Should You Choose Shared or Dedicated Hosting?
Whether to choose shared or dedicated hosting is a critical question, and if you don’t know anything about web hosting it can send you into a panic. Why is shared hosting so much cheaper? Is it unreliable? Do I need a dedicated server for my website to be safe? But they’re so expensive! How can I ever afford it? Don’t panic. Read on for an explanation of the difference and relative merits between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. After this, you should have no problem making an informed decision.
Why is Shared Hosting so Cheap?
You’ve probably seen cheap web hosting offered for only a few dollars a month and wondered: “What’s the catch?” The catch is that your site will be hosted on a shared server. It doesn’t mean that you’re getting a lower quality product or that the site is not legitimate. So what does shared hosting mean? It means that your website is going to be on the same server as other websites. It does not mean that those other websites have any access to the administrative side of your site or that they can steal your traffic. It just means that you are on the same server with the same IP address and control panel. If you’re new to having websites, this can actually work in your favor, as there will be a server/site administrator who can help you with any problems.
Why is Dedicated Hosting More Expensive?
Dedicated server hosting is the opposite end of the spectrum. You get the whole server to yourself. You choose the operating system and programming language, you have exclusive domain over the control panel, the IP address is all about you. The reason this plan costs so much more is that you get all the bandwidth and disk space that the web host could normally rent out to dozens of other websites. The question becomes, do you need all that disk space, bandwidth and control. If you’ve got a big Internet presence with thousands of web pages, the answer may well be yes. However, if you’ve just got one or two sites with tens of pages and a moderate amount of traffic, you may want to hold off before investing in a dedicated server.
Do you think you are getting value for your hosting money? Have a look at this site and find out.
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