Shared web hosting means your website lives on a server alongside other websites, and everyone shares the cost. It’s the cheapest way to put a small business website and email online, and it’s where most small sites start.
Every website needs a server: a computer that stores its files, sends pages to visitors’ browsers and usually handles its email. You can rent a whole server (a dedicated server), a virtual slice of one with its own operating system (a VPS), or space on a shared server.
How shared hosting works
Many websites sit on one server. Each account gets its own allowance of disk space, databases, mailboxes and processing power, set by the plan you choose. Because the server’s cost is split across many accounts, a plan costs a fraction of a dedicated server.
Plans look similar on paper from one host to the next, so choose a company you trust and can work with for years.
The advantages
- It’s the cheapest kind of hosting.
- You can move up a plan as your site grows.
- A control panel lets you manage files, email and databases yourself. We use Plesk, with a 1-click installer for WordPress and other applications.
- The host looks after the server, its security updates and its hardware, so you don’t need technical skills.
The drawbacks
Your site shares the server’s processor and memory, so it can be slower than the same site on a dedicated server. On a badly managed server, one busy or broken site can slow down every site around it.
We run CloudLinux on our servers to prevent that. It gives each account its own allowance of CPU and memory, so another account can’t use up yours.
Is it right for you?
If you’re starting out, yes. A new site has modest needs, and shared hosting keeps costs low while you learn what yours needs. If it outgrows its plan, move up a plan, or move to Power hosting for more processing power. Compare Shared hosting plans.