If your business needs a web presence you will find yourself faced with a choice of whether to choose a shared hosting option or a dedicated hosting one.
Other terms for shared hosting are virtual or mass hosting, however, the term "shared hosting" is by far the most common. It refers to a hosting service which is shared with other websites.
The hosting company is able to provide efficient and inexpensive services, including technical services to maintain the server, because the cost is shared among users.
Additionally, if you use a shared hosting service you will also be able to customize your website and add extra features if and when you desire.
Small businesses in particular can benefit from the many low cost opportunities provided by shared hosting companies. Many of these shared hosting services offer complete services including technical support and even online website creation tools.
Some of these shared hosting companies even offer free hosting however you need to be very careful to fully understand the terms of agreement if you are going to be building a web-based business on the back of a free service.
If you want to get your feet wet without cost, choose a service that allows you to upgrade at a reasonable cost. You also need to be fully aware of potential additional charges as well as whether you are giving the hosting company the right to place advertising on your site or even for their advertisers to place cookies on your computer.
You also need ensure that a shared hosting service, whether free or otherwise, can offer you enough capacity for your website to grow as well as having the ability to handle short term traffic spikes as a result of marketing campaigns and increased traffic over time.
Shared hosting is by far the least expensive form of hosting for websites. However, its effectiveness depends upon the number, size and popularity of the websites sharing the server.
For example, if you choose the shared hosting option and find that you are sharing the server with some high traffic websites using a lot of server space, you may find the performance of your own website suffering setbacks such as slow page loads.
Therefore, despite the financial benefits of using shared hosting, it has its limitations. Should you choose the shared hosting option, you will also be unable to use certain scripting languages and applications.
If you require broader services from your host, you may need to consider dedicated hosting. However, unlike shared hosting providers, dedicated server hosts are only responsible for hosting services although some provide additional support services at a cost.
If you choose to rent a dedicated server, you will be able to use all the server's resources as well as renting server space to other websites should you wish to do so.
Renting a dedicated server may be worth considering if you expect your website to grow quickly as a result of extensive marketing programs.
Generally speaking, the larger the business, the higher the bandwidth requirement and the greater the potential need for more server space and higher level technical support.
Whether you choose shared hosting or dedicated hosting, be sure the company you choose provides 24/7 technical support and possesses a good reputation for security and minimal server downtime.
If you do your due diligence and make sure you are fully informed before committing to a website hosting service, you will give yourself and your business the best chance of online success.
Related Articles
Web Hosting: Do You Really Get What You Pay For?
By: Scott Lindsay | 26/05/2007 | Internet
There is an assumption among business owners that in order to have a quality website you need to follow the old adage, "You get what you pay for."
The truth is, in web hosting you can pay a significant amount of money and receive poor service. Certainly the reverse is true,...
Hosting Types Totally Explained in 5 Minutes!
By: D Champ | 27/11/2006 | Web Hosting
Everything about hosting types you wanted to know...but was afraid to ask
Shopping for a Shared Hosting Company
By: Steven Cancel | 23/05/2008 | Computers
Great details on what to look for when shopping for a web host.
Shared Vs Dedicated Hosting
By: Jon Murray | 04/10/2007 | Internet
When you first start thinking about building your first web site you are faced with a lot of choices. You need to choose a domain name, but also somebody to register that domain name. You need to decide on whether you'll use a CMS tool like Joomla or a blog engine like Wordpress, or maybe you'll purchase a nice template and use that. One of the biggest choices you'll need to make is your hosting service. The right hosting service can be the difference between spending time installing and configuring your site and spending time adding content.
Reseller Hosting
By: Chris B. Brown | 31/05/2008 | Internet
Reseller hosting is gaining popularity all over as a solid money-making opportunity with an increase in the number of people opting for this interesting business. Reseller hosting means purchasing a plan or a dedicated server for the purpose of establishing your own company. When you purchase this hosting plan, then...
Web Hosting: Defining The Office Space
By: Scott Lindsay | 16/05/2007 | Internet
The web hosting solution for a home-based business will likely be radically different from the needs of a large ecommerce site. The use of a web host is essentially the cyber-office lease for your Internet business. The web hosting solution houses the files you will need to upload and can...
Web Hosting: Fruit Comparisons
By: Scott Lindsay | 16/05/2007 | Internet
You Google the term 'web hosting' and come up with page after page of possibilities and each hosting solution has a comprehensive set of solutions to common hosting questions.
If you are to believe every web hosting solution you come across you would have conclude that every option is the best...
Web Hosting: Portals
By: Scott Lindsay | 26/05/2007 | Internet
One lone computer in a business is useful. When that computer is connected to a second computer a small network is developed that allow files and information to be more readily shared. Large companies have hundreds or thousands of computers tied together in a company-wide network that speeds many processes...
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Internet Articles
Use Blogs to Increase Website Traffic
By: Adam Maxwell | 24/07/2008
It's often said that using a blog is a great way to increase website traffic, and there's a reason it's often said - it's true! However, it's also possible to use other people's blogs to get more traffic, and here are three ways...
The first way is to leave comments on...
Is it Worth Paying For Traffic?
By: Adam Maxwell | 24/07/2008
There are so many different ways of generating traffic that some people get overwhelmed by the choices, and get tempted by paying for traffic, but is this increased traffic worth the price..?
It may not sound very helpful to say 'sometimes', but in truth there are a lot of variables.
It depends...
E-book Mania Can be Easy Profits for You
By: Bob and Cindy Floyd | 24/07/2008
Many online home businesses are created by the sale of a simple e-book. The popularity of the e-book has increased in the "I want it now" society that is in love with the idea of getting their desired information immediately. Not have to wait for something to be shipped to you is quickly becoming the desire method for most internet information shoppers.
Benefits of Article Marketing- #4 Social Bookmarking and Blogging
By: Jeff Schuman | 24/07/2008
No article marketing discussion today can leave out blogging and social bookmarking. You can benefit both from increased traffic and search engine bait from bookmarking your articles to relevant social directories.
Free Ways to Identify a Profitable Market Niche
By: Martin Malden | 24/07/2008
3 steps you can undertake, easily and without spending any money, to identify a profitable market niche for your Internet or Affiliate Marketing business.
Can You Cheat the Search Engines to Get More Website Traffic?
By: Adam Maxwell | 24/07/2008
The idea of cheating search engines for more web traffic is as old as the search engines themselves.
No surprise there, but it's worth looking at how and why people do it, to see if it's worth the effort...
When search engines go about ranking how they display their search results, they...
Go Offline to Increase Website Traffic
By: Adam Maxwell | 24/07/2008
That may sound contradictory, to go offline when you want to increase website traffic, because surely you want to always be online to promote website business, right..?
Wrong.
Of course you would love to have a flood of traffic coming to your site from online generation, and this is obviously never to...
How to Start and Expand Your Personal Network
By: Phil Evans | 24/07/2008
This is about discovering and using the most important of all the basic network marketing strategies. If you know anything about network marketing you know that the success of your business falls solely on only one network marketing strategy: Prospecting.
More from Ricardo D Argence
Buying Properties In Mexico, Conveyance Of A Home
By: Ricardo D Argence | 23/05/2008 | Real Estate
The Income Tax Law provides obligations for the payment of the income tax when conveying property, as well as exemptions thereof.
Buying Properties In Mexico, The Importance Of The Catastral Manifestation
By: Ricardo D Argence | 23/05/2008 | Real Estate
When buying land in Mexico, it's very important to make sure that the price stated in your trust is the price that you paid for your Property.
Road Tripping, Tips For Saving Gas
By: Ricardo D Argence | 22/05/2008 | Cars
Here are 10 simple ideas to make your car more fuel-efficient.
Ipod Nano, An Enjoyable Player
By: Ricardo D Argence | 22/05/2008 | Gadgets and Gizmos
Apple's new nano is designed to improve upon the past models and add some functionality.
Green, It Means Life, Health and Growth
By: Ricardo D Argence | 22/05/2008 | Interior Design
Abundant in nature, green signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment. It can mean luck and fortune.
Purple, A Mysterious Color Associated with Nobility and Spirituality
By: Ricardo D Argence | 22/05/2008 | Interior Design
Choose this color for artists and spiritual people. It's the gift for serene, mature love.
Red, From Passionate Love To Violence, Cupid And The Devil
By: Ricardo D Argence | 22/05/2008 | Interior Design
Love and War: Red is hot. It's a strong color that conjures up a range of seemingly conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare.
Auto Performance Tuning, Give More Power To Your Car
By: Ricardo D Argence | 20/05/2008 | Cars
There are several key areas of tuning that can help give your car or truck an engine boost. Let's explore them and see how each can contribute to better driving.
Internet 
