Self Hosted Site Builders vs. Web Hosting

Nowadays it’s becoming easier and easier for people to create their own unique websites. Whether you are completely tech savvy or an absolute beginner, creating and uploading a customised website has never been easier. The biggest issue comes with choosing what type of web host with a company like web24 you want to use. There are two main types of hosting available to rookies and professionals alike; self-hosted site builders and web hosting accounts. Choosing the right one isn’t easy and it’s important to know the differences between the two. Both systems come with pros and cons and it all depends on the type of website you want to build and how far you want to develop it. It is important to make the right decision from the outset as choosing the wrong type of hosting service could waste precious time and money later down the line.

Self-hosted site builders
These are extremely popular with people who are completely new to the industry. Self-hosted site builders are usually the quickest and easiest way to build a website as they don’t require any technical knowledge or experience to create. You can choose your website design from a selection of predetermined templates and you simply upload your text and images was desired.

These type of websites are generally very quick to create and can be launched in a very short period of time. Self-hosted site builders generally offer the cheapest rates for making your site since they eliminate the need to separately pay for a web host provider.

At first-glance, self hosted site builders might seem like a quick and simple way to overcome the short-term problem of getting your website online. Where they fall down however is their ability to provide long-term solutions to a website that grows in strength.

Creating a website quickly is easy using these services but the resulting websites are typically unimaginative and lack flexibility. There are often a limited number of pages allowed with limited templates and limited usability. As your website develops and grows you need to adapt it so that it’s more usable and search engine friendly. Using a site-builder surrenders this scope for adaptability in place of an initial ease-of-use. Self-hosting sites usually don't let you upload your own pages either and they rarely accommodate the use of complex scripts either.

Web hosting
True web hosting services provide a dedicated hosting account that functions primarily to maximise up-time and site speed. They allow users to upload completely customised web pages with sophisticated functionality which they can modify to an almost limitless degree of freedom. Web hosting services allow users to easily integrate eCommerce software as part of their site and some dedicated hosts even offer a basic package of this software for free as part of the deal.

Things to consider
When you’re choosing a web host there are three main areas to consider; flexibility, control and transferability of your site. Building a good website involves a lot more than just having a pretty layout. There is so much more to consider. Usability, search engine friendliness, content, flexibility, scalability and transferability all need to be considered and it is important that you have control over all these elements. Using a site-builder is a great way to quickly create a nice looking site, but as your ideas and ambitions grow, so must your website. Self-hosted site builders lack this ability to expand and grow so their long-term gains are extremely limited despite their short-term advantages.

Transferability can be an issue with site-builders. More often than not the templates they use are locked into their service so if a user wishes to transfer host they may lose all of their hard work. There are many reasons why you might want to change web host, for example if you are experiencing a lot of downtime or slow upload speeds. In such instances it is important to be able to transfer your site (and everything that goes with it) to another host - a feature that most site-building hosts don’t offer.

At the end of the day
While self-hosting site builders allow users to quickly and easily design and deploy websites, they are limited to their short-term usability. If you are clever with your choice and look at the bigger picture from the outset, web hosting accounts offer greater flexibility and control despite their initial longer setup time.