Shared Hosting is pretty straightforward and ideal for websites with low-to-moderate traffic. It is easy to manage and easy to understand. No prior experience is needed. Plus, it is quite cheap compared to other hosting solutions. You can go to hostadvice to see how much a shared hosting plan will cost you.
Shared Hosting providers offer packages to customers with a given space within a single web server. Meaning when you are using Shared Hosting, there are multiple customers making the best out of that one single server. They share the servers’ storage, loading speed, power, CPU, RAM, performance, and other resources that are at their disposal.
Key Factors When Choosing A Shared Hosting Provider
Keep in mind not all providers offer the same deals and expertise. Here are some of the things to have in mind when choosing a provider.
Uptime/Downtime – The first thing to have in mind is uptime. You want your website to be up and running at all times. The uptime is usually shown in percentages, for example, 90.95%. Uptime is a good way to know if the server performs well with a specific provider. Downtime, on the other hand, is the time period the server is not operational.
Traffic – When we talk about traffic, we talk about how many hits your website is receiving. As we mentioned before, Shared Hosting is good for low-to-moderate traffic websites. If you have a high-traffic website, Shared Hosting may not be the best option for you. Keep in mind most Shared Hosting providers have a policy that prevents customers with high-traffic websites from hijacking all the resources that a single shared server provides.
Resources – Even though Shared Hosting can house many users, there are certain resources that are limited, such as processing power and memory. All the other resources are also shared, so if a website has a spike in traffic at random, it might use more of the resources that are shared.
Key Factors When Choosing A Plan
Most Shared Hosting providers give you the option to have multiple websites on a single shared server instead of you buying separate plans for separate websites. This makes managing different websites smoother and more efficient.
Disk Space and Security
When we talk about how much storage or disk space you are given, we talk about the amount of hard drive space that’s made available to users. Generally, Shared Hosting plans provide space that’s more than enough for small businesses or personal content creators. The reason for this is that websites may run into problems if users attach large files like images or audio files.
That’s why providers guarantee their user’s unlimited storage/disk space, so they don’t have to worry about reaching their limit. Although storage and other resources are shared, private information is not, meaning others that use the same single server don’t have access to your website and information. Some Share Hosting plans even have additional security features that they provide to defend users’ websites from cyber security threats.
Bandwidth and Speed
When we say bandwidth, we talk about the volume of traffic and data the user’s data can process. In other words, with low bandwidth, if the user’s website experiences a high volume of traffic, the speed will be affected.
Usually, the speed difference is trivial, but it can be affected if your website has a higher volume of traffic because, as we said, Shared Hostings plans are usually recommended for low-to-moderate traffic.
Customization and Support
Many plans grant the user with a control panel that has a user-friendly interface that allows them to carry out tasks. Users are also offered applications with features that might be useful for their websites. The setup is quick and easy, and there is no need for technical maintenance since it’s usually included.
All of this is made pretty straightforward to support users that are less tech-savvy to run their websites efficiently with little technical knowledge. In case users come across any issues, most Hosting plans have 24/7 support at their disposal.
In Short:
If you are thinking of starting your own website and have a lower budget, Shared Hosting might be the best option for you. There are many hosting providers that offer this service, so before you sign up, make sure you do your research if you want to avoid any issues down the road.
