Multiple Options For Multiple Websites

The cost of web hosting has dropped to the point that even an individual can afford to have multiple websites. Domain name registration is available for a nominal fee per year, and the cost of shared hosting is more reasonable than ever. When you decide to set up multiple sites, or add to the ones you already have, the first decision to make is whether to use the same host for all your sites or to split up hosting duties.

On the one hand, if you're happy with your current web host, there is nothing wrong with going with the company that you know. If you have had good customer and technical service, it may be the easiest thing just to keep using the same host company.

Then again, trying a new host will give you a basis for comparison of services, and it will minimize the chances that a system-wide crash will wipe out all your data. One neat trick about having multiple web hosts is that all your sites will have different IP addresses. The reason this is important is that if your sites all have links to one another, search engine companies will rate those links higher if they all come from different IP addresses. If all your sites shared the same IP address, however, the links among them wouldn't matter as much to site rankings, since it would be obvious that they were owned by the same person.

One way to have multiple sites is to simply open additional accounts for each. But if you're adding lots of sites, there may be more cost effective ways of hosting multiple sites.

A reseller account is where you rent, at a discount, a substantial amount of server space to resell it to others at a profit. But you don't necessarily have to sell that extra server space to others. You could "sell" it to yourself and spend less than if you bought several separate accounts.

There are other advantages to having a reseller account. One is that you will have one point of contact for technical or customer support issues.

If you have a large business, or an enormous number of sites, you may be justified in renting an entire server for your use. Services for dedicated hosting differ. Some hosts provide technical and administrative oversight, and some do not. If a dedicated host does not deal with maintenance and technical issues, you will be responsible for coping with those yourself, or hiring someone to do so for you. Dedicated servers can be very expensive, costing hundreds of dollars per month. But for companies with heavy web traffic and high storage requirements, it could end up being the most cost effective solution to the problem of hosting multiple websites.

The good news is that there are more options than ever for maintaining multiple websites. And costs have dropped enough that even individuals can afford multiple domain names and websites. Choosing among the array of options won't be difficult if you keep in mind your budget, the importance or irrelevance of multiple links, and your need in terms of size and CPU usage.