I am a graphic and web designer living in Canada. I would like to know if it's feasible for me to purchase a server and host the sites that I've built or is it cheaper for me to use an established web hosting company?

This question has come up in the forum previously, and from what I remember, the consensus was that it was cheaper and much much easier to subscribe to a hosting company than to run your own server.

Hope this helps.

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Thank you ssmorgan for your reply to my question. I had read some other information online about having my own server and it said that it would be more trouble than it's worth. I know that it wouldn't be cheap to set up a server, buy all the software and licenses. I was looking at it as a way to generate income into my home-based business. Being on a cable network it may cause a bottleneck effect as more traffic accesses the server.
I am fairly new to some these things. I understand how to put together a web site and the creative edge of it but without actually researching this I may be biting off more than I can chew at the moment.

You're welcome, wheelyca!

I think you mentioned you would like to work on more than one website. One thing to keep in mind as you do research and compare the different web hosting companies that fit your needs is to make sure that the hosting plan allows you to host multiple (or unlimited) domain names. That way, you can host all of your websites on one hosting account.

Sherif

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Hi ssmorgan.
I presently have three web sites that I've created and manage through Yahoo, one of these being my own web site. One of the sites along with my own can be logged onto using the same user name and password. The other one is separate. The other two sites pay me on a yearly basis and I put the payments through on my own credit card. That was the reason I wanted to host all the sites that I create on my own server. This way I can receive the money from my clients that I work for and have all the files, etc. together to streamline everything. Like you said if the hosting company, in this case Yahoo, will allow for multiple domains on one account, it may make it easy for me in the long run to go that route.
Thanks, Glenn

wheelyca

You are beginning to see, I think, that from a financial point of view that it doesn't add up. And that seems to be at the root of your consideration.

I use Dreamhost and have unlimited domains available. That's more than I can keep up with! For $5.95 per month it is hard to see how all the work (and around the clock maintenance and expensive backup to assure your clients to stay up for business) could be financially viable.

One thing, though. With your clients I would charge a fee for the work and offer to provide hosting on your account without charging them. Unless you are careful you might get into trouble with the host service as taking unfair advantage of their service.

In any case, even if they pay for separate hosting, at less than ten dollars a month it is not profitable to offer the service unless you can provide for a lot of sites. A whole lot.

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