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The Pros and Cons of Green Hosting revealed

Green hosting is a relatively new direction many web hosts are going in. With environmentally friendly hosting practices, any hosting company can strive for energy efficiency and eco-positive policies. Some hosts take it a step further and become certified green web hosts. While green hosting has many benefits, there are a few drawbacks to this practice. Read these pros and cons of green web hosting to make an informed decision about your next hosting purchase.

Environmental Issues

 Green Hosting

Green hosting is focused on maintaining a healthy environment for the planet. Green hosts typically use renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to power much of their equipment. Green hosting companies purchase energy efficient servers, switches and network hardware to help reduce the need for excessive energy usage. Many of these hosting companies take special initiatives toward preserving the environment by planting trees, donating money to plant and wildlife preservation and other green organizations. Through these practices green hosting companies are often able to negate any impact their business has on the environment, or even be a positive force for nature.

With the use of sustainable, renewable energy plants, green hosts often choose to become carbon neutral. To do this they buy carbon credits that are used to plant trees and preserve rainforests and other vegetation. With green practices in place, many hosts are able to become carbon neutral through a minimal amount of carbon credits and donations. There are also tax benefits and subsidies often in place for hosts using these credits, which can further the savings passed on to subscribers.

Pros of Green Hosting

Since green web hosting companies aim to reduce waste, they are often efficient enough to save significant money on energy consumption. These savings usually get passed along to customers, which can save you a great deal of money. Green hosting can cost the same or even less than traditional hosting.

Look for green hosts with tiered pricing structures to make sure you’re getting the best deal for your budget. There’s no need to pay extra for unlimited storage if you know your site won’t need much room. Try using your own energy saving practices as web developer or administrator to enhance the benefits of your green hosting. This includes avoiding redundant uploads and transfers, writing efficient code, and embedding rather than hosting large media.

Another pro of green hosting is the marketing and company culture it allows you. You can use it on your advertising to show people that your company cares about the environment and is operating ethically. This can give you a real advantage over other web administrators and web design companies. This is a particularly useful marketing strategy for designers and developers with reseller hosting. Green hosting is crucial for any company that has branded themselves as green or eco-friendly. Don’t wait for one of your clients to ask if you’re using green hosting, get ahead of the game and buy an environmentally friendly plan in advance.

Cons of Green Hosting

 Green Hosting 

The biggest drawback to purchasing green hosting is that there aren’t as many companies to choose from as with traditional hosting. As more providers join to offer green hosting, options will increase and buyers will have better pricing and more features to choose from. As of 2017 a dozen or so companies rule the green hosting market, and they do offer good deals. Many green hosting companies have monthly plans ranging from $5 to $25, with corresponding limitations and features.

Some green hosts don’t include access to cPanel, or other features you may seek as web administrator. Check with your potential hosting companies to make sure they have what you need, including compatibility for your chosen CMS or site builder and support for any web services you will need to render, such as PHP, Ruby on Rails, MySQL, or email systems.

Another con to some green hosting plans is that the host has more restrictions on what kind of websites and services you can run. If you plan on mass mailing or doing something that uses tons of bandwidth, you may be countering the hosts’ goal of reducing waste and energy consumption. Look for green hosts with unlimited bandwidth and traffic to make sure this isn’t an issue for you.

Green web hosting is good for the planet and good for your budget. If you don’t mind the lack of competition between green hosts, in comparison to the plethora of standard web hosts, then green hosting may be right for you. Speed, bandwidth and other factors that have an impact on your hosting choice still apply, and don’t tend to vary a lot between green and traditional hosts. Get your next website or application online with a basic or premium green host today and save money while remaining an ethical web developer.

Article Submitted By Community Writer

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