What to Look for in Cheap VPS Web HostingSo, you’ve been running your website on a shared hosting plan for some time now, and to start with, things were going pretty well. Everything worked, your site performed quickly, and if there was any downtime, it was so slight that it barely made a whisper on your bottom line.
Then, slowly but surely, things began to change. Your site and your business began to grow. You started offering more content, bringing in new visitors by the truckload and taking things to the next level. As such, that once trusty shared hosting plan just wasn’t up to the task.
Now, you’re thinking of upgrading, but if you can help it, you’d really rather avoid the massive costs associated with a dedicated server. If that’s the case, then a Virtual Private Server -or VPS, as they’re commonly known- may be the best choice for you.
If you’ve already made this decision but aren’t sure what to look for in cheap VPS web hosting, here’s a few pointers.
Costs
One of the most common reasons why people choose VPS hosting over dedicated servers is that they cost so much less whilst still offering many of the benefits that come with owning your own private server.
Typically, you can get your hands on a good, entry-level VPS plan for around $20, with enough resources to accommodate most medium sized websites with a steady stream of visitors. Many of the better providers do offer a variety of packages, each offering more resources for a higher price, so no matter what your budget, it pays to shop around to find one that best suits both your requirements and budget.
Bandwidth and storage
Here’s where it really becomes paramount to pay attention to what you’re paying for, as failing to buy a plan with enough storage and data transfer resources will likely cause problems for your site down the line.
For the most part, the amount of each that you’ll receive with a VPS is far greater than with shared hosting. More or less always, we’re talking in terms of gigabytes and terabytes here, rather than the mere megabytes that are normally associated with shared plans.
Whilst you’re at it, it’s also worth taking a look at how much RAM (Random Access Memory) comes with your plan, as this will make a large impact on the performance of your website.
A good comparison site like Cheaper VPS Hosting can help you get a quick overview of which of the main companies offer the most bandwidth, RAM and storage for your money.
Reliability
You already know how important the reliability of your hosting provider is to the success of your company. That’s why you were so happy with your original shared plan before things started to go awry.
Again, a truly good VPS should offer much greater reliability than your usual shared account, particularly as these kind of hosting plans share their physical servers with far fewer other accounts.
That said, it’s still worth checking out independent reviews to make sure you’re not going to be suffering any slow loading speeds or periods of downtime that could do serious harm to your business.
Reputation
Speaking of independent reviews, whenever you buy anything online, be it web hosting or wet suits, it’s always a good idea to see what genuine customers are saying about that product. This way, you get the real picture of what it’s going to be like working with that company, something the corporate sales copy just won’t give you.
Checking out the reputation of your preferred VPS host will also give you an opportunity to plan for any problems which you may encounter on a host that otherwise seems the perfect fit for your needs.