Are you ready to join the ranks of the more than 1.6 billion websites in the world?
One of the first decisions is the type of hosting you’ll use. Without it, you don’t have a website at all. Web hosting allows your website to be online.
Shared hosting gives you a workable option when you’re first starting. Cheap webhosting fits your tight budget and is easy to use.
But the limitations of sharing a server can make it less effective if you have a high-traffic website. Digging deeper to fully understand the pros and cons of shared hosting helps you choose the best hosting option.
Keep reading to decide if cheap webhosting is right for your website.
A website needs hosting to live online. The server is what provides the hosting. Shared hosting uses one server for multiple websites, sometimes hundreds or thousands of sites.
All of those websites share the resources of the server. Each site on the server has a limit on how much of the resources it can use. That helps spread the resources around to all sites.
Shared hosting is an alternative to a dedicated server. Dedicated servers mean you don’t share the resources. They do come with a much higher price tag and more work.
Shared hosting plans are ideal for small businesses, personal websites, and other people who have low to moderate traffic. You get the following benefits if you fall into that category.
The obvious perk of a cheap webhosting plan is the price. A quick look at the website hosting cost of different options shows that shared hosting is the cheapest.
Each dedicated server can handle hundreds or thousands of accounts. Hosting companies can offer a lower rate because they put so many accounts on a single server.
When you’re just starting out with a website, that lower cost can be a priority. Shared hosting gives you a cheap webhosting option that fits into your budget.
Your company also saves money on the IT side of things.
You don’t need an IT professional to handle web hosting and security. The hosting company handles the server maintenance, monitoring, and security.
If you’ve never created a website, shared hosting is an easy place to start. You can get your site up and running quickly without any experience. You’re usually up and running the same day.
Instead of worrying about the back-end part of having a website, you can focus on developing the site itself. Various app options such as WordPress give you flexibility in how you design your site.
Shared hosting usually gives you access to a cPanel. It’s a user-friendly way to manage your website. It’s easy to navigate and understand, so you can run your website without experience.
Worried you’ll need a computer programming degree to start your website?
With shared hosting, you don’t need any extensive tech knowledge. You can get your website up and running with no knowledge of databases, servers, or other hosting information.
Taking the technical aspect out of it makes starting a website less intimidating. You have plenty of things to worry about as a business owner. Shared hosting lets you focus on your business while still having a quality website.
The hosting company handles all technical aspects of keeping your website online.
If a server problem occurs, you don’t have to figure it out or hire an IT pro to handle it. They install updates and keep the server running.
Cheap web hosting usually comes in different plans or levels. The basic plans are the most affordable. They’re ideal if you’re just starting out and don’t have much traffic.
The cheapest plans typically limit you the most on how much of the server resources you can use. You can’t have as much traffic on the lowest plan because you’ll reach your max quickly.
As your site gains popularity, you can upgrade to a higher plan. The price increase usually isn’t much. You get a larger share of the resources as you bump up your plan, which helps your site handle more traffic.
These plan options help you customize your hosting. You can balance cost with what you get to maximize your investment.
Quality hosting providers give you access to a wide variety of software, apps, and add-ons. These options are usually as easy as clicking, downloading, and installing the programs. They’re often ready to use in minutes.
WordPress is a popular app for blogs and websites. WordPress templates make it easy to create an attractive site without web design experience. You can also get shopping cart apps that let you sell products online easier.
Having access to those apps lets you customize your website. You can add the functionality you want. It helps you give your customers a good experience so they keep coming back.
Before you choose a web hosting company, check on the app options they have. Make sure they have the features you want on your site.
Building a website with shared hosting is easy enough to DIY. But if you run into issues, you can reach out to the hosting company’s support number for help.
Customer service can explain the basics of setting up your website. They can also help you troubleshoot issues.
Not all hosting companies provide the same level of customer service. At Host.ie, we’re committed to providing top-level support. We escalate issues to the most qualified teams to ensure you get the help you need.
Before you choose a hosting company, check online reviews to see how the customer service is. You may find that some companies promise quality customer support but come up short.
Using a shared web host service is an easy way to start a website. But looking at the potential issues helps you decide if it’s the right solution for you. Knowing the cons can also help you find ways to work around them so they’re not a problem.
Sharing a server with lots of other website owners makes this hosting method cheaper. But it also means you’re sharing resources. That competition can affect how your website performs.
Hosting companies may limit:
You only get a part of the server resources and bandwidth since you’re sharing with so many people. A small site without many visitors should be fine on a shared server.
As you grow, you may reach your limit quickly. Knowing your bandwidth needs can help you choose a hosting plan that works for you.
On a shared server, the activity on other sites can affect your site. A big bump in traffic on someone else’s site can make your site slower.
You have no control over who is on your server. You also have no control over their traffic or activities. That means your site could slow down through no fault of your own, and you can’t do anything about it.
Hosting companies should monitor the users on a shared hosting plan.
If one person starts using a lot of the resources, they may encourage them to move to dedicated host serving. But you may notice some downtime or slower loading times before that happens.
Malware infects as many as 18.5 million websites at any give time. Because you’re on a shared server, your website may be more susceptible to cyber attacks and other security issues.
Malicious scripts from other sites can affect your site. Those scripts spread throughout the sites on the server.
Shared hosting also exposes your website to hacking.
If you’re considering shared hosting, choose a hosting provider with strong security measures. Ask any provider you consider about their security features.
When you’re starting your website, a shared hosting plan may offer the resources you need. It’s a cheap way to get started, and it can usually keep up with your traffic.
But as your traffic increases, you may outgrow the plan.
As traffic increases, your site may take longer to load, especially at peak traffic times. You may notice more website downtime where your site isn’t available at all.
Website speed is very important to your business. If a mobile site doesn’t load in three seconds, 53% of mobile users abandon the page. For every additional second it takes to load, your website loses more people.
That means a slow website costs you money. You lose out on sales or a potential audience when your pages load slowly.
Sometimes outgrowing shared hosting is a matter of needing more customization. You might want greater security or custom software solutions.
Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is an alternative option if you outgrow shared hosting. It’s more affordable than dedicated hosting.
VPS hosting means you get your own partition on the server. The number of users on the server is much smaller than shared hosting. Activity by other users on the server has no impact on your website.
You also get more customization options with VPS. Add-on features let you get the service you need.
Shared hosting accounts limit the changes you can make to system files. You can install various software, but you can’t customize how they work.
The hosting company maintains control of the server. That means they decide what goes on it and what changes happen to it.
Because you’re on a single server with lots of other people, it’s not feasible to expect customization for your site. Any changes made to the server affect everyone on that server.
You’re also limited to the software and features the provider supports. A quality provider gives you access to a large number of options. But if you have something specific you want to use, make sure your hosting provider supports it.
Switching to a VPS account gives you more customization options. If you want the control and customization, consider moving to a VPS.
Think of your hosting company as your landlord. The company lets you use the server, just like you use an apartment, but they ultimately have control.
You’re at the mercy of your hosting company when you use shared hosting. That’s why choosing a reliable web hosting service is so important.
Every hosting company has terms of services you must follow.
The hosting company can shut down your website for various reasons. If you start getting a lot of traffic, they may turn off your site. Any downtime hurts your business because your customers can’t find you or make purchases.
You also have to rely on the company to make upgrades. When new technology comes out or upgrades are available, you may have to wait until the hosting company adopts them.
Verify that your hosting company stays on top of updates and the latest technology. Keeping the server updated keeps your site secure and in line with the latest technology.
Ideal candidates for shared hosting are smaller websites without a lot of traffic. Your hosting company will let you know if your traffic starts taking up too much of the server’s resources.
It’s also a good option if you’re looking for a website on a budget. The affordability lets you have a website without massive financial investments.
Shared hosting is ideal when you need a fairly basic website. If you’re looking for lots of custom features or advanced options, you may have difficulty getting it with shared hosting.
Cheap hosting is also a good option if you don’t have a lot of security concerns. If your company has security concerns, you may want to look for a more secure hosting option.
Are you looking for cheap webhosting for your website? We can help. We’re Ireland’s #1 choice for hosting for a reason.
Contact us to see how our unbeatable support, data loss, protection, and reliable hosting can help your website. We can help you choose the type of hosting that fits your needs.
