Shared Hosting 101: Beginning the Basics‍

Imagine having a gorgeous retail, portfolio, or blog website. Your website requires an online home to share it with the world, it is where web hosting comes in.

Website hosting? An Easy Comparison

View web hosting as renting a residence for your website. You rent a space on the server owned by the hosting provider to store your website's text, images, videos, etc. After typing your website's address into their browser, clients’ computers connect to the server and retrieve those files to display your site for them.

Why Beginners Prefer Shared Hosting?

This type of hosting is like renting a room in a shared apartment. You share the server's storage, bandwidth, and computing power with other websites. This makes it the cheapest hosting choice for beginners.

• Just starting: Shared hosting is affordable and easy to set up, making it ideal for new or low-traffic websites.

• Keep websites simple: Shared hosting is fine for sites with few resources or features.

• To avoid hassle: While shared hosting providers manage server maintenance and security, you can focus on constructing your website.

Despite its drawbacks (we'll discuss them later), shared hosting is a great option for most beginners, making website creation economical and easy.

How Does Shared Hosting Work?

To understand shared hosting, let’s review our apartment building analogy.

• The Building: Your website files are stored on a strong server - in the residential building.Apartments: Each apartment represents a hosting account. Websites share a server, each with its own "apartment."

• Amenities shared: Websites on a shared server share storage, bandwidth, and computing power, like apartment occupants, share the lobby, laundry room, and parking lot.

• The Landlord: The hosting provider manages the server, ensures security and maintenance, and provides tenants with shared website resources.

Resource Sharing: Pros and Cons

Advantages of Shared Hosting:

• Multiple websites share the server's costs, making shared hosting the cheapest choice.

• An appealing control interface and simplified setup make shared hosting plans easy to use.

• No Tech Skills Needed: The hosting company handles server maintenance, security upgrades, and technical concerns, making it suitable for beginners.

Disadvantages of shared hosting:

Few Resources: Your website may experience performance issues if other websites on the server encounter traffic spikes or resource-intensive activities since resources are shared. While hosting providers implement security precautions, shared hosting has a larger chance of vulnerabilities due to the shared environment.

You have less control over server configurations and customization than with other hosting kinds.

Shared hosting is like living in a bustling neighborhood. It's cheap and convenient, although peak-hour noise and congestion may occur. Shared hosting is an affordable option to launch a small website. If you expect large traffic or require more control and resources, you may need to consider more advanced hosting or upgrading it later.

Main Shared Hosting Features

Understanding the main differences between shared hosting providers is crucial when picking one. Break down the essentials:

1. Storage and bandwidth Explained

Disk Space: Your website's server storage. It limits file storage (web pages, photos, videos, etc.).

Bandwidth: This is how much data your website can send to users' browsers. It's crucial for traffic management and user satisfaction.

Storage is measured in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB), and bandwidth is typically measured in gigabits per second (Gbps) or terabits per second (Tbps). A few gigabytes of disk space and gigabits per second of bandwidth may be enough for modest websites. A media-rich or high-traffic site will require more.

2. Email and Domains

Email accounts: Your domain name usually has a set number of email accounts on most shared hosting services. This makes your emails look professional online.

Domains: Some of the hosting providers offer free domain registration for the first year.

3. CPanel/Plesk

These simple interfaces let you manage your hosting account, create email accounts, install apps like WordPress, and track website statistics.

4. Uptime, dependability

The percentage of time your website is online is called uptime. Choosing a hosting company with at least 99.9% uptime will keep your website open most of the time.

5. Security Features

Shared hosting providers usually offer firewalls, malware scanning, and spam filtering. Other choices include SSL certificates for safe data transmission.

6. Support for Customers

Beginners need reliable customer support. Find a supplier with 24/7 phone, chat, or email assistance. For self-help, see their knowledge base or community forum.

Choice of Shared Hosting Provider

With so many shared hosting services, choosing one might take time. To simplify your choice, consider these key factors.

Things to Think About

• Price: Shared hosting is inexpensive yet varies widely. Seek a service with clear pricing and no hidden fees.

• Performance: SEO and user experience depend on website speed. Consider a service with fast servers and 99.9% uptime.

• Features: You should consider storage space, bandwidth, email accounts, domain names, control panel options, and one-click installations for popular apps like WordPress.

• Scalability: Choose a service that allows easy VPS or dedicated hosting upgrades as your website grows.

• Support for Customers: Beginners need 24/7 customer support. Look for live chat, phone, email assistance, and a large knowledge base.

Top Beginner Shared Hosting Providers

This comparison table shows prominent shared hosting services with beginner-friendly features:

Remember that the "best" service depends on your needs and budget. Research and evaluate possibilities before choosing. Use free trials or money-back guarantees to assess a supplier before signing up.

Website Setup on Shared Hosting

After choosing a shared hosting service, launch your website. A simplified step-by-step:

1. Domain Registration

Your domain name is your website's internet address. Domain names can be registered through your hosting company or another registrar.

• Name Your Domain: Name your website something memorable, accessible, and relevant.

• Domain Registration: Complete registration by following the registrar's instructions.

2. WordPress (or CMS) Installation

A CMS like WordPress makes website creation and management easy without coding.

• Go to Control Panel: Access your hosting account's control panel (cPanel or Plesk).

• Find the One-Click Installer: Look for "Softaculous" or "QuickInstall" for one-click WordPress installation.

• Follow Directions: Enter the website title, admin username, and password, and click "Install." Domain WordPress installation is automatic.

3. Website File Upload

Upload your HTML, CSS, and other website files to your hosting account.

• FTP Client: FTP is the conventional means of transferring files between your computer and the server. FTP clients like FileZilla and Cyberduck are popular. Your hosting provider's credentials should be used to connect your FTP client to your server.

• Upload files: Place your website files in your server's "public_html", “yourdomain.com”, or "www" directories.

Simple Website Optimization Tips

To optimize performance and user experience:

• Choose a Lightweight Theme: Choose a fast-loading, responsive theme that works across different screens.

• Optimise Images: Image compression reduces file size and speeds loading.

• Enable Caching: Caching frequently visited data speeds up your website and lowers server demand.

• Check Speed and Uptime: Track your website's uptime and loading speed with Pingdom or GTmetrix.

After improving your website, you can develop a professional online presence on shared hosting.

Shared Hosting: The Perfect Online Start

Shared Hosting makes website building affordable and accessible. It's inexpensive to test your ideas, learn the ropes, and build an internet presence without technological expertise.

For smaller sites, blogs, and startups, shared hosting offers plenty of functionality and freedom. With the appropriate provider and experience, you can establish and run a profitable website on shared hosting, laying the framework for future development.

Remember, shared hosting is just starting. Your hosting needs to change with your website. As your traffic and needs grow, consider alternative hosting solutions. For now, use shared hosting to achieve your online goals. It's a reliable and affordable way to communicate, brand, and engage with your audience.