clustered servers where online operations are not limited to a single server. By handling security, load balance and hardware resources virtually, the website has access to the processing power of a number of servers that are distributed in real time, removing single-point of failures and allowing customers to pay for only what they use versus what they could use.

Main benefit: Scalability and cost effectiveness are the commonly known advantages, but cloud hosting also allows for website expansion without the limitation in server resources.

A final word about New Zealand hosting
Like any service, with web hosting options you generally get what you pay for. It’s important to note for New Zealand website owners and webmasters then, that hosting your site with a locally based hosting company is said to have some important search engine optimisation benefits.

By choosing a web host with domestic servers, search engines are more likely to recognise your website as being New Zealand based – important if you’re targeting the New Zealand market specifically.

For a basic run down on what web hosting is, read the Web Hosting article in full. For New Zealand hosting options, check out the NZS.com directory.

Tips and Tools images from Flickr: network, magic and question.