Benefits of Using Shared Web Hosting

There are many benefits that can be had from using shared web hosting and are the reasons that as a beginner, you should consider a shared web hosting plan over anything else that may be on offer. Such benefits include:

• Low cost web hosting – a shared web hosting plan will be able to provide you with an affordable, low cost web hosting service as web hosting providers are able to fit more shared web hosting accounts on a single server than they are accounts of any type of web hosting, allowing them to pitch the price of your average shared web hosting plan much lower than the prices of other forms of web hosting – it is a good idea to remember that most shared web hosting plans are feature-rich meaning that even though you aren’t going to be paying much, you are going to be guaranteed good value for money
• Managed hosting environment – one of the major attractions of shared web hosting for beginners is the fact that you will be hosted in a fully managed web hosting environment meaning that you won’t have to worry about managing the server that your web hosting account is hosted on because your web hosting provider will be responsible for this, as well as ensuring that all software packages are kept up to date and that the server remains secure – this will also enable you to contact your web hosting provider’s support team if you have an issue with your web hosting account that you wish to have fixed, but lack the skills to do this yourself
• Premium features – most web hosting providers choose to include premium features with their shared web hosting plans that will allow their customers to develop websites that have extended functionality that wouldn’t be available through other web hosting providers – such premium features may include access to additional software components that you would otherwise have to buy, or simply may be extra control panel features that will enable you to do more with your website and shared web hosting account.

Disadvantages of Using Shared Web Hosting

There are also several disadvantages to using shared web hosting that you should be aware of prior to purchasing a shared web hosting plan, primarily because you may find that shared web hosting isn’t the right form of web hosting for you. Such disadvantages include:

• Resource allocations – depending on what your exact requirements are, the resource allocations that are included with most shared web hosting plans may be too little for bigger businesses because they can be seen as being rather limiting when compared to what reseller web hosting packages and VPS servers can offer – however, this can be justified with the point that shared web hosting plans are aimed at beginners who won’t have demanding needs and that if the resources provided by a shared web hosting package don’t meet your requirements, you should consider a higher-end form of web hosting – however, if you are unable to afford a higher-end form of web hosting then some web hosting companies will allow you to design a web hosting plan that is tailored exactly to your requirements, allowing you to specify exactly how much disk space and bandwidth you require
• Security – due to the number of websites that are hosted on your average shared web hosting server, it can be hard for web hosting companies to guarantee the security of individual shared web hosting accounts and so it is recommended that you don’t use a shared web hosting plan if you are going to be hosting information that can be seen as confidential because if a hacker gains access to the hosting server and steals that information, you could find yourself in trouble – it is recommended that you choose a VPS server or other form of dedicated web hosting if you wish to be guaranteed a high level of security.

In conclusion, you should choose shared web hosting because it provides excellent value for money for beginners. Many shared web hosting plans are feature-rich meaning that as a beginner, you will be able to create highly functional websites from the start and can then choose to upgrade your web hosting package as your needs change and increase. You will always have a choice between Windows shared hosting and Linux shared hosting, allowing you to use the scripting languages and development tools that best match your knowledge and experience.

Multiple Domain Hosting

Some of the most popular shared web hosting plans are able to offer the facility to host more than a single domain name with them, a feature that will allow you to make the most of shared web hosting and will guarantee that you will get good value for money. The issue with certain shared web hosting plans is that whilst they are able to offer generous resource assignments, it can be hard to use up such large amounts of resources with a single website; if you are hosting multiple domain names under a single shared web hosting plan then you can distribute your resources amongst the domains that you are hosting as appropriate, allowing you to make sure that you can take full advantage of the resources that are on offer. Previously if you needed to host more than one website then you would either need to have considered a more expensive reseller web hosting plan or alternatively have purchased a shared web hosting plan for each website that you wished to host, something that would certainly have been the more expensive option in most cases.

Web Hosting Plan Features

An easy and highly effective way of making the most of a shared web hosting package is to choose one that can offer you extra features that you can then use to develop your website further by adding extra features and functionality. The features of any web hosting service will allow you to host a website, setup email accounts and host the DNS features of your domain name, but for anyone extra features are always a bonus and benefit web hosting companies by making their shared web hosting plans stand out from the crowd in an ever competitive market. Although it is unlikely you’ll ever need many email accounts or FTP accounts, more or less every shared web hosting package will be able to offer you unlimited numbers of both which is why it may be worth staying away from any web hosting plans that offer less than unlimited. It is important to ensure that the basics are also there with any shared web hosting plan that you may be considering; for example, you should expect control panel access to be featured as standard so that you are able to manage your shared web hosting service by yourself.

Custom Web Hosting Plans

Particular web hosting companies offer a service allowing you to tailor a shared web hosting plan to your requirements exactly, allowing you to choose the amounts of disk space and bandwidth that you pay for. If you are beginner then custom web hosting plans aren’t worth considering because you probably don’t know what resources you need from a web hosting package and probably don’t know what to expect from web hosting; as a more experienced shared web hosting user, a custom web hosting plan will allow you to save a great deal of money than if you were to purchase a straight forward shared web hosting plan. Not all web hosting companies can offer custom web hosting plans because they can be tricky to setup under some circumstances which is why straight forward web hosting plans are usually the best option. Specialist web hosting providers are your best bet if you are considering a custom web hosting plan because as well as receiving a web hosting package that is tailored exactly to your requirements, you will also receive a better level of support and customer service, although such a hosting experience may set you back a bit extra.

Operating System Choice

Your choice of operating system will affect what features you have available to use as well as what you are able to do with your web hosting service; in other words you should choose the operating system that you are going to have your shared web hosting plan hosted on based on your experience and knowledge so that you are able to make the most of the operating system’s features. Any good web hosting company will be able to offer you the choice between Windows shared hosting and Linux shared hosting; it is recommended that you investigate the main differences between the two so that you are able to make an informed choice.

In conclusion, making the most of shared web hosting isn’t that hard if you know what to look for in a shared web hosting service and know how to get the best out of individual features. Shared web hosting plans are available with different levels of resource assignments to meet the needs of the most basic users all the way up to those who wish to host websites that receive a considerable amount of traffic. However, if your website is always expanding then there will come a point when you will need to upgrade to a VPS server or a dedicated server.

Choosing a Content Management System

There are different types of CMS available, with some being designed for the sole purpose of managing a full website whilst others are made for more targeted uses such as blogging applications or e-commerce shop applications. A prime example of a CMS system that is designed for the management of an entire website is Joomla. A CMS such as Joomla has many add-on modules available and the core features of the application are designed with building a community in mind; as well as this, you can also create web pages within your CMS and provide other users with a login username and password to the website. If you are looking to start your own blog then a CMS such as WordPress will provide you with the required features; however, WordPress can also be used as the CMS base for websites as you can create multiple pages easily and the architecture of the application enables you to adapt it to be used in a number of different situations. One of the main deciding factors should be how easy a CMS is to use from the view of a system administrator; this means that you should test the administration to see how well it performs against your standards as well as how well a CMS system rates against its competitors.

Secure CMS System

There are open source CMS systems and commercial alternatives available, in any case you should consider the security of your website whilst choosing a CMS because you want to be sure that any sensitive information that you may be storing in your website can’t be compromised. Any good CMS system will be updated on a regular basis to ensure that the core code doesn’t contain any holes that could compromise the security of any data hosted in the database. CMS developers are also likely to ensure that any passwords used to access the administration panel on the CMS system are encrypted in the database and that the encryption can’t be reversed. Commercial CMS systems are bound to be more secure than open source content management systems because unless a hacker manages to get hold of a commercial system and reverse engineer it, it is pretty much impossible to view the source code of such applications unless you are the developer which will make it harder for hackers who wish to try and expose holes in such applications; however, the source code of open source applications is freely available and if hackers manage to find a hole in these applications then they will attempt to target websites that are running installations of the application concerned.

CMS Hosting

A content management system will be able to run on any web hosting service, granted that your web hosting account is able to meet the system requirements of any CMS that you may be considering. Depending on what you want to use a CMS system for, you should consider the individual features and resources of a web hosting plan so that you can choose the correct application and web hosting plan for your requirements. If you are going to be using your CMS to upload large amounts of images and other multimedia components then a web hosting service that can provide you with a good level of disk space is important because you will need extra space to store such media; furthermore, a large amount of bandwidth will be required to guarantee that everyone who visits your website will be able to do so without any issues. Some CMS systems can be major resource hogs so if you plan on using a content management system for a website that is going to receive a high level of traffic then it may be beneficial to consider a VPS server or dedicated server for your needs.

Why should I choose a CMS as opposed to a static HTML website?

A content management will provide you with an interface through which you can manage your website using a web browser. The content that you create is stored in a database and can be edited using a WYSIWYG editor that accompanies most CMS applications. Creating content with a CMS is easy when compared to creating and uploading static HTML files every time you want to add a new page to your website, along with the inconvenience that is caused by having to insert and modify links on other web pages. All in all a CMS will make you much more efficient with creating and modifying the content on your website, saving you time when compared to the process of creating a static HTML website.

In conclusion, using a content management system will allow you to create and modify the content of your website much more easily. There are also SEO benefits available from using a content management system if you choose to create a custom permalink structure; there are also many SEO plugins available for the most popular content management systems, providing you with another way in which you can increase your website’s presence on search engines under the most common keywords.

• How professional is the budget web host?

  The main thing to consider when evaluating a budget web hosting company is its home page on its website. Does it look professional and can you find all the information you need easily. Secondly, can you readily find the company’s contact information? Do they mention their contact number, email address or physical address? If they do not provide any contact information, then it may be best to leave them, as they may not be reputable, nor have a solid business foundation in place. Another thing to look for is the support functions that the budget web host provides. Do they provide technical support, live chat or e- mail services?

• Does the budget web host give a satisfaction guarantee?

  It is a wise move to find a budget web hosting company that provides a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee term to its clients. This way, you can trial the budget web host for a length of time and decide if you are happy with the service you receive. If you are not, then you can move your site to another hosting company and receive your money back. Most companies will offer a money back guarantee term; usually within 30 days of purchasing the hosting plan. If they do not guarantee the money back then it may be worth looking elsewhere for a budget hosting plan.

• What is the budget web host’s uptime guarantee?

  The uptime guarantee means the percentage of time that the hosting company assures that your site will be live on the internet. Several budget hosting companies provide 99% uptime, which means that they guarantee that the site will work 99 % of the time.

In short, opting for budget web hosting shouldn’t mean you have to compromise features, service or quality. Just do your research thoroughly and hopefully you will find a budget hosting plan that enables you and your business to make the most of the internet.

The main advantage of being able to use a low cost web hosting package is that you won’t be paying a great deal in order to setup a web presence meaning that you can easily spend your money on things that could be even more useful to your business. It is important to consider that cheap doesn’t have to mean nasty and low cost web hosting services that represent good value for money can be found – it’s more a case of selecting the right web hosting provider for your requirements when choosing a low cost web hosting service.

Low cost web hosting packages can represent good value for money if you select the right web hosting service for your requirements that will allow you to receive disk space and bandwidth assignments that meet your needs appropriately. It is recommended that you compare various web hosting providers that are able to offer you web hosting services that meet your requirements as it is the smaller features of web hosting services that may make a difference to how effective a web hosting service is in meeting your web hosting requirements.

A low cost web hosting package is unlikely to come with any restricting contact which will be of benefit to you since it will provide you with a way of cancelling your web hosting package if you find that it no longer meets your requirements. Having a 30-day rolling contract with a web hosting package is probably the best way to go since it means that you can cancel any time without having any penalties incurred as would be the case if you were to take out a web hosting service with a longer contract, i.e. a yearly (12 month) contract.

When searching for a web hosting service that is capable of hosting a small to medium sized website, a low cost web hosting package is probably the type of web hosting service that you will be considering primarily. A low cost web hosting package should be able to provide you with support for PHP based websites that use a MySQL database as generally most web hosting packages will come with at least one MySQL database – a web hosting package that isn’t able to offer you this can generally be regarded as not offering good value for money.

Linux tends to be the operating system of choice for web hosting companies that wish to offer low cost web hosting as it is open source, thus meaning that they won’t have to pay any fees to use it. Similarly most web hosting providers will also use US based servers to host customers on their cheapest web hosting services as US based server hosting services tend to be cheaper than UK server hosting services, allowing web hosting companies to offer you as the consumer the lowest price possible.

In conclusion, low cost web hosting packages can generally offer very good value for money, although this is reliant upon you choosing the correct web hosting provider for your requirements. Although a low cost web hosting service is going to be cheap, it is important that you don’t come to expect too much in terms of uptime and stability from your low cost web hosting package. All in all it’s about choosing the right web hosting service that will meet your requirements and being able to do this requires research and having a clear cut idea of what you expect of any web hosting package you are considering.

Why should I choose a budget web hosting package?

A budget web hosting package will be able to offer you a feature packed web hosting service for a low cost meaning that a cheap web hosting service can often represent good value for money. Some of the benefits of using a budget web hosting package include:

• Low cost – a budget web hosting service can be picked up for a relatively low cost which will benefit you in the long term since it means that there won’t be a need to spend a large amount on the web hosting service that you use – it is a good idea to take into consideration that the web hosting provider you choose will affect how good value for money your budget web hosting service presents, and although you won’t be paying a great deal for your web hosting package it is still important for you to be sure that you are getting the most for your money – it is important to shop around as there will always be a low cost web hosting service available to beat your existing web hosting package in terms of cost
• Features – budget web hosting packages are generally feature packed since they are aimed at users with a low budget who want a web hosting package that will be able to offer them a wide variety of features – feature packed web hosting services are also more appealing to consumers since they are led to believe that they are getting better value for money if their web hosting package comes with many features – as budget web hosting services are aimed at those who are using web hosting services for the first time, included features may allow you to create a website using a web-based wizard rather than having to code your own or having to use a desktop editor, you will also find that script installation applications are also a popular feature
• Good starting place – a budget web hosting package is the ideal form of web hosting to use if you are starting out with web hosting for the first time since a budget web hosting package should be able to provide you with the environment that you require to test and upload a basic database driven website – a budget web hosting package will provide you with the most basic features that will allow you to get started with web hosting such as email accounts so that you can make the most of your domain name as well as FTP accounts so that you can upload files directly to your web space.

Budget web hosting packages can provide first time users with many benefits in terms of cost and value for money. Unless you have clear cut requirements it is recommended that you choose a budget web hosting service as your web hosting service of choice if using web hosting for the first time.

What are the disadvantages of using budget web hosting?

Although you aren’t going to be paying a great deal for your budget web hosting service, there are disadvantages to using budget web hosting that you need to be aware of. Such disadvantages could include:

• Reliability – the likelihood is that your budget web hosting packages is going to be hosted on a server with many other budget web hosting packages meaning that you shouldn’t come to expect too much in terms of reliability – as web hosting providers aren’t going to be making much profit on each budget web hosting service that they sell, they are going to fit as many web hosting accounts as they can on a single server as this will allow them to maximise the profit that can be made from the sale of each individual budget web hosting package
• Security – web hosting providers may also skimp on security in some situations as this is an area where it could be easy for them to save money, and so if your website is going to be used for the processing or storage of personal data of any kind then you may wish to consider a higher end form of web hosting for your requirements – the number of websites that are hosted on the same server as yours could also pose a potential security risk since it is going to be hard for your web hosting provider to guarantee the security of each individual website.

In conclusion, budget web hosting services are ideal for those who are using web hosting for the first time. In order to make the most of a budget web hosting package it is important to ensure that you are getting the most resources possible for your budget.

Domain names or web URLs are just site names that one enters in order to get access to a website. In technical terms, a website address comprises of a long sequence of specific numbers known as an IP address and the domain name is just a mask of that IP address. In short, domain names are just an easy reference to a site’s numerical location, so that the site’s visitors do not have to remember a complicated sequence of numbers in order to access it. They can also give the visitor a real idea of what the website will be about something very important for driving visitors to a site, and something that a set of numbers could not possibly do.

Purchasing a domain name and then hosting it on the internet are two separate processes, either done by the same or separate domain hosting companies, depending on which option is chosen. Some webmasters prefer to register their domain name and have their site hosted by the same domain hosting company as they like the idea of having everything administered by the same hosting organisation. Others prefer to purchase a domain from a website hosting company specializing in domain registration, many of whom charge less than if they were to buy it from the hosting company that they choose to host their site with. It is possible to move domains from a domain hosting company to company with relatively little cost or hassle, but is always worth checking each individual domain hosting company’s procedures before you go with them.

Free domain hosting services

For novice webmasters who cannot afford to buy hosting plans, the option of hosting their domain with a free domain host may be an attractive one. There are many that can be found on blogs and forums across the internet. These free web hosting companies should be approached with caution however. Firstly, you cannot use you own domain name in the web address or email address, as the company will insist that you use their details. Another downside of these free web hosts is that you may be obliged to fill your web site up with their advertising banners something that will detract from your brand identity, overall look and functionality of your website.

If you are serious about your business or project, you really should opt to have an individual domain name which refers to the products or services offered on your related website. That way people can easily find your website and just by reading your domain name can have an indication of what it is you do. It is also advisable to have a clean and crisp website within which you have control over what adverts or marketing, if indeed any are featured. Thus it is advised to host your domain name and website with a reputable domain hosting company.

Why should I choose shared web hosting?

Shared web hosting packages can provide many advantages to those who have the lowest budgets or minimal requirements and expectations from their chosen web hosting service. Some of these advantages may include:

• Affordable web hosting – shared web hosting packages are fairly affordable meaning that even if you have a rather low budget for web hosting, you should still be able to find a shared web hosting package that is within your price range – for most web hosting providers the idea of shared web hosting packages is to bring in customers who may otherwise be unable to afford their web hosting services
• Linux web hosting and Windows web hosting – both Linux shared hosting and Windows shared hosting packages are available for purchase from most web hosting providers meaning that regardless of your requirements, there should be a shared hosting package available on your chosen web hosting platform – it is important to remember that most other forms of web hosting are also available in these two separate platforms
• Value for money – shared web hosting services can represent good value for money if you do your research and choose a web hosting package that will be able to guarantee you reliability and security as well as the resource assignments that you require – as the price of your average shared web hosting package is rather low and web hosting providers are being ever more generous with their resource assignments, shared web hosting now represents good value for money.

Shared web hosting can provide you with the assurance that you are going to receive good value for money from your web hosting service, and it is a good idea to make sure that you use a reputable web hosting provider if you want to receive high levels of support, reliability and security.

What are the disadvantages of using shared web hosting?

Although you may not be spending much on a shared web hosting package, it is still for you to be aware of certain disadvantages that you could face including:

• Reliability and uptime – there are normally many web hosting accounts hosted on a single shared hosting server meaning that it can be hard for some web hosting providers to guarantee any high levels of uptime for shared web hosting customers – if reliability is going to be a real issue for you then you may wish to consider VPS server hosting or dedicated server hosting for your requirements
• Security – businesses are never recommended to use shared web hosting services for the sole reason that the security of a shared web hosting environment can be hard to guarantee sometimes – if your website is going to be processing personal data of some sort then you may wish to consider a business web hosting service or some form of dedicated web hosting that will be able to offer you the guarantee of security that you require.

If you feel that the disadvantages of shared web hosting could have a negative impact on your web hosting experience then it is recommended that you choose another form of web hosting that fits your criteria.

In conclusion, shared web hosting is a highly effective form of web hosting that allows people to get started with web hosting services for the first time. Whether you choose to go for a cPanel Linux shared hosting account or a Windows shared hosting account, you will find that you won’t have to pay much in order to receive the wide variety of benefits that shared web hosting has to offer.

Benefits of Shared Web Hosting

Sharing web hosting enables web masters to host their site(s) on a state of the art server at relatively low monthly fees. The servers provide sites with good uptime guarantees and unlimited connectivity. This is a great option for small and medium sized businesses as they can have their web site up and running quickly without having to learn the latest technical capabilities, nor risk spending a large amount of money. An additional benefit is the speedy setup time and good after sales support that usually comes with shared hosting packages.

Choosing a Shared Web Hosting Provider

Deciding on a shared hosting provider can sometimes be a real challenge due to the large amount of choice that is now present on the Internet. However below are some important factors worth considering when making your selection:

• Uptime/reliability is one of most important factors to consider when choosing a web host. Check the host’s track record when it comes to server uptime.
• Features. Are all features and coding language support you require provided? It’s best to check such things early on in order to save you frustration later in moving your site to another web host should you find out a key feature you require cannot be provided by the host.
• Technical support. Check the level of technical support provided so that you can take maximum advantage of your online presence and ensure any server issues you encounter are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.
• Reviews – Check what other people are saying about the host and the service they offer. You can usually find reviews on shared hosting providers by carrying out a quick search in Google.
• Finally cost. Although in the current economic climate, everyone is looking to save as much money as possible, the lowest cost is not always the best option as you may find yourself paying a higher price later. Take cost into consideration with the above points in order to help you choose the best shared hosting provider for you.