Article  Is Shared Server Hosting Right for You? When building a new website for your company, one of the most important things you need to decide is whether you need dedicated hosting or shared server hosting. Each option has its own pros and cons, and the right choice will likely depend on your specific needs. Below, you'll find all the information about both shared and dedicated hosting, allowing you to make an informed decision. Keep reading to find the right hosting solution for your needs. First, it's important to understand exactly what dedicated and shared hosting are. Let's start with dedicated hosting. Dedicated hosting means that your website has its own dedicated server. This means your website isn't sharing server space with other websites. This is ideal for large ecommerce websites that require a lot of space and bandwidth. As you can probably guess, shared hosting means that your website is sharing server space with other websites. This can mean hundreds or even thousands of websites are on a single server. Now, if your website is a typical small business website, you'll probably be just fine with sharing a server, but there are some drawbacks to this kind of hosting. More on that later. The major advantage of dedicated server hosting is the improved speed and performance. With a dedicated host, there aren't other websites sucking bandwidth and crashing the server. Dedicated hosting allows you to have a big website that gets large amounts of traffic without the worry of a server crashing or suffering through slow load times. However, that doesn't mean that shared server hosting is slow. If you have a typical small to medium sized website, a shared host probably won't affect the performance of your website too much. But as your website starts to grow and bring in substantial amounts of traffic, you might want to consider seeking a dedicated hosting option. When it comes to security, dedicated hosting has a little bit of an advantage here. That's because the dedicated host means you don't have to share storage space with other websites. Some low-grade hosting companies host spammy websites, and if you use their shared hosting services, your website could be in a "bad neighborhood." This could lead to security problems and even penalties from the search engines. However, this isn't always the case with shared hosting. If you choose a reliable hosting company that doesn't deal with low quality websites, you'll be just fine sharing server space. The key is to research your hosting company thoroughly to make sure you're doing business with a reputable service provider. The one major advantage of sharing a server for hosting is the price. Shared hosting is typically much cheaper than dedicated hosting. You can find a reliable shared hosting plan for anywhere between $5 and $20 per month, depending on your storage and bandwidth requirements. Regardless of which type of hosting you choose, there are a few things you should consider when finding a hosting company. First, make sure you choose an experienced hosting company that's been around for several years. Ideally, the hosting company will have testimonials or references from clients. You also want to make sure the host you choose offers a fair rate. Price isn't everything, but you do want to make sure you're getting a good value on your hosting services. Compare rates between different hosting companies to find a good deal with all the features you need. Now that you know the difference between shared server hosting and dedicated hosting, you can choose the plan that's right for your needs. Find your web host today! Category Internet Author WOA Member Add To Favorites Print This Article Email Article To A Friend Post Comments   Rate This Article (0) 1 - Poor2345 - Good678910 - Excellent Added On 15 February 2010