How to host multiple websites on one hosting account

First of all, especially for the benefits of beginners, let’s get some web hosting jargons straight. Have a look at the following web hosting scenarios.

1. One Hosting Account -> One Website -> Multiple Subdomains

   

   Here, you have only one website and one domain name ie mydomainname.com. The third level eg www.mydomainname.com is neither domains nor websites. There are subdomains. Subdomains are part of your main domain and are akin to organization folders.

   In this case, a hosting plan for “single domain” and which allows multiple subdomains would serve your purpose.

2. One Hosting Account -> One Website -> Multiple Domains

   

   In this scenario, you decide to buy a couple more domains ie mydomainname.net and mydomainname.co.uk because you want to protect your branding, and also so that they are no longer available for others to buy. But you plan to maintain only one website and have all the other new domains directed to your existing website. These are also known as parked domains.

   Since you plan to have more than one domain, you would need to look for a hosting plan that gives you “unlimited domains” or allows you multiple domains/parked domains.

3. One Hosting Account -> Multiple Websites -> Multiple Domains

   

   And finally, you wish to create multiple websites that sits on different domains. These websites are physically separated from one another and each has an independent domain name.

   As with Scenario 2, you will also need a hosting plan that offers “unlimited domains” or allows multiple domains. Some web hosting companies refer these as add-on domains.

Isn’t one website enough?

Why should you have more than one website? Well, I am not insisting that you do so but there are a few reasons why you would want to start a few more websites. For instance, you may want to:

• Increase your monetarization opportunities

  This is a no brainer. The more websites you have, the more ads you can accommodate. You can run Google AdSense on one website and direct banner ads on another website, for example.

• Be more focus

  Instead of having an all-in-one website, why not create different websites for each niche? Plus, you can target audiences better this way like for example, having an Asian cooking blog and a separate vegetarian recipe blog.

• Have more in-depth posts

  As opposed to having a generalized website, you don’t have to worry about getting too detailed and losing your audiences. Your visitors are genuinely interested for more information.

• Hosting friends’ or clients’ websites

  There are people who wished to host their family and friends’ websites on their account. And there are also those who earn money through hosting websites for others. In this case, they should choose the Reseller Account, VPS or dedicated hosting and not the multiple domains Shared Hosting.

  For the purpose of this article, I will concentrate on the latter, ie multiple domains Shared Hosting.

Why should you host under a single account?

You can, of course choose to have your websites hosted with different web hosting providers or with the same hosting provider but under different accounts.

However, if you choose to host under one hosting account, you will:

1. Save money since you only need to pay for just one hosting account.
2. Have less hassle. This is because putting all your websites under one hosting account is more practical as all these websites can be managed through a single control panel.

What should you look for when researching for Web Hosting Plans?

Good question. Here are a number of things you should take note of when looking for a web hosting plan for multiple websites:

1. Does it allow unlimited domains?

   These days, there are more and more hosting providers offering unlimited domains as part of their plans. At the very least, find one that gives you a minimum of 20 domains for free. You never know when you would need them!

2. Does it have adequate disk space and bandwidth?

   Next, you got to make sure you have enough space and monthly bandwidth to accommodate all your websites. Ideally, unlimited space and bandwidth would be what you are looking for.

   However, do note that “unlimited” here are unlimited per say but limited to a “reasonable” amount. Do read the hosting provider’s Terms of Services or check with their support team to find out more.

3. Does it provide backups?

   While you are advised to do your own backups for your websites, it is good to know that your host is also providing backup and recovery services automatically.

I have actually prepared a list of 10 questions to ask your web hosting companies before you sign up with them. You can use these questions as a guideline to make sure that the web host you are signing up with does not suck, and satisfies your requirements.

Multiple-websites hosting providers

There are quite a number of hosting providers who offer multiple websites hosting. Here is a list of a few which are proven to be better at it.

1. Bluehost

   

   Bluehost is one of the best multiple-websites hosting providers around, in terms of reliability and good technical support. It is in fact recommended by WordPress.org. Very affordable too at $6.95 $3.95 per month that comes with one year free domain name registration.

   They also provide the amazingly helpful and simple to use SimpleScripts, a 1-click script installer which allows you to install 70+ popular applications easily.

2. HostGator

   

   I have a few websites hosted with HostGator and so far, I have nothing but praises for them! Their 24/7/365 support team is great and I love all the freebies too. Uptime is awesome at 99.9% – guaranteed.

   HostGator has 3 shared hosting plans, namely Hatchling, Baby and Business Plan. Hatchling is a single domain plan. So if you are interested in creating more websites, then you should check out the Baby and Business plans, which offer unlimited domains!

   The Baby plan starts at $6.36 per month. The Business plan, on the other hand, starts from $10.36 per month and offers a more comprehensive plan with free Private SSL, IP address and your personal toll-free number.

3. LunarPages

   

   Another cool hosting provider is LunarPages.

   They offer a good range of different web hosting plans. Their Basic plan allows unlimited add-on domains, subdomains and parked domains. Other cool freebies include unlimited storage & bandwidth, free first year domain name registration and marketing credits ($25 Facebook Ads and $50 Google AdWords). Plan starts at $4.95 per month.

HostGator Website Transfers

If you have existing websites with another hosting provider and would like to transfer to HostGator, you are entitled for free content transfers. HostGator support will help you to transfer all the content from your old server, this includes the website files, databases and emails. There are a few non-transferable host eg Google sites, Homestead and Website Tonight because they do not allow access to your website files.

Today’s Promotion: 25% off any HostGator plans using coupon code: BLUEGATOR25

Editor’s Advice

Hopefully, I have answered some of the questions that you may have regarding multiple websites hosting in this article. One final reminder… “unlimited storage and bandwidth” means different amount to different providers. Some provide more than others. This directly affect the number of websites that you can host on a single account before you and your visitors experience lagging and slow performance.

Do enquire the hosting provider before you sign up the plans. Alternatively, check the above-mentioned hosting providers ie Bluehost, HostGator and LunarPages. These 3 are some of the top web hosting companies when it comes to multiple websites hosting!