The benefits of a dedicated server may be worth the added cost, so you may not even need to read this section. If youre on the fence and wondering whether its worth increasing your monthly cost tenfold, then you may want to keep reading to see what youre getting with your own server

 Storage and Bandwidth
A dedicated server gives you 100% of the resources instead of just a slice. With more storage, you can add more products, if youre running an e-commerce website, which also means more photos and videos. On a shared server, youre much more limited, but some of the best e-commerce hosting providers make it doable

Youll also get more bandwidth, which means your site visitors shouldnt see lag when your site pages load. It also means you can accept more visitors at once without any slowdowns or interruptions. Shared servers typically limit this resource so that all clients on the server arent affected by traffic spikes

 Server Uptime Guarantees
Youve likely seen web hosts boast 99.9% server uptime. Thats nearly 100%, so it has to be good, right? No server is going to be up 24/7. Web hosts have to perform maintenance, and so occasionally servers will be down. Hosts will tell you when the server will be down, and that downtime doesnt count toward the guarantee

However, if your server is down at any time other than the scheduled maintenance, youre likely entitled to a portion of your monthly fee back. Its a good idea to keep an uptime monitor running to either claim the money-back guarantee or see whether its worth moving to another host (if theres too much downtime). After all, if your server isnt up, no one can visit your site(s)

 Server Location
Another benefit to choosing dedicated hosting is that you can usually choose your server location. This is helpful if you study your site visitor data. If most of your site traffic originates in the Midwest of the United States, you may be able to choose a server in, say, Chicago. Being able to choose your server location can help with site load speed for site visitors

Alternatively, look for a web host that offers a content delivery network (CDN), which mirrors your site on multiple servers throughout the globe. This cuts down on the time it takes to load your website for visitors that originate in another part of the world

 Managed vs. Unmanaged Dedicated Hosting

Most web hosts offer two options for a dedicated server: unmanaged or managed dedicated server hosting. An unmanaged, or bare metal, server costs less because the host doesnt maintain the server for you

Choose an unmanaged server if you dont mind doing the work. Youll install a control panel, maintain security, apply patches and maintain updates yourself. Go with a managed server if you want the web host to handle security and maintenance for youthis is a better option if youve never performed server maintenance before

You may also want to consider using a virtual private network (VPN) to enhance security when logging in to your server. Its especially helpful to use a VPN when accessing the internet over Wi-Fi. The best VPNs are affordable and easy to use on your desktop or a mobile device

 HDD vs. SSD Storage
A classic hard disk drive (HDD) is a mechanical hard drive on which you store files. Its a far cheaper option for personal computers and servers alike. However, a solid-state drive (SSD) is faster, offers better overall performance and uses less energy and power. So, it comes down to your needs. If you arent concerned about speed and want an affordable, large storage option, go with HDD. If price isnt a concern and you dont need as much storage, SSD is a better choice

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