Posted on April 8th, 2010Employing multiple websites is the best way to expand an e-commerce business. This allows users access to more products and services ideally increasing profits with each website. Consequently it’s important to find the best hosting provider that can support these websites and minimize downtime. Most hosting providers offer multiple domain hosting packages for an extra fee.
What is Multiple Domain Hosting?
By definition, multiple domain hosting is the ability to host multiple websites (domains) on a single account with one provider. This way customer’s avoid having to continually purchase additional hosting plans and all domains can be accessed on the same server.
The 4s Advantage
Multiple domain hosting offers many advantages for both the single user as well as e-commerce business. These advantages include the 4S advantages; Speed, Space, Software, and Support. Of course, there is also the added benefit of Cost-efficiency.
The 4S (speed, space, software and support) advantages are vital attributes to successfully maintaining a website. Multiple domain hosting has the speed required for customers to enjoy a multitude of sites that can be set up. Since the sites would be housed on the same server, a customer can access them faster than if they were separated.
Space is another 4S advantage offered with multiple domain hosting. With many domains comes extra storage space for each site. This allows webmasters to update and expand each site as business grows.
The third 4S advantage is the software included in most hosting plans. The most important piece of software is undoubtedly the control panel (cPanel). This tool is the brain of the website. It allows the webmaster to upload, change, upgrade, delete and much more. The graphical user interface (GUI) makes it simple to point and click any changes needed. It’s a great website management tool offered by almost all hosting providers.
The final 4S advantage is support. With many domains assigned to a server, a team of support professionals will monitor the server. This is beneficial in two ways: they can answer any questions the webmaster has and any questions the customer has that the webmaster cannot answer. This is a vital resource to increase customer retention.
Another major benefit is the cost of multiple domain hosting. As previously stated, having multiple domains on a single account is much more economical than purchasing multiple hosting packages. It’s also much easier to pay a single bill for all sites than one bill per site.
Final Thoughts
Multiple domain hosting can help boost the visibility of a network of sites by offering efficient, reasonably priced services with extensive upgrade capabilities. This is extremely appealing to individuals and small businesses that cannot afford a dedicated service.