Top 10 Web Hosting — Best Website Hosting Companies 2012

Rank Hosting Review ProviderPrice:Features: Rating Info
HostGator Hosting Review$3.71/MoFree Website Builder
Free Shopping Cart
45 Days Refund Period
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Inmotion Hosting Review$5.95/Mo24/7 Technical Support
99.9% Server Uptime
90 Days Money Back
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WebHostingHub Hosting Review$3.95/MoFree Domain Name
Unlimited Websites
90 Days Money Back
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WebHostingPad Hosting Review$1.99/MoFree Domain Name
Unlimited Domains
30 Days Money Back
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IPage Hosting Review$2.95/MoUnlimited Domains
Free Website Security
$450 of FREE Extras
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FatCow Hosting Review$3.15/MoFree Domain Name
Unlimited Websites
100% Wind Energy
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JustHost Hosting Review$4.45/MoFree Domain Name
Unlimited Websites
Instant Website Setup
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BlueHost Hosting Review$3.95/MoFree Domain Name
Unlimited Domains
Instant Website Setup
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HostMonster Hosting Review$3.95/MoFree Domain Name
Unlimited Websites
Instant Website Setup
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LunarPages Hosting Review$3.95/MoUnlimited Sub Domains
24/7 Customer Support
30 Days Money Back
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The Different Types of Web Hosting Services

In the past several years, the continued rise in popularity of web hosting has opened new market opportunities unlike anything else seen before. Despite their hit-or-miss characteristic, these web hosting services—whether it’s dedicated hosting or shared hosting or a combination of these two—offer something worth the risk.

Shared Hosting – Cost Effective, Easy to Use and Feature Rich

As one of the two major types of web hosting services, shared hosting has built a reputation as the most preferred platform of website owners, cornering a large chunk of the entire industry.

Because of its shared-responsibility feature, shared hosting has become the most practical choice especially for the new players in the industry who may have are not yet familiar with the complexities of running websites. In this type of web hosting, several websites share a single network, whose resources, bandwidth, and disk space are divided among customers. The communal nature of the hosting service makes it an inexpensive and low-upkeep platform. Despite its low cost, the shared hosting model is not short in features, making it the ideal choice for both upstart companies and website owners with relatively limited financial resources.

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Reseller Hosting – Substantial Profit Potential

A new offshoot of the web hosting industry is reseller hosting. As its name suggests, reseller hosting is a platform where one buys a web hosting plan at a reasonably lower price and resells it at a profit. The reseller essentially passes to the buyer the rights to the bandwidth, disk space, and all other features that come with the web hosting plan. What reseller hosting does is to create a middleman who can provide services to individuals or small companies that otherwise could not afford to purchase web hosting plans.

In addition to its profitability, this platform works in an environment where the distinction between the original web hosting provider and the reseller is blurred. In short, resellers acquire the reputation of the original web hosting provider, making them more attractive to potential buyers.

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VPS Hosting – Immense Power and Great Performance

Another innovation in the web hosting industry is VPS hosting. A VPS, or virtual private server, is an individual server created out of a larger server that can function fully and independently from its host.

The concept behind VPN technology is to create miniature copies of a main physical server complete with all the features and functions of conventional platforms without the high cost associated with a dedicated host and the security risk that usually comes with a shared host model.

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Dedicated Hosting – The Utmost in Control, Flexibility, and Responsibility

For those who do not want the risks that may arise with the shared hosting platform, a dedicated web host is the logical option. With a dedicated host, customers have exclusive use of their own individual server, giving them more latitude in how they would spend the resources made available to them. A dedicated host affords customers a variety of benefits that a shared host could not offer, including the freedom to use their own security suits to block attacks that can potentially compromise their websites. However, there is a drawback to all that freedom, as a dedicated host also entails greater responsibility from customers. Because a dedicated host is practically a standalone server, maintenance is left to the website owner.

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Managed Hosting – Hassle-Free But Costly

In contrast to dedicated hosting, managed hosting takes away from customers the burden of maintaining their servers. Getting a managed hosting platform is typically like getting a nanny for your server, only better. Managed hosting providers also throw in several other come-ons such as comprehensive technical support, application bundles, and server tracking. This setup is ideal for moneyed customers who seek powerful servers without the hassle and pressure of maintaining them. Individuals or companies running multiple servers can also benefit from managed hosting as it allows them to focus more on providing content for their websites while leaving the maintenance to providers.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that web hosting is the way to go for anyone who aspires to take advantage of the seemingly boundless market potential of the Internet. The emergence of many web hosting providers has resulted in more choices for customers but also more confusion. In the end, selecting the best web hosting service comes down to being able to find a platform that suits not only your needs but also your financial standing.