A hosting service is also known as a website hosting service. Do you know what it is? We explain! It’s about storing files on the internet to make them available for visitors. There are many types of hosting solutions, and one of them is shared hosting, which we are going to discuss.
Shared hosting is one of the most popular options for who is building their first site. Besides, it’s a cost-effective alternative.
Are you curious to know more about the concept and its advantages, as well as understanding whether it’s a safe option? So check out the next topics.
- What is shared hosting?
- Is shared hosting safe?
- Shared hosting vs. dedicated hosting: what are the differences?
- What are the advantages of shared hosting?
- For which cases is it more suitable?
- What to analyze when choosing the ideal hosting plan?
What is shared hosting?
A shared hosting service allows many sites to share a single server. Usually, clients don’t know who they’re sharing resources with. Each customer has a limit of resources they can use, which is specified by the hosting plan.
Shared hosting is undoubtedly the cheapest option to meet your needs when it comes to web hosting. However, it’s important to point out that the low price means that the plan comes with some limitations.
Since most hosts offer the same components, it’s crucial to choose the one you completely trust.
Is shared hosting safe?
It’s natural to be concerned about the safety of your site, as different customers will share the same server. But you must consider that the provider will take security measures to isolate each customer’s account.
Therefore, none of the clients will have access to the private information of others. There’s still the benefit of having help from experts to ensure that everything is working as planned, which would be your responsibility in a dedicated server.
So, when you choose an excellent hosting service, one that’s reliable and has a good reputation, you don’t have to worry about the site’s security.
Shared hosting vs. dedicated hosting: what are the differences?
A dedicated server offers more resources and computing power. Usually, it’s used by sites that demand more processing due to several simultaneous accesses or a need for specific hardware settings.
With the power of a dedicated server comes the assurance that the company’s website pages will have better loading rates. Besides, you can personalize the server’s setting at your will.
Another advantage is the safe connection to execute all necessary resources. After all, we’re talking about a hosting plan that offers high-performing components.
Nevertheless, it’s a more expensive option even because the company must hire people to run the server and deal with the cost of having a server in the first place.
On the other hand, the shared server, as we’ve mentioned, hosts many different sites for several clients. They all use the same resources.
We recommend this option for small and mid-sized companies with a low volume of visits and applications that don’t demand high-performance computing.
After all, this plan allows the company to choose only the components it will actually use. Not to mention that this alternative comes with great support, from server maintenance to monitoring. That means the company doesn’t need to hire a professional to focus only on server management.
As opposed to the dedicated server, the shared server allows the brand to hire resources whenever necessary. You don’t need to worry about the limits of your plan because there are many levels of hosting, and you can upgrade whenever you want.
What about managed hosting?
Beyond these two options listed above, there’s another way to hire hosting services. We are talking about managed hosting.
In this model, the hired company is responsible for the administration, security, support, maintenance, and organization of all the hosting technical aspects. That is to say, the client hires, in addition to the space in the servers, the IT services aimed at keeping everything working smoothly.
The biggest benefit from managed hosting, which is the model offered by Stage, is exactly removing all IT costs from the customer side. The customer can focus on their marketing and sales strategy, without needing to worry about technical issues.
It’s a great option for any kind of business since it reduces costs and delivers more flexibility in resource usage.
What are the advantages of shared hosting?
Shared hosting offers several benefits for users. Check out the main advantages that make all the difference.
Support
Customer support is a relevant aspect of any kind of service. Of course, it’s extremely important for website hosting as well.
Since people usually prefer the shared hosting platform when they are starting, having a qualified support team to solve problems is beneficial. Commonly, providers offer assistance even for non-complex tasks. But remember that only a managed hosting service can deliver all the support you will need.
Security
With a managed server and constant monitoring, security certainly improves, going way beyond the traditional model.
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Credibility
Websites that use a domain and a professional hosting service have higher credibility and can provide a better experience for visitors. The risks are even smaller when the host is renowned and guarantees an outstanding service for its clients.
Autonomy
You will get more independence and autonomy when it comes to website hosting. After all, you won’t have to deal with a platform that offers few resources and doesn’t add reliability to the site.
Economy
As we’ve mentioned earlier, this is the cheapest option you can find. The plans are undoubtedly versatile and fit your budget.
For which cases is it more suitable?
Shared hosting is recommended for small and mid-sized companies. Providers usually specify, for each plan, a limit of visits that the site can handle in a day. According to the plan, the number can reach up to 30,000 or even more.
One of the main advantages of shared hosting is that it’s easy to use. That’s why beginners and those who don’t have a lot of expertise usually prefer it.
However, this model is used by any kind of site, from corporate ones to virtual stores. It’s ideal for those who:
- seek simplicity — anyone who wishes something easy to use and wants to save time in site management;
- are starting — people who intend to build out their first site and prefer easy-to-use tools;
- intend to host several websites — the plans allow you to host many websites in one account, without additional charges;
- want to save money — we’re talking about the cheapest option, ideal for those who don’t want to spend much;
- are after flexibility — people who desire advanced resources and more control over the site management.
What to analyze when choosing the ideal hosting plan?
Here are some points to consider when choosing the best hosting plan for your site.
Search about the company
First of all, you need to analyze the company’s history. It’s crucial to choose one that’s in the market for a long time and offers a good service.
In case you go with a company that’s about to fail, you may have to move your site early on, losing all the money you invested. Check out some questions you need to ask:
- Is the company financially stable?
- How long is the company in the market?
- Is it a private company?
- How much did it grow in the last years?
- How many customers does the company have?
Price
After narrowing it down to a list of companies with a solid history, it’s time to start thinking about price. Begin from the bottom to the top: what’s the monthly fee for each of those plans?
Features
Then, it’s time to check the features of the plans. Be sure that you’re getting the best return possible for your investment.
Ask yourself a couple of questions:
- How large is the bandwidth?
- How much disk space does the plan offer?
- How many FTP, email, and database accounts do they provide?
- Do they include any e-commerce features, like SSL certificates for security improvement?
Reliability and performance
None of what we’ve said so far makes sense if the hosting plan doesn’t offer a good performance or if it’s not reliable. That lack of these two features will certainly cause low-speed loading rates, errors, and instability.
So, verify which host is the most reliable and assures the best performance.
Customer service
Customer service is the first point of interaction when there’s any problem, question, or need for assistance. Therefore, you need to make sure that the support team is prepared, friendly, quick, and available to fix any problem that may come up.
Shared hosting is known for having many additional features that make site management way simpler, like managed hosting. This way, the user can focus on their business while experts responsible for the server handle technical details.
Do you want to ensure your site is perfect for driving good results? Get started with Stage, our web hosting provider available in our Content Cloud.
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