The Pros and Cons of Self-Hostingsubmitted on 30 September 2016
Self-hosting means your website is entirely under your control; however, it’s not without its drawbacks. If you self-host, you’re responsible for more aspects of site management, such as setting up the infrastructure, installing software, and there’s the management costs to consider. In many ways, all of those things can be both pros and cons depending on how you look at it. The following is an unbiased look at the benefits and drawbacks of self-hosting, so you can choose the infrastructure that best suits your needs.
Pro: Complete Control over Everything
Do you want to hack the code? Do you want to rearrange everything, and drastically alter the site’s appearance? If it’s WordPress you’re self-hosting, you get complete autonomy. This means you aren’t beholden to any policies or rules; in fact, you can make your own policies and rules.
Con: Little to No Support
If something goes wrong and, let’s face it, something always goes wrong, you’re probably going to have to fix it yourself. If you’re not technically inclined, this is a problem. You also need to consider security, and how you’re going to protect your website from hackers. One easy solution is to outsource your troubleshooting to a third-party, such as Firewall Technical IT support services. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you can self-host with confidence if you outsource security and support.
Pro: More Control over Software
Some free hosts limit the ability to install plugins and widgets. Installing software creates a more dynamic and visually appealing website; without these elements, your site may not stand out. There’s more creative control when you self-host, and there are more themes and plugins to choose from. WordPress, especially, has a massive developer community, and you can take advantage of thousands of plugins that will improve the appearance and usability of your site.
Con: Self-hosting can be Expensive
Unfortunately, nothing that’s good ever comes cheap. Self-hosting is often more expensive than hosted sites and free sites. And, if your site gets really popular, it can cost even more. If you exceed your bandwidth limit, you’ll need to upgrade to a larger hosting plan or you can take even more control by getting yourself a dedicated server. A dedicated server can handle a huge amount of traffic, and there’s no more control you can have than your own server.
Pro: Reliable and Scalable
Despite the rising cost, a growing website should be able to turn a profit. For example, if you’re an ecommerce site and you start garnering hundreds of thousands of hits per day, you’re probably making some money. Chances are you can afford to exceed your bandwidth, and luckily a self-hosted site is scalable and can quickly be upgraded for more space. Moreover, many self-hosting providers offer Uptime Guarantees and statistics, which results in a more reliable website.
Cons: Requires a Longer Build Time
Because it’s up to you to set up the infrastructure, the build time is going to take a bit longer than a hosted site. If you’re not a developer, plan for this stage to take even longer (you may want to consider outsourcing the work to an experienced developer).
That being said, there’s really nothing more rewarding than customization and ownership. You may have to wait a bit longer to launch, but the wait will certainly be worth it. Your site will be entirely unique and entirely customized by you. This will create a more unique user-experience, which is the ultimate reason to self-host.
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