When it comes to making your own website, you will need to start thinking about hosting. There are a few options available and one of those is dedicated hosting. With dedicated hosting, you will get a whole server to yourself instead of having to share one with thousands of other users and websites. This offers a variety of advantages but there are disadvantages. It is important to question whether this really is for you.

What Exactly Is Dedicated Hosting?

A dedicated webhost makes it possible to have a whole server – in some cases, most of a server – to yourself. This is the opposite of shared hosting, where there will be thousands of other websites on the same server, which you have no control of. You can put various websites on the same dedicated server but they are all yours, so you have complete control of the content.
The dedicated server also offers a dedicated IP address, which is essential if you want your website to reach traffic around the world. Many countries, such as China, will block websites based on the IP address. This is a downside of shared hosting, since you will all have the same IP address and can do nothing about someone else having content that is not allowed in various countries.

Should You Get Dedicated Hosting?

Having a dedicated server is not for everyone. One of the biggest downsides is the fact that dedicated hosting costs so much more money. Shared hosting will usually cost $15 per month at the most, depending on the type of plan that you choose; for dedicated hosting, you could be looking at paying $100 per month!
However, if your business is making the money and you require a lot of space for your website, having a dedicated host is generally considered worthwhile. There is also the benefit of having extras added to your plan, such as extra IP addresses and extra email accounts, which will help with the running of a larger business.
Dedicated hosting also allows the user to opt for a server on a certain operating system. This helps to increase the performance and to ensure that you can use everything. Most companies will offer the choice of Windows, Mac and Linux for their servers.

When Not to Opt for Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated servers are great for large businesses, websites that take up a lot of space and for those who want to get worldwide exposure without problems from other users. However, there are some people who will not benefit from the extra cost. If you have a personal website that makes very little money, there are chances that shared hosting offers exactly what you need. There are many low price plans and even some free hosting options available.
For small businesses, there is also the option of a dedicated IP address. This is available through some companies on the shared hosting plan and bypasses the problem of everyone on the same server being blocked because of the content on one website. It is worth looking at all your options to determine whether dedicated hosting is the best one.