| So, you want to set up a website. Your first decision | | | | small business where your website needs to be |
| is to chose between buying a web server and all the | | | | available 24/7/365 and you need quick, reliable |
| supporting equipment along with a network technician | | | | support for any and technical problems, then you'll |
| to run it for you, or to find a company whose | | | | definitely want to go with a paid host. The costs |
| business is to run websites and pay them a monthly | | | | vary depending on how big your web site is, and |
| fee to host your website on their equipment. This | | | | how much web traffic you anticipate. The web |
| question, at least is a no-brainer: unless you are a big | | | | hosting company Hostgator, for example, offers |
| company going online for the first time (almost | | | | three shared hosting packages varying between |
| unheard of these days), you can't afford the capital | | | | $4.95 and $12.95 a month. Finally, if you want to set |
| investment to set up your own web server | | | | up another website, you have to buy another shared |
| infrastructure. So you chose to rent server space | | | | web hosting plan, and your monthly expenses have |
| from a web hosting company. Simple, right? | | | | just doubled. |
| Not really. Once you start shopping around for web | | | | The main advantages of reseller hosting is flexibility |
| hosting services, they have several different options | | | | and economies of scale. If you are running a |
| to choose from. One of the first big decisions to | | | | fast-growing company, or are an entrepreneur |
| make is if you want shared or reseller web hosting. | | | | running multiple businesses, then the cost of multiple |
| But what exactly is the difference? | | | | shared accounts every month can quickly add up. |
| In a nutshell, the difference is scale. In shared hosting, | | | | With reseller web hosting, you can set up as many |
| you rent server space for a single website with a | | | | websites as you need, and reallocate resources |
| single domain name. You would pay a separate | | | | among them as they grow over time. Of course, you |
| monthly fee for each additional website you set up. | | | | can rent out or resell and left over space to other |
| With reseller hosting, you rent a large amount of | | | | individuals or small businesses to run their websites. If |
| server space, divide it up among as many websites | | | | you juggle the finances well, reseller can be much |
| as you need, and then have the option to resell the | | | | cheap on a large scale than shared web hosting. |
| left over server space to other people to set up | | | | There are, however, two main drawbacks to reseller |
| websites-essentially making you a hosting | | | | hosting. The first is expense. While Hostgator [ offers |
| subcontractor. So which option should you choose? | | | | shared web hosting for prices between $5 and $13 a |
| There are advantages and disadvantages to both, | | | | month, their reseller packages vary between $25 and |
| and we'll examine each below. | | | | $100 a month, depending on size and traffic. Sure, |
| The main advantages of shared web hosting is that it | | | | some of this expense could be offset by reselling |
| is simple, cheap, and efficient on a small scale. For a | | | | your unused web space to others, but that is never |
| personal or small business website, this is all you will | | | | a sure thing. What if you have trouble finding |
| need. You get one website and one domain name, | | | | customers? There is a good chance that in any given |
| often with the option to set up sub-domains for the | | | | month, you will have some hosting space you are not |
| different parts of your website. First, you are not | | | | using, but still paying for. |
| only renting space on their web server equipment, | | | | The second problem is that, as a hosting |
| you were renting their support. It is the responsibility | | | | subcontractor, you are now responsible for |
| of your hosting provider to keep your website | | | | maintaining support to all the people you resold web |
| constantly accessible and running smoothly, and | | | | hosting space to-except that you actually have very |
| provide you with any technical support you might | | | | little power over such technical problems. Although |
| need-making this one less issue, you have to worry | | | | you often have some limited administrative |
| about when running your own business. Second, | | | | functionality, all you can do for serious technical |
| shared web hosting is five to twenty times cheaper | | | | problems like an internet outage is pass the |
| than reseller hosting, with prices ranging as low as $5 | | | | information on to your web hosting provider. Once |
| per month, or even free. | | | | your customers realize you are essentially just a |
| There are drawbacks to free hosting sites, however. | | | | near-powerless middleman, they may lose confidence |
| The main one is reliability. As you are not a paying | | | | in you and switch to a different web hosting |
| customer, if the site goes down, all you can do is | | | | provider. It doesn't take much to ruin your brand |
| wait. You have no contract guaranteeing you a set | | | | name, and once that happens, your monthly reseller |
| response time for internet outages. Free hosting is | | | | web hosting costs will rise and you lose customers to |
| great for a personal website, but if you're running a | | | | offset those monthly costs. |