Popular Options for Hosting Multiple Domains

The low cost of domain name registration and web hosting services has made it very feasible to operate multiple websites.  Because there are actually a few ways to achieve this, it is important to make yourself familiar with each option as well as the benefits and drawbacks that come along with them.

Genuine Multiple Domain Hosting

When deciding to run multiple websites, the first determination that needs to be made is whether or not to do so with the same company.  Multiple domain hosting has become incredibly popular over the last few years and almost ever host you run across will offer this capability.  These are providers that allow you to host and administer several domains on a single account.  Many prefer this option for the simple fact that is both cost effective and less stressful from a management aspect.  Simply login into your control panel software and all of your domains can be managed from a centralized interface.

Growing with Your Current Host

If you already have a website and are content with the services provided by your current web host, you may want to consider purchasing additional accounts from them.  This makes a good option because it gives you the peace of mind of dealing with a web hosting provider you are familiar with.  In addition, companies that value their customers have been known to offer discounted prices for each additional account that is purchased from them.  On the flip side of the coin, going with a new host will give you the ability to evaluate and experience the services offered by other companies.  It will also allow you to have different IP addresses for each of your websites.

The Reseller Route

Another option you have for multiple domain hosting is signing up for a reseller account.  Because this type of hosting is designed for maintaining several websites under a single account, you typically get the assurance of a stable platform that won’t suffer from slow page loads and frequent server crashes.  Unfortunately, reseller hosting is traditionally more costly than conventional hosting and tends to come with less features.  So, if you don’t plan to resell hosting packages, this type of arrangement could actually be to your disadvantage.

Factors to Keep in Mind

Apart from signing up with different providers, these are mainly your options for multiple domain hosting.  Because purchasing a reseller account or separate accounts with different hosts can prove to be expensive, many opt for solutions that allow you to host a given amount of websites or unlimited domain hosting.  While there are benefits to such an arrangement, the drawbacks are quite unsettling.  If the server happens to go down, all of your websites will be down as well.  This could be equally damaging whether you are running a profitable e-commerce site or popular blog.  Because of this, it is critical to choose a hosting company that offers a reliable service and around the clock technical support.

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Apr 09, 2009 : Multiple Domain Hosting No responses yet

The Pros and Cons of Multiple Domain Hosting

Having the ability to host multiple domains on a single account can help you save a lot of time, money and streamline the process of website management.  The concept of multiple domains has become so popular that most hosts on the market offer this ability as a standard feature.  This is certainly a good move from a business aspect as you can really expand your online presence by tackling your particular market from various angles.  While multiple domain hosting makes sense in many situations, the disadvantages could lead you to wonder if this is actually a wise move.

What’s Right with Multiple Domain Hosting

If you have a need to run more than one website, hosting them with the same company only seems practical, especially when looking at it from a cost perspective.  With multiple domain hosting, you simply pay for a single account and have the freedom to add on a give amount of domains at no additional cost.  This allows you to save tremendously in comparison to purchasing accounts from different web hosting providers.  In a sense, all of these domains are independent of one another, acting as individual websites with their own URLs, email accounts, website design and architecture.  Moreover, you have the luxury to manage these domains from a single control panel interface.  So, instead of logging in every time with a different set of credentials, you simply sign on with a single user name and password and have convenient access to all of your domains.

What’s Wrong with Multiple Domain Hosting

The very quality that makes multiple domain hosting such a viable option could also make it a disaster just the same.  Unfortunately, web servers have a bad habit of crashing at the most untimely moments.  If this happens to the server hosting your domains, all of your websites will go down right along with the machine.  It doesn’t take much explaining to see that this is a bad situation you don’t want to find yourself in.  Although some providers utilize a load balancing technology where website data is spread amongst multiple servers to mitigate such risks, not all hosts take such precautions.  Servers are bound to experience issues, but suffering hours or possibly days of downtime is something that could literally kill your business.

The best way to avoid a situation like the one mentioned above would be to spread your multiple domains over multiple web hosting companies.  Then again, that defeats the general purpose of multiple domain hosting.  It requires more time, effort and money on your part to effectively manage these websites.  On the other hand, it will give you a peace of mind by knowing that your entire operation will not be compromised by one unfortunate event.

Conclusion

The benefits of multiple domain hosting are hard to deny and when considering cost savings, difficult to resist.  At the same time, the lingering threat of downtime may not be something you are willing to risk.  Though nothing is guaranteed, you can minimize the probability of disaster by choosing a provider that delivers a reliable service and takes measures to ensure as little downtime as possible.

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Apr 06, 2009 : Multiple Domain Hosting No responses yet

What is Multiple Domain Hosting?

Even though web hosting is generally affordable these days, running multiple websites can get quite expensive.  Let’s say things are going well and you have a need to operate five websites.  If you are paying $10 a month for each account, web hosting becomes as costly as a monthly utility bill.  You really feel the damage if your web host requires you to purchase service on an annual basis.  If you need more than one website, multiple domain hosting is something you should definitely look into.

Multiple domain hosting says it all.  This type of web hosting service allows you to host multiple domains on a single account.  Because each domain has a unique address, each acts as an individual website.  All of your websites can have different file structures, email accounts and other features totally independent of one another.  While they typically share the same IP address, some companies will provide you with a dedicated IP address for each domain.

Why Multiple Domain Hosting?

The allure behind multiple domain hosting is simple - cost savings.  Although you are generally required to pay for each individual domain, all of your websites are covered for the cost of a  single web hosting account.  This arrangement allows you to create websites for your own personal needs and possibly allocate sites for your clients or affiliates.  As long as you are hosting with a reliable company, you can charge clients whatever you desire while paying one price for the service.  This is especially true when signing up with a company that offers unlimited domain hosting.  Although it isn’t advisable to go over board with multiple websites, you should be able host a decent amount on a platform built for stability.

Getting the Best of Multiple Domain Hosting

In terms of competition, the web hosting industry is thicker than ever before.  This simply means you don’t have to sacrifice on price, features or the quality of service.  In fact, multiple domain hosting is so popular that it has become a common trend on the market.  Although some companies charge a minimal fee for each additional domain, most providers will allow you to host several at no additional charge.   While the feature-set required all depends on your needs, there are a few qualities you can’t be without.

Disk Storage - When it comes to multiple domain hosting, disk space is perhaps more important than traditional web hosting.  This is because the amount allotted to your accounted is to be allotted to each individual domain.  If you plan to host five domains, you need to make sure your account comes with enough to support each website.

Bandwidth - In order for visitors to enjoy the time spent on your websites, you will need to choose a web hosting plan that offers an adequate amount of bandwidth.  Without enough bandwidth, the massive traffic from just one of your sites can make all of them slow and eventually inaccessible.

Support - Support is vital no matter what type of hosting you sign up for.  If you were provided with dedicated IP addresses, one of your domains could experience issues while the others work fine.  Look for a web host that can deliver quality support whenever you have questions or concerns regarding any of your domains.

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Feb 17, 2009 : Multiple Domain Hosting No responses yet

Multiple Domain Hosting : What You Should Know

Multiple domain hosting is a major draw on the web hosting market.  As the name implies, this type of web hosting allows you to host more than one domain on a single account.  Such an arrangement is particularly beneficial for someone with a need to run numerous websites.  Multiple domain hosting offers cost efficiency as you can easily manage all of your sites from a single interface while paying a fixed monthly cost for one account.  Although the advantages are obvious, the disadvantages may cause you to think twice about multiple domain hosting.

How it Works

Multiple domain hosting is a relatively simple process.  For the most part, you are simply adding on domains to your original account.  In this type of scenario, the additional domains are tied in with your primary domain despite having their own domain names and URLs.  From the web hosting control panel, you can individually manage all of your domains and have the ability to create email accounts, upload files and install software specific to those websites.

Disadvantages

The greatest disadvantage of multiple domain hosting all boils down to one thing - performance.  For instance, if you are hosting five domains and they all become popular and experience a lot of traffic, you may find that your websites run sluggishly.  You also run the risks of exceeding your monthly bandwidth as the traffic for each site will feed off a single allotment.  If this occurs, visitors will have limited access to your site, leaving you with no choice but to purchase extra bandwidth at additional costs.  This is a significant drawback that outweighs all the money you will save with multiple domain hosting. You can avoid this problem by investing in a more robust hosting solution.  With VPS and dedicated hosting, you receive guaranteed resources and can generally host multiple domains without too many enduring performance issues.

Finding Multiple Domain Hosting

While there are a number of companies that offer multiple domain hosting, some only allow you to purchase one domain per account.  If want to run additional websites, you will be required to pay extra for each account.  A true multiple domain host will you allow to host several domains for one low price.  Some will let you host a certain number of domains while others offer unlimited domain hosting.  Keep in mind that even though you may have signed up for unlimited domain hosting, it is not practical to host too many websites at once, especially if you are operating on a shared server.  This will ultimately lead to the issues of bandwidth and performance mentioned above.

Conclusion

Despite the drawbacks, multiple domain hosting offers a great way to operate numerous websites and save money at the same time.  The key is finding a web that offers enough disk space and bandwidth to effectively host multiple websites.  Although it isn’t recommended to host too many sites on a single server, a reliable platform gives you a better chance of doing so without suffering from performance issues.

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Feb 13, 2009 : Multiple Domain Hosting No responses yet

Multiple Domains and Your IP Address

Even though more people are doing it, the question still remains the same - should you host multiple domains on a single IP address?  Many of the experts have stated that you should always have one IP address for each unique domain while others have contested that it really doesn’t matter.  Most providers today do not offer static IP addresses unless the customer needs to configure SSL on their site.  In any event, if you absolutely need a separate address, be prepared to pay a few extra dollars each month.

Multiple Domains, IPs and Search Engines

The focal point of hosting multiple domains on a single IP address has always revolved around the search engines.  Years ago, search engines such as Google and Yahoo collected the IP address of a single website rather than the web server into its database.  Today’s search engine technology has changed, catering to virtual domains as URLs are more of a priority than a website’s IP address.

Another issue relates to search engine banning.  Because web hosting companies really have no way to thoroughly screen their customers, practically anyone can sign up for an account.  This includes those planning to create sites hosting malicious software, adult content and much more.  With everyone trying to fight their way to the top of the rankings, several people are cheating the search engines in order to receive a higher spot.  The speculation here is that if the search engine finds out, it disqualifies that listing and bans the entire IP address.  This would mean that any other user sharing that IP address would have their website banned as well.  Some have said that the possibility alone is enough to want your own dedicated IP address.  On the other hand, shared and virtual hosting is quite popular and serviced by a number of reliable providers.  This has led others to believe that sharing an IP address is fine as long as every user is following the rules and not spamming the search engines.

Do You Need a Dedicated IP Address?

Although a large company should definitely have its own IP address, small to medium sized businesses and personal users hosting on a header-based Unix-like server can get away without it.  The IP address of the web server is enough to enable access to FTP or SSH.  There tends to be no performance issues or access restrictions when using headers other than IP addresses.  However, if you want anonymous FTP and SSL on your site, you may feel more comfortable with a dedicated IP address.

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Dec 29, 2008 : Multiple Domain Hosting No responses yet