Last year we took a look at the best web hosting options for photographers. Since that time, there have been changes on both the photography and web hosting fronts. And although technology continues to advance in both cases, it does appear that the enhancements in web hosting will have a greater impact on your choice of hosting plan rather than any changes in your photography equipment or business.
Last year, I recommended InMotion Hosting and iPage for photographers. And in 2014, those are still two excellent choices. Additionally, let’s look at how some of the advanced technology and enhanced features have allowed other web hosting companies to be added to the Best Web Hosting for Photographers list this year.
Storage remains a big factor with increased file sizes along with the sheer number of images photographers are producing these days. The good news is that most web hosting companies are offering unlimited disk space with their hosting plans. And even better, a number of web hosts are now including solid state drives (SSDs) for better and faster performance. For web hosting plans that include SSDs at no extra charge, check out InMotion Hosting or GreenGeeks.
In an effort to provide faster loading times, some web hosting companies are including content delivery networks with their premium hosting plans. Using a CDN can greatly reduce loading times for static content—like your photographic images! A content delivery network allows your photos to be accessed from a server closer to your website visitors so they don’t have to wait longer for their display. Two established web hosting companies now including CDNs with their top level hosting plans are GoDaddy and 1&1 Hosting.
If you plan to have an even more extensive photography site needing even more resources, then getting a cloud hosting plan can be an attractive option. With cloud hosting, you get additional resources as needed. So, your cost is based on your usage. When you need the extra resources, they’re available to your site. And when your site doesn’t need them, they are released for others to use. For one of the best and most established cloud hosting options, see DreamHost.
While cloud web hosting gives you added power and resources, it is on the more expensive side. If you can’t quite afford a cloud hosting plan, but still would like more power and resources if you need them down the line, then Web Hosting Hub would be a great choice. Web Hosting Hub has three levels of shared hosting (Spark, Nitro, and Dynamo). Their base level plan is very affordable yet offers great features. Best of all, if you find that your site requires additional resources, you can easily upgrade to one of their advanced level hosting plans. While the Nitro and Dynamo plans at Web Hosting Hub will cost you a bit more money, they are much cheaper options than VPS, Dedicated, or Cloud Hosting.
How dose Hostinger compare to GoDaddy? Which web host is better? In this comparison of…