If you feel that you are setting up a web site that will have 10,000 or more unique visitors to your web site, and you need a database to interact with your visitors, then it is probably best to invest in a dedicated server because this option will allow you to have much more control over the following components:
Bandwidth
The reason you want to have control over bandwidth is because you may find that your business takes off and you do not want to be stuck paying a ‘per gigabyte’ extra fee after your billing cycle completes. By not being restricted to a shared web host, you will be able to enjoy more bandwidth for your site as you are not sharing resources with other web sites.
You must also consider the fact that web hosting companies always like to take care of dedicated customers and are usually flexible in helping you customize your web server so you are not simply limited to what they present to you.
Storage Capacity
It goes without saying that since you are not sharing server space with other companies you will have more room to work with if you are offering large downloads or using a lot of media such as high-resolution images or large movies. As I mentioned before, when you order a dedicated server you can choose from different options of storage capacity and tailor a web hosting need that is suitable for your budget.
Server Memory (RAM) Capacity
One frustrating part of sharing web hosting space with other customers is that you also have no control over memory. If you run out of memory (This can happen when there are a lot of requests to a server) you cannot load your web site just as you cannot load your web site if you have too much space.
When you work with a hosting company and are attempting to customize a package that suits your needs, always err on the side of caution and invest in as much ram as possible. Sometimes you will find that there is more to a web request than just serving a video or image to a visitor. Sometimes a lot of traffic and connections to a database can put a strain on the server and you need the server to respond as quickly as possible so you do not lose potential customers.
Mysql/PHP/Scripting Language Settings
Every Unix or Linux server will offer you the following resources to help build your web site:
PHP (A web scripting language that has built software such as WordPress)
Mysql (A database that works well with PHP and can handle millions of web requests)
In this day and age, most of your software will still probably run on PHP although other web scripting languages are increasing in popularity such as Python or Ruby on Rails. With that said, most of the software you will run will run on PHP and you want to make sure that your web host is capable of offering at least PHP 4.4+ if not PHP 5+ (recommended).
When Knowing Your PHP Version Matters
If you are simply using software made available by ‘Fantastico’, it is probably not necessary for you to know the version of PHP that is installed. If you are hiring a professional developer to build a custom piece of software, though, you need to ask them if there is a certain version of PHP or Mysql that they need to work with. Most developers, today, use PHP 5 and Mysql 5 because they are better equipped to handle the advanced tasks the most developers use today. This wasn’t the case a few years ago and their needs do change over time.
So if you are hiring a developer, you must make sure that you not only know what they need but you must also make sure that your web host, who provides you with the dedicated web server, can help you with upgrading PHP and Mysql as you would not want to handle that task yourself.
Advanced Tech Support
This is where you really need to do your research. You do not want to spend over $100-$200/month just to find out that it is your responsibility to upgrade server tools such as PHP or Mysql. One web host that will handle these tasks for you is Liquidweb. There are other fine web hosts that can do this for you so it is important that you consult with them and consider your options. For your reference, some web hosts do perform these tasks for a fee and some do it as a courtesy. If they do it for a fee you must know if they charge one time or per hour.
Knowing these facts ahead of time can save you time in getting set up, money and frustration. The last thing you want is to be in the middle of having your site developed and find out your developer requests something from your web host that will cost you $500. So do your research in this matter and present any nightmares from occurring.
Tip: Research Cost For SSL Certificate Installation
If you plan to use a secure connection for online ordering it is necessary to find out if they will help you install the certificates (most of them do) and, if so, do they charge per hour for this fee or is it part of their technical support? This is yet another important part of running a web site that cannot get overlooked and, if not researched probably, can make your life miserable.
Summary
If you put the time and energy into researching the proper dedicated web host (assuming you will go that route) you will find that most of the headaches that come with running a web site will be behind you. It is important to leave nothing to chance and explore a few options and do the research and, as I sated in my last article, talk to existing customers if you can by finding a forum where the tech support talks to their customers. If you cannot find such a forum than read reviews and gauge whether your web host is equipped to handle the needs of a growing business. As important as it is to get your web site up, it is not worth jumping into the process without doing your homework.
Magento Development Lead
