Whether or not you might need a dedicated or a shared web hosting service is dependent on quite a few factors. However, regardless of which you might eventually decide on using it is possibly not as important as the service and advice that you get from the web hosting provider – so just what should you look for when trying to select the best web hosting sites and services?

Do you need a dedicated server?

On the basis that a dedicated web hosting server will invariably be more expensive than a shared one – an essential question to ask yourself is, do you need a dedicated web hosting server? First up here is the size of web server storage you can get. It used to be that the best web hosting service providers would always recommend a dedicated server over a shared one, as they used to offer customers unlimited storage space. That was OK and a fair point, even as recently as a few years ago. But today, with the costs of web server storage hardware being so low – the idea of unlimited storage space as a selling point is pretty redundant. So, even if you're running a website that has masses of multi-media files and applications - storage space even on a shared web server shouldn't be an issue. Another selling point that was often used for dedicated servers is that you'll get a better broadband width with them. Broadband width is important to you, especially if you have or anticipate a large volume of visitors to your website. However, the same as for the web server storage issue, as time moves on so does the bandwidth available to all users, so that nowadays the best web hosting sites will be able to offer you deals giving you unprecedented broadband width – even on shared web servers. So, the truth is that unless you're already a massive online operation in all probability you don't need to pay hundreds of dollars a month for a dedicated web server. Indeed the best web hosting services that you come across on the internet these days are unlikely to try and persuade you that you need a dedicated web server, should you be at all unsure about what to ask for.

Shared web servers – less expensive, not cheap

On the basis that shared web servers are always less expensive then dedicated ones – you could be forgiven for thinking that even the best web hosting services are trying to sell you an inferior web hosting service. If you look carefully at what is on offer you can find inexpensive options at less than $10 a month – but also shared web servers that can cost up to $100 a month. Whilst a shared web hosting server at $10 a month will be aimed at users just beginning to develop a web presence the more expensive shared web server options, from the best web hosting services, will meet the needs of the most demanding and sophisticated of websites that might previously have been hosted on dedicated web servers.

Virtual Web Servers – the new solution in shared web hosting

How do the best web hosting services offer shared web servers that can operate as effectively as dedicated ones – simple, by using the new technology of Virtual Private Servers, or VPS. In short a virtual private server gives you all the advantages of a dedicated one, but at a cost more in line with shared web servers. Advantages of VPS include: massive if not unlimited broadband widths, individual IP addresses, the ability to install/use an operating system of your choice, a 'virtual' server root access level so you can install other software of your choice and storage in the hundreds of gigabytes which is scalable, as too will be the RAM option you begin with. Furthermore, by using one of the best web hosting sites to supply your VPS services you'll also be able to access their support services to help make sure that you get the very best out of your shared web hosting option. After all, we're not all web technology experts or have access to our own IT technical departments for help – so looking for good web server hosting support is another important aspect in your selection criteria when trying to decide who really is the best web hosting service.