Choosing the cheapest web hosting plan for your site isn’t the most profitable deal. Conversely, the most expensive hosting provider isn’t necessarily the best choice for storing your site files. The hosting for your site matters a lot, so do some deep research before making a final decision. You don’t need the best hosting ever, but you do need a plan that perfectly fits your site’s needs.
The hosting quality influences the uptime, security, and performance of a site. Your online business relies on the host. Luckily, many companies provide stellar hosting services. The real challenge is identifying the best solution for your needs. This article will help you determine if cloud hosting—the new kid on the block—is an effective solution for your site.
What is cloud hosting?
Cloud hosting refers to the usage of virtual hardware, storage, and other resources to host data, including cloud communication services.. A number of clustered servers keep your site’s files and render them when needed. The biggest difference between cloud and other types of hosting is that the site’s files are stored on multiple interconnected servers and not on a single instance.
Cloud hosting is the newest type of site hosting, and lots of IT giants have invested serious money in it. The cloud industry grows considerably each year, and these stats should convince you to take cloud hosting into account.
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Advantages of cloud hosting
Cloud hosting comes with its advantages and disadvantages. The general opinion is that the advantages outnumber the disadvantages. Much more, some experts say that one day everyone will be in the clouds! Here are the most important advantages.
High uptime and availability
Your site’s availability depends on the server’s availability; once it goes offline, your site is offline. A shared host won’t be available 24/7 due to various factors, such as performing updates, changing the hosting structure, or natural or artificial disasters.
Cloud hosting is, by nature, a better solution. The site’s files are kept on multiple interconnected servers. Anytime a server is down, others replace it, and no sites go down.
I have multiple websites including Woblogger with Cloudways. Frankly, I never experienced any downtime (see screenshot below).
Better performance
Your site will be online in no time if you choose cloud hosting; you don’t need to wait until the server is ready like you have to with shared hosting. Cloud hosting equals faster site deployment!
I don’t need to mention the capital role of loading speed. All speed tests have shown the superiority of cloud hosting over other types of hosting. The cloud system detects the closest server to a given user to provide the content. It works like a content delivery network (CDN), so expect blazing-fast loading speed.
According to our speed and uptime test, Cloudways is the most reliable cloud hosting provider in the market.
Increased scalability
Scalability is the biggest advantage of cloud hosting. Unlike other hosting alternatives, cloud management systems adjust the resources used by your site. A traffic spike won’t make the hosting agent ask you to purchase a superior plan—the cloud system allocates the needed resources instantly.
I’ve been using Cloudways since January 2016 for this blog. I happily recommend Cloudways to my readers because I am a proud customer.
Consider cloud hosting if you are extremely ambitious in your plan to grow your startup.
Improved security
Did you know that hosting is responsible for 41% of all websites hacks? Did you know that WordPress is the most hacked content management system? Undoubtedly, security should be a top priority for every website admin, so treat it accordingly.
The huge majority of security experts agree that cloud hosting is more secure than shared hosting, but managed WordPress hosting is even more secure.
To sum up, cloud hosting is secure, but don’t forget that there is no unhackable host provider.
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Disadvantages of cloud hosting
Let’s explore some of the disadvantages of cloud hosting.
Unpredictable prices
Know how much money you should pay for shared or WordPress managed hosting for one, two or even three years. It helps you in shaping an accurate business strategy – you pay upfront and rest assured.
With cloud hosting, you pay only for the resources consumed. For e.g. Let’s say if you’re an accountant using quickbooks pro desktop hosting then you need to pay the hosting fees depending upon the number of users you have which is a feasible thing. It’s great because you don’t pay for something you don’t use, but you can’t predict the cost of hosting, and that’s not very helpful, especially for new businesses. On top of that, the price of cloud hosting is higher than the price of shared hosting and similar to managed WordPress hosting.
Secure, but not unhackable
As I previously mentioned, cloud hosting is secure, but it’s not unhackable. Even though your site is in the cloud, you have to take proactive steps to strengthen its security. People are tempted to believe that because they pay a high price for cloud hosting, security is a given.
Nope, cloud hosting doesn’t mean your site is 100% secure. Its security significantly depends on your approach. Use a weak password and “admin” as the username, and hackers will surely hack your site even if it’s hosted on the best platform.
Is cloud hosting right for me?
If you purchase the services of a cloud hosting provider, you can’t go wrong, that’s for sure! However, before making any decisions, you have to follow these steps:
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What is the purpose of the site?
A small personal project, such as a blog or an online resume, has a limited number of visitors and isn’t attractive to hackers. Don’t go for cloud hosting if you don’t want to attract many site visitors. Consequently, shared hosting should be your first option.
What are your expectations?
Your expectations are vital for picking the proper web hosting. Even if you’re starting small, you can go for cloud hosting if your ambitions are high. Ambition alone isn’t enough, however. You need a serious budget and a business strategy. Allocate a realistic budget for cloud hosting to avoid any future problems. Apart from all this try to look for a web hosting provider who was 24×7 support and expertise in complex tasks such as website migrations and Exchange to Office 365 migration etc..
What are the visitors’ expectations?
This question is probably the most important. Every administrator wants to run a well-performing site, but it’s not possible to do so without a lot of work and a decent budget. Cloud hosting improves your site’s performance, but in some instances, this investment doesn’t pay off.
If you own an online resume visited by ten people a day, a blog for sharing personal impressions, or a church website checked out by tens of community members a month, cloud hosting is too big for you. Also, the visitors don’t expect high performance for these sites. The cheapest shared hosted from trusted providers is the proper alternative.
Conversely, online stores, SaaS sites, magazine news, or technology blogs should load fast and provide the best user experience. Under these circumstances, cloud hosting seems legit. People will instantly leave your site if it doesn’t satisfy their expectations.
Recommended cloud hosting provider: Cloudways
Woblogger readers can get $30 FREE hosting credits with our exclusive promo code. Simply add Cloudways coupon code “WOBLOGGER” when you sign up with Cloudways, and $30 credit will be applied automatically.
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Wrapping up
Sooner or later, storing the site’s files in the cloud will be the leading type of hosting. Currently, Cloudways, Google, Microsoft, and other important IT players are working hard to earn a bigger market share in the cloud industry. In this context, I expect that cloud hosting prices will go down, and it will become the norm. Depending on your budget, you can hop on the bandwagon or keep an eye on it until it becomes accessible to you.
About the author: Rikard is an experienced WordPress developer who likes to design, launch, and optimize websites. He runs SteadyWP – a startup for people who want to get the most from their WordPress sites.
