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Starting a business website is not a simple task.
In addition to considering business activities, you have to look at SEO (search engine optimization), security, and various other factors.
A reliable dedicated server is an easy solution for a site that can handle high traffic and allows you to install your scripts if you can afford it.
Unlike web hosting and VPS that host multiple sites at the same time, dedicated servers host only one separate website, which results in better stability and reliability.
Your site has exclusive access to the server's full CPU, memory, and hard disk without sharing resources with other users' websites.
If you plan to build your website on shared hosting, it means that your web pages may be affected by neighboring Websites, especially those that consume too much hardware resources.
For example, when other sites on the same host handle peak traffic, your web pages may load very slowly or even fail to respond at all.
what is a Dedicated Server
A dedicated server gives you more freedom and control over your hosting functionality. However, this means that the server's maintenance, including security, backup, version upgrade, and other tasks, must be performed 24/7.
A dedicated server can significantly reduce these potential problems and give system administrators better control over the server's programs and scripts.
Shared hosting is much more restrictive in terms of what you can perform. Everything you do may affect other sites on the same server.
A dedicated server offers much more flexibility in that you can handle your scripts and programs with absolutely no concern that others will affect the host's bandwidth or memory.
1. SiteGround
Official Website
SiteGround's history is similar to Facebook's, although not as well-known. Initially founded in 2004 by a few college friends in a dorm room, the company has grown to become the world's leading Web hosting provider. What started with just a handful of people working in a college dorm room now has over 400 employees and continues to grow, handling over 1,500 Tickets, 1,000 phone calls, and 3,000 chat requests per day. Also, they proudly host over 1 million websites, and that number is growing by the hour.
They offer various models of CPU, RAM, RAID, and hard drive configurations for you to choose from for dedicated server hosting plans. Prices range from $269/month for an entry-level server to $729/month for a high-end enterprise server, and you can configure a server with up to 2TB hard drives, 64GB of RAM, and 10TB of traffic per month.
Sadly, you can only get a dedicated Linux-based server, so if you want a Windows-equipped host.
We recommend checking out Liquid Web's hosting options, which not only allow you to choose between Linux or Windows operating systems but also allow you to customize a more flexible hosting plan.
SiteGround's dedicated hosting is set up and managed by the best experts. The latter offers several highly innovative dedicated software to improve server performance and have more features than most competitors.
- First-class hardware: They have created a unique option of high-performance and stable servers located in the best data centers.
- Fully managed: Experienced experts set up your servers to keep their software up-to-date, and your machines are monitored 24/7 for immediate response in case of problems.
- 24×7 support: get fast support from knowledgeable experts via live chat, phone, and Ticket, restart at your request, diagnose in case of failure.
SiteGround has positioned itself as a hosted service provider for small businesses.
From limited resources to support every other feature, their services are designed primarily for mom-and-pop stores, sole proprietors, and independent businesses that don't have much time or fancy skills.
Advantages
- • Very stable uptime
- • Integration with CloudFlare for improved performance and security
- • Many security features
- • Excellent customer service
- • Five data centers, more than most competitors
- • Free website migration and live installation assistance
Disadvantages
- • More expensive
- • Fewer dedicated server hosting plans to choose from
- • No Windows server option
2. DreamHost
Official Website
DreamHost has a long list of features to meet personal and business-related needs. No matter what kind of hosting service you are looking for, you will find the solution in DreamHost.
Like Liquid Web, this company also makes a 100% uptime guarantee, and they do not use low prices as a means of competition.
However, instead, they earn the trust of their customers through outstanding quality of service.
If you are even remotely dissatisfied with the service you receive within 97 days of first use, you can get an unconditional refund, and they won't ask any questions.
The dedicated server options on DreamHost aren't much different than many of their competitors.
You get 1TB of SSD storage and can configure servers with up to 16GB of RAM and a feature you may really need unlimited data transfer. Unfortunately, they lack a dedicated Windows-based server, and you're stuck with Linux, with no other options.
However, DreamHost offers one of the best user interfaces in the industry, a well-designed backend management system that's a far cry from the bloated, old cPanel.
It is easy to operate and well laid out, so even a super novice who has never been involved in website building can quickly become familiar with the various operations.
You can get free ZenCart, accessible through the One-Click Install menu in the backend. This open-source online shopping cart software allows users to see what you're selling quickly, and it also supports WooCommerce.
Including a complimentary $100 Google AdWords credit, you can use Chartbeat to track website traffic and analytics, unlike most other hosting providers, which generally only focus on Google Analytics.
DreamHost offers an anti-spam feature on their email, but they do not provide an anti-malware service.
However, we prefer to focus on some other aspects of website security.
- • There is a prominent link on the control panel to edit the .htaccess file in order to control access to the site or set a password
- • For content that you don't want to be indexed by search engines, you can block spiders/crawlers
- • You can set up cron jobs (automatic batch jobs) to schedule timed tasks or to monitor processes running on your website
- • DreamHost also offers a free SSL certificate, which is an essential addition to selling products online
If you are a developer or a managed software development team, you will surely like the Subversion software that comes with DreamHost, which helps you manage source code files. Most web hosts limit the applications you can use, and version control tools (such as Subversion) are rarely available to customers, so DreamHost has really made an exciting decision. This assumes, of course, that you are not using a Git repository.
Thanks to a wide range of utilities, useful site-building software, reliable security options, a generous money-back guarantee, and unlimited storage, bandwidth, domains, and email, DreamHost is one of the best choices.
However, their customer support service cannot be fully satisfied and does not even provide phone support.
Despite the customer service team's good expertise, the limited emails and online Tickets do not seem to give a complete sense of security.
Advantages
- • With the simple and easy-to-use administration backend and the new Remixer website builder, you will get a brand new website building experience!
- • Many security features, extensive website building tools
- • Unlimited storage, bandwidth, domains, and email
- • Commitment to 100% stable online guarantee
- • Lengthy 97-day money-back guarantee
Disadvantages
- • More expensive
- • Only one data center, located in California, USA
- • Customer support services are not fully satisfactory
3. Lunarpages
Official Website
Founded in 1998, Lunarpages is one of the oldest surviving Web hosting companies.
Lunarpages focuses on high-spec business web hosting services with a strong commitment to uptime and reliability.
the difference is that Lunarpages also offers shared hosting services for individuals and small businesses.
The company is headquartered in Anaheim, California, and was founded on a somewhat similar path to Apple, both born in a garage. Through its 150,000 customer base, Lunarpages is not a large hosting company, but it does serve some of the biggest tech brands, such as Dell, HP, and Microsoft, to name a few.
Lunarpages has three data centers: two in California (Los Angeles and Riverside) and one in Las Vegas. They promise 100% uptime, a 100% infrastructure guarantee, and a hardware replacement window of up to 1 hour. What is unclear is what will happen if they fail to meet their own uptime goals.
If your existing website is host elsewhere, then Lunarpages will help you migrate it to their free servers. You can get 24×7 customer support services via phone, live chat, email, and Ticket system.
To provide satisfactory hosting services to their customers, they have a group of excellent technicians and their regular customer support staff to respond as soon as possible to complex problems.
Additionally, they also offer a standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
The coupon code (Coupon) entry box can be confusing on the registration page because there are no coupon codes available.
the coupon codes previously offered by Lunarpages have long since expired, and those circulating on the internet have a disability.
Lunarpages is a comprehensive colocation provider but with a greater focus on quality hosting services. The shared hosting they offer is not particularly attractive, although some businesses may purchase a shared plan first and then upgrade as needed. The real focus here is on quality rather than quantity: premium cloud hosting and dedicated servers with powerful hardware configurations, top-notch uptime, and a professional and fast technical support team.
Advantages
- • More affordable compared to other competitors
- • Commitment to 100% network uptime
- • Reliable server performance with faster average page load times than most competitors
- • Advanced Backup and Recovery Services
- • Professional and quick technical support team
Disadvantages
- • All three data centers are located in the United States
- • Poorer website experience, Lunarpages was founded in 1998, and frankly, their website doesn't seem to have been updated since that time
- • There is a coupon code input box on the purchase page, but there is no coupon code available for dedicated hosting
4. Liquid Web
Official Website
Since 1997, Liquid Web has been a leader in the colocation industry.
To date, they provide excellent service to more than 32,000 customers from all over the world and host more than 500,000 websites.
Many of these sites belong to major brands like Motorola, FedEx, and Symantec.
If you can afford such costs, then you can get satisfactory services.
Before 2016, Liquid Web also offered shared web hosting services, but to better meet the needs of professionals who rely purely on the Web.
Liquid Web now focuses only on premium hosting. The Web hosting industry is too focused on price competition, even winning at the expense of customer service and hosting performance.
Liquid Web is committed to changing this paradigm and investing in next-generation hosting solutions designed to provide the hosting industry's best hosting experience.
LiquidWeb refers to their technical support services as Heroic Support because they try to exceed your expectations. Some things we think you should know.
- • 100% network and uptime guarantee
- • Provide 24-hour technical support services
- • Support staff must undergo more than 300 hours of training before they are onboarded
In one branch of the Liquid Web data center, a group of very dedicated employees sits on a call with one goal in mind: to fix any problems with our customers' servers before they become problems.
This proactive approach means that they will find a problem before your site stops working and in most cases, it will be fixed before you even realize it's there.
This is, of course, talking about Liquid Web's Monitoring team, a team whose sole focus is server reliability and immediate incident resolution, and one of the secrets of Liquid Web's ability to outperform many other Web hosting companies is this.
Migrating your website to a new host may seem like a pain. However, here at Liquid Web, all problems are not a problem. If you are experiencing difficulties, then technical support will provide satisfactory help. There is an even better solution for WordPress sites. The well-customized Liquid Web plugin will make the migration process much more comfortable. After installing the plugin, all you need to do is fill in the FTP information on your old server, and Liquid Web's migration team will take care of the rest, usually within 2-7 days.
Without a doubt, Liquid Web has the best-dedicated hosting service in the industry.
Liquid Web's server performance and technical support far exceed that of most competitors. With many of the biggest brands using their hosting offerings, it's hard to find a reason not to recommend it.
The only problem may be the expensive cost, and if that is not a challenge for you, then Liquid Web would be the most worthwhile option to consider.
Advantages
- • You can choose between Linux or Windows operating systems
- • One of the best customer service in the industry
- • Commitment to 100% stable online guarantee, if not up to refundable
- • Free CloudFlare CDN, data backup, and DDoS protection
- • Advanced Business Email (add-on product)
Disadvantages
- • Expensive
- • Fewer data centers, all in Europe and the United States
Summary
There is no doubt that a dedicated server will cost you more of your budget, but this service may be worth every penny. If not already aware of the difference, you may experience a painful epiphany when the system goes down over the weekend, and you don't know why it's going wrong, or worse: you don't know how to fix it!
Dedicated managed services can minimize the amount of IT work you have to perform, but the management level can vary from company to company.
Some hosting providers offer semi-managed or fully managed services, and one company's fully managed plan may be completely different from another.
Overall, managed services may include, but are not limited to, hardware monitoring, software updates, security patches, and bug fixes.
Dedicated Server Hosting Tips
Having your own space means having enough freedom to do whatever you want and taking all the responsibility if something goes wrong. The same is true of dedicated server hosting, which, unlike shared servers and VPS, gives your server full control over resource consumption, software installation, and network monitoring, and you are solely responsible for costs and management.
What is a dedicated server?
A dedicated server is similar to any other type of server, with the difference that it hosts only one user's site. You get all the server resources of a dedicated host instead of shared bandwidth, storage, RAM, etc., in a shared hosting plan. For clarity, a virtual private server (VPS) is a single server partitioned to act as multiple dedicated hosts.
However, essentially, you still share the resources of one host with other users.
Linux and Windows
Most hosting providers will offer you a Linux and Windows system choice, while some more focused companies only work with one type.
Which one you choose depends mostly on the language or database you plan to use. If still unsure, we recommend that you choose Linux, as 99.9% of users use this dedicated server.
Cheap Dedicated Server Hosting
The individual instinct to choose the lower price in any purchase, but cheap and free for most products (including dedicated servers), is the most expensive thing. They will waste your time, waste your energy, and even waste your money, and you may not notice it until your website is down multiple times or fails to rank well. The good news is that you can get excellent performance and reasonable prices on the dedicated hosting market.