Thanks to the low charge of domain names and hosting fees it is conceivable to own many websites without breaking the bank. There are a few ways to handle multiple domains so it is vital to understand what your options are and the benefits and disadvantages of each approach.
The most elementary selection when managing multiple domains is whether to do so with the identical hosting company. Most hosts offer packages which can allow several sites to be attached to one account, or allow single sites to run under separate accounts.
You may own an existing website and be delighted with the services your host provides. If you resolve to start a new website using the identical host, dealing with a company you are familiar with and trust will comfort you. You may also get a discount for each added account you open with the same host. On the other hand, using a new host for a second (or third or fourth) website can allow you to compare the quality of hosting offered by different companies. In addition, separate hosts will provide each of your web sites with a different IP address.
Having different IP addresses can be critical if you intend to link the sites together to aid in search engine optimization. Incoming links are an important pointer of how consequential a website is, so a site with many incoming links can get a higher position in search engines like Google . If all the links are coming from the same IP address, however, Google may reduce their value. Hosting your numerous sites with different hosting companies guarantees that each site has a different IP address. Individual IP addresses, however, are available at an extra cost from most web hosts. For a yearly fee each website can have its own unique IP address. This can help with search engine ranking and if you want to have a secure connection (https) on your site.
If you decide to host all your sites with the same company, there are three basic ways to go. Each site could have its own account; you could sign up for a reseller account; or you could get a dedicated server account.
As a reseller you are acting as an agent for the hosting company. They apportion some disk space and bandwidth to you which you use as you please. There may be a limitation to the number of websites you can host with your reseller account. If you have space left after using this account for your own sites you could earn some extra income by selling accounts to other people. The advantage of a reseller account is the hosting company taking care of all the technical details. Some will even provide gateways for billing your customers.
A dedicated server account gives you command of all the resources of an entire server. You are free to setup as many websites as you wish and assign disk space and bandwidth as you see fit. The disadvantage to this account is that you are responsible for maintaining the server. This requires significant technical know-how so if you don't have that knowledge or don't feel like learning about it, dedicated servers are not for you. You can, of course, go with a managed dedicated server. The disadvantage of this is the higher cost involved.
Hosting all your sites with one host can offer many advantages but there is one chief drawback : if your server goes down, all your sites go down. If you are depending on your sites for income this can be catastrophic. So, it is a good idea to have at least one of your sites with a different host. If your sites are essential for your livelihood and you can't manage any down time whatever, it is better to host everything with (at least) two hosts.
Llewellin RG Jegels has been a contributing author for this website and has written various beneficial pieces of information related to web hosting. He can be found on the internet at this website: http://www.domain-hosting-solutions.com
