Smart businesses are shifting more and more online, changing from a local business to a world wide business serving customers all over. It’s helpful to understand the different aspects of web hosting before making a choice that will affect the growth of your business down the road.

The most affordable and simple way to get your website public is through shared hosting. What is shared hosting, how does it differ from other web hosting plans, and what is the best option for your business?

Let’s find out.

It all starts with the right domain. Get yours today at Indsoft.net

What Is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting is the most basic and affordable type of web hosting plan available. Web hosting companies invest in servers where all the files that make up their customers’ websites are stored. For the customers that opt for a shared web hosting plan, their website will live on the same server as a number of other websites.

Shared hosting works because for simple sites, the amount of storage and bandwidth required is a fraction of what a full server can provide. Having one server that’s shared by a number of different websites means they each split the cost, paying a small share of the whole. For many new website owners, especially small businesses and individuals, a shared web hosting plan is the most practical and affordable way to get a website up. 

You can think of shared hosting as a neighborhood pool pass for your website.

How much does shared hosting cost?

The cost of shared hosting depends on the level of service a web host provides. Generally, you can expect to pay $1 to $20 a month for space on a shared server.

How does shared hosting work?

Shared servers are similar to computers in that they have hard drive space, a central processing unit (CPU), and RAM. These resources are shared with other users hosted by the server. This makes it possible to securely store all the saved files, data, and information making up your website.

When anyone requests access to your website from their computer, the stored data of your website is sent from the server to the internet user. Shared hosting takes advantage of a server’s optimal utility, since each individual website generates different amounts of traffic, at different times.

As stated, utilizing a shared server is like sharing a highway. You pay taxes to have highways maintained, just like you pay a small monthly fee to use shared hosting. Because many people contribute to the costs, individual prices for users are kept low.

Typically, reputable web hosting companies like Indsoft.net can easily support most web pages with very little risk of speed issues. If traffic to your site picks up consistently, you can always upgrade to a higher tier plan.

Characteristics of shared hosting

Not all shared hosting providers offer the same experience. Some factors that may vary from one hosting company to the next are explained below.

These should give you an idea of how to choose a reliable provider.

• Uptime: Uptime is a measurement of how long a web hosting system has been continuously running. The best shared hosting providers have high uptimes, indicating high reliability. Domain.com guarantees 99.9% uptime on all hosting plans.
• Traffic: If you already anticipate high traffic, shared hosting may not be an option. Web hosting companies generally have policies that prevent “bad neighbor effects,” which is when heavily trafficked websites hijack all the resources on a shared server. Make sure to read the policies to find a web host that can support your website’s traffic.
• Resources: Although shared hosting providers can accommodate many users, resources such as processing and memory are still limited. Some web hosts limit what you can put on your website so that more users can share a single server. Be sure to read and understand your web hosts’ acceptable use policy to ensure your website is compliant.

Understanding shared hosting plans

Many web hosting companies offer tiered plans for shared hosting. This is so you only pay for what you and your website need. These plans include some important features and possibly some unfamiliar jargon.

• Websites: You can choose a plan that allows you to host more than one website on a single shared server rather than buying two separate plans. This streamlines the management of all your different sites.
• Disk space: Disk space is the amount of hard drive space available to users. Most of the time, shared hosting plans provide more than enough space for small businesses or personal projects. Websites may run into issues if they include large images or audio files. That’s why companies like Domain.com guarantee unlimited disk space, so you never have to worry about reaching a limit.  
• Monthly bandwidth: Bandwidth is the amount of traffic and data your website can process. With low bandwidth, the speed at which your website functions can be impacted by higher traffic on a shared server. Typically, the speed difference is negligible. In fact, with well-resourced web hosting companies like Domain.com, your bandwidth is scalable, so you can seamlessly accommodate more traffic.

• FTP users: FTP stands for file transfer protocol, and an FTP user is someone with access to a domain. If you run a personal blog, one FTP user is enough. However, in a business with coordinating team members, multiple FTP users are better.
• MySQL databases: MySQL is a data management system that organizes data. Without getting too technical, if you want multiple independent sites on one shared account, then you need more MySQL databases.
• Subdomains: Wondering Subdomains are and how they might influence your online presence? subdomain are divisions of your domain that are useful for organizing your website’s content. For example, you could use a subdomain to separate a mobile version of your site from your full version.
• Email addresses: Your shared hosting plan may also include professional email addresses which enhances the image of your brand.
• Support: In case you run into any issues or have any question about hosting your domain, choose a web hosting company that has a friendly and helpful support team.  

Pros of Shared Hosting

For a few bucks, you get to use the Olympic-size pool without having to do pool maintenance and upgrades. If you like to go for the occasional swim, don’t mind crowds from time to time, and host small parties that comply with the pool manager’s rules, shared hosting may be the option for you.

Cons of Shared Hosting

Because shared hosting means your site shares a server with many other sites, their traffic volume and security practices can affect you.

If you’re hosting a water meditation class and five busloads of kids arrive for a field trip, your tranquil vibe may be disrupted. If another swimmer brings a glass bottle and it breaks in the pool, everyone has to get out while the lifeguards clean up the mess. (That pool user will likely be asked to leave, just as shared server users can get booted for breaking the rules.)

In website terms, that can mean your website slows down because someone else gets more traffic than usual, or you end up on an email blacklist because another business uses spammy email practices. With a responsible web host, these issues will be rare. But they do happen. 

Shared hosting is best for…

Dipping your toes in the waters of the internet. Shared hosting is inexpensive, so it’s an easy way to set up and run your site without spending much money. If you decide you need your own server/pool later on, upgrading is easy.

Pairing domain registration and web hosting

Although it is more than possible to have your domain registered elsewhere, the optimal solution is to keep your website hosting and domain registration in one place. This is advantageous for several reasons such as:

• Bundle your costs: Domain registration and web hosting both cost money to maintain and operate. By keeping these services bundled, you centralize your costs, lower your overall rates, and have an easier time paying your bills.
• Link websites and domains: When you utilize Domain.com’s services for both domain registration and web hosting, linking your domain to your website is easy..
• Ease of use: Bundling services allows you to oversee, manage, or change any aspect of your web hosting or domain in one, easy-to-reach location.

Is Shared Hosting Right for Me?

Shared hosting is the right choice for your site if you:

• Have little experience with web hosting
• Want to keep costs down
• Are designing a small business website, or something for friends or family
• Don’t require access to extensive web programming
• Are studying applications like Joomla or WordPress
• Are running a small business or startup
• Are experimenting with web design and coding

There’s a lot that you don’t know when it comes to starting a website for the first time, but there are some things you can count on. When your site is newly launched, chances are you won’t attract masses of traffic unless you plan on launching with a major marketing campaign. In this case, it’s unlikely that a new site will need much in the way of bandwidth. Additionally, it’s hard to predict the how much space you’ll need unless you are 100% certain on the size of the content and images you will produce. Shared hosting offers a flexible solution to these unknowns.

Once you have decided that a shared hosting is best for your website, Indsoft.com can offer affordable packages for your specific needs.

Contact us for Free Trial : +91-022-2863-1151 or email us : mailto : billing@indsoft.net

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