Since 2010 the number of people using the internet in Guyana has increased by over 30%. As of 2017 internet penetration stood at 37%1. Mobile Money Guyana, a mobile payment wallet has been gaining popularity in the country, the pandemic has also helped accelerate the development of local e-commerce services2. As the online economy grows there are more opportunities to launch an online business or to expand your existing business online. To take proper advantage of the opportunities online, you will need to build a website. This is where the services of a website development company in Guyana will be required.
A web development agency will help you design, build and launch your website. One important decision where professional advice can be crucial is determining what type of hosting you should choose for your website. In this article, we explore the different types of hosting available for websites, so that you can have an informed discussion with your website developers.
What is hosting?
For a website to be available on the internet, it needs to be ‘hosted’ somewhere. This means that all the files, images, text, icons, etc that make up a website need to be stored on a physical server somewhere. When someone opens a website on a browser, the server sends the files to the browser which then loads the site. A web hosting service is a company that provides the facilities and infrastructure required for clients to host their sites. The amount of space a website takes up on a server can vary greatly. It will depend on the number of pages the site has, the size of the image files, etc. Mentioned below are the different types of hosting you can choose from.
Types of web hosting
1. Shared Hosting
As the name indicates, in this type of hosting you share a server with other websites. This is a great option for smaller websites that are just getting started. Websites that are hosted on a shared server will share resources like RAM, CPU power, etc. The big benefit of this type of hosting is that the cost is relatively low. If you anticipate that your website will get large number of visitors, then this may not be the best option for you. Shared servers generally can’t handle large surges in traffic.
2. Dedicated hosting
The other side of shared hosting, in this type of hosting a website has its own dedicated physical server. This type of hosting will afford you a large amount of control over the server on which your site is hosted. If you have a dedicated server, your website design and development team can help you decide what is the best security for you to use, what operating system the server should run, etc. This type of hosting is typically the most expensive option. To maintain this type of hosting you need to have the required technical knowledge, hence you will need to work with a professional agency. A dedicated server can handle large amounts of traffic and will not be impacted by the performance of other websites as there are no other sites using the same server.
3. Virtual Private Hosting (VPS)
VPS hosting is the mid-point between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. In this type of hosting a certain amount of space on a dedicated server is allocated to your site. This provides webmaster with more control over their sites’ performance and storage. VPS hosting is also less expensive than getting a dedicated server but is more expensive than shared. This type of hosting can handle more traffic than shared hosting but will not be able to keep up with very large volumes of traffic.
Some other hosting options you can consider are cloud hosting and managed hosting. Contact WebFX, a web development company for Guyana businesses and get the right advise on what type of hosting is right for you.
Sources:
- Jul 2021, “Percentage of population using the internet in Guyana from 2010 to 2017”, Statista, [available online] available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1055477/internet-penetration-guyana/ [accessed Dec 2021]
- n.d., “Guyana – Country Commercial Guide – eCommerce”, International Trade Administration, [available online] available from: https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/guyana-ecommerce [accessed Dec 2021]
