The Pros and Cons of Shared Hosting

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By Boris Dzhingarov

Shared web hosting really is just what it says it is. This type of web hosting is shared between a single server and several different websites, with each user allocated a certain part of the server’s resources such as databases, accounts, and disk space. Shared hosting is one of, if not the most popular form of web hosting. If you’re just starting out and want to set up a website, shared hosting typically offers an ideal solution; it’s also a great choice for those who are experienced but are looking for something that’s affordable and easy to use. But like most things in life, shared hosting comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Pros of Shared Hosting:

There are many benefits of signing up for a shared hosting plan. Not only are shared hosting plans quite easy to use and ideal for beginners or anybody who does not want to create any unnecessary work for themselves, but they are also quite affordable, making them a great option for anybody who wants to get started online at the lowest price. The main advantages of a shared hosting plan include:

Affordability:

Compared to the alternative methods of hosting on offer such as VPS or dedicated hosting, shared hosting tends to be the least expensive. This is because the physical server is being shared by multiple people, allowing the cost to be evenly distributed. As a result, you can find shared hosting plans for just a couple of dollars per month, ideal for anybody who is just starting out or wants to start an online presence for their blog or business at the cheapest possible cost. And, with competition within the shared hosting space on the rise, prices could soon be driven down even lower.

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Efficiency:

Shared hosting is the cheapest option so you could be forgiven for thinking that it might not be as efficient. However, this isn’t always the case. The performance of a website is determined by several different factors including bandwidth and disk space, and a good quality shared hosting service gives users the option to purchase more of both, so that you can ensure your website continues performing at optimal levels. While some may worry that shared hosting could have an effect on SEO results, Google doesn’t agree, reporting that shared hosting should not have an impact.

Practicality and Ease of Use:

Aside from being an affordable and efficient option, many people opt for shared hosting because it’s very easy to use. Not everybody is interested in setting up and maintaining their own website and hosting, and since shared hosting providers know this, they set up their systems to make it as practical and as easy as possible for users. With shared hosting, you can easily set up a website from anywhere in the world, and at any time, in less than a day.

Customization:

Shared hosting also gives users the option to customize their website to suit their needs best, whether it’s a blog or a business website. Many people mistakenly believe that shared hosting does not offer as much customization as other hosting options due to the resources being shared, however, this isn’t true. The control panel provided by the majority of shared hosting providers allows individual users to customize their sites.

Cons:

While it’s clear to see that there are several advantages of using shared hosting, it’s not always the best answer to everybody’s hosting needs. It also comes with a set of disadvantages that should be considered before you decide whether shared hosting is the right option for you.

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These include:

Limited Resources:

While a good shared hosting plan is set up to ensure that everybody has access to the resources available, it’s important to bear in mind that web hosts do not have unlimited resources. And when you opt for a shared hosting plan, users are given a set of resources that are divided up based on what’s available and the number of users on the server. In practice, this means that if one website gets a lot of traffic, it will draw a lot of the server’s resources and could impact other websites on the same server, leading to slow loading speeds or perhaps even websites going down.

Security Concerns:

With shared hosting, there can sometimes be hundreds or even thousands of websites on the same server, so it’s no surprise that many users worry about what might happen if there is a security breach. A cyberattack on the main server could affect all the websites that are hosted on it. Shared servers tend to be quite visible to cybercriminals, which does put your website in a more vulnerable position. Because of this, it’s important to opt for a shared hosting service with high-security measures in place.

Customer Support:

The reliability and quality of the customer support that you will receive will depend on the shared hosting service that you decide to use. However, more often than not, shared hosting services tend to rely quite heavily on automated tools, and generic frequently asked questions in order to provide users with customer service. While this might be useful most of the time, if you have any questions or concerns that are outside of what the automated tools and question and answer pages are able to tell you, you could be waiting for a while to get support. Some web hosting services provide around the clock telephone support to customers, so it’s worth paying more for this if you suspect it’s a service you are going to use.

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There are several different options available when it comes to choosing the right type of web hosting for you. Shared hosting is certainly one of the most popular options thanks to its availability, affordability, practicality, and ease of use. However, if you want to take advantage of the many benefits of shared hosting, it’s also worth considering some of the drawbacks, such as security concerns, potential lack of customer support, and limited resources.