Lesson 1

Lesson #1: Is Shared Hosting for You?

Last Update: September 25, 2013

Before answering the question "Is Shared Hosting for You?," let us see what shared hosting is, including a nice illustration below.

Shared hosting is a type of web hosting where many web hosting accounts reside on the same web server, ranging from a few to hundreds or even thousands. Each account sits on its own partition of the server to keep it separate from other accounts.

Shared Hosting Server


There are many effective and very efficient technologies included under good shared hosting plans, such as software auto-installers, template-based website builders, PHP support (a popular server-side scripting language), and MySQL (a commonly used open source database), etc.

Shared Hosting is the most affordable option for web hosting, since many customers share the overall cost for the server maintenance. It has been estimated that about 99% of all websites in the world have been hosted on shared hosting platforms. If a web hosting provider doesn't specify that web hosting plan is shared most likely it is. Normally, web hosts will clearly label their VPS and Dedicated hosting plans.



>> Click HERE to See Examples of Reliable Shared Hosting Providers <<

 

Shared Hosting Illustration:

Shared hosting can be compared to a high-rise apartment building. Let’s say there are 30 floors and 10 apartments per each floor, which adds up to 300 apartments. This can be compared to 300 shared web hosting accounts sitting on the same web server. Also, in a high-rise building, all tenants share same stairways, elevators, lobby, entrance, fire exits, etc. Similarly, all shared hosting accounts on the same server share same operating system, network and internet connection, memory, hard drive, etc.

Though the low cost of shared hosting makes it attractive, there is a possibility of security problems, server downtime and speed issues, especially if a host does not have a good infrastructure in place.


Many 30-story high-rise building have three elevators. Imagine now if one elevator kept breaking down all the time, the second one is being used for frequent move-in/outs. In that case, would you expect the third elevator to adequately transport tenants and visitors? Of course not. Especially, a situation would be chaotic during peak hours.


Even worse, imagine that there are bad tenants who keep leaving the entrance door open all of the time and as a result there are many break-ins. Would you feel comfortable living in such a building? Of course not.


Yes, same goes with a shared hosting provider that doesn’t have a good infrastructure in place!

shared hosting comparison

While it is always smart to be budget conscious, things like support, quality, security and speed should never be sacrificed for the sake of saving money.

Choosing a host based solely on low cost can end up being far more expensive down the road.
 

Lesson #1 Conclusion:

Now is the time to answer the question "Is Shared Hosting for You?"

If you will be running a personal website, blog, a special event site, or a small business site, then, most likely, all you need is a shared hosting account, same as approximately 99% of other websites in the world.
However, this should't be "Any" shared hosting provider! Remember that support, quality, security, and speed should be considered before the low price!

Low price doesn't always mean a good deal
. Think of the illustration of the ugly and nice apartment buildings above.

Good news is that reputable web hosts offer limited time deals and coupons for new customers, making their plans even more appealing.

 

To help you make the right choice, WebHostScout has narrowed down a list of the great and discounted shared hosting plans offered by reputable hosting companies:
 

>> Click HERE to Learn More <<
 

Word of Caution: If you're planning to stream large videos or offer large file downloads such as music and video files, then you must see Lesson #2!