If you have decided against using a free all-in-one blogging service, like Blogger.com or WordPress.com, and have realized free hosting services rarely provide a reliable service, you will probably want to look into setting up a shared hosting account.
Shared hosting is the most basic form of paid hosting. This is not to say it is a poor option. The majority of websites you see online will be using shared hosting. And many sites currently using a VPS or dedicated server option will have begun their online journey with a shared hosting account.
So what exactly is shared hosting?
Shared Hosting 101
A web hosting provider will host your website on one of its servers for a monthly charge. The host will also host numerous other websites on the same server as your site. All the websites will share the resources allocated to the hosting server, such as RAM, disk space, and bandwidth. A web host will provide guaranteed resources to you, such as: Email accounts, FTP accounts, MySQL databases, and a shared SSL certificate. The precise allocations will depend on the individual hosting provider and the package you select.
6 Features a Web Host Must Provide
Different web hosts will make a fuss over different features. It is part of a competitive sales strategy. Many of the resources they boast about will either be irrelevant or fairly standard. The web host is relying on you being too new to hosting to realize this. But there are some features you should never be without and these are not always clearly promoted by some web hosts. So before you sign up for an account with a fly-by-night hosting provider, here are 6 important factors any good web host must offer:
1. Positive Reputation
Reputation is crucial. If a web host has a positive reputation you can rightly assume it is both reliable and trustworthy. So how do you discover if a web host is reputable? Unfortunately, there is no magic tell-all. You will have to embark on some old-fashioned research. This may seem a chore but will be time well spent. You do want your website to be visible and usable don’t you? Visit some independent webmaster forums and read the latest news on impartial web hosting review sites. The better your research, the greater the chance you will narrow your options to a few highly-respected web hosting providers.
2. Factual Contact Details
Visit a web host’s homepage and ensure they have clearly visible contact details and/or a simple way of getting hold of the customer services/sales support department. Most web hosts will provide an email address and phone number at the very least. Try calling the number to see if it is legit, and then send an inquiry email to test how long it takes the web host to respond. Some web hosts will have a live chat option and/or a ticket system. Use both, if available, and see how efficient the service is. A reputable host cares about its customers. It should ensure direct contact is a simple process and make every effort to provide a fast and efficient response.
3. 24/7 Efficient Technical Support
Not only should the web host’s support be timely, it needs to be professional and top quality. Your website could have an issue at 2am on a Saturday. The last thing you want to hear is a web host stating its technical support section is only open 9am-4pm Monday to Friday. 24/7 technical support is crucial. Support should be able to respond to, and solve, your issues in rapid fashion. If the problem is complicated you want to know the support team will be keeping you in the loop with regular contact and appraising you with their progress. Check out the hosting forums again for any horror stories about a web host’s technical support.
4. User-Friendly Interface and Installation
An uncomplicated, systematic User Interface (UI) is vital if you are new to shared hosting. The host should provide a practically designed UI that is simplistic enough for a hosting novice. There must be good Help and FAQ sections containing descriptive answers which cover common areas of concern.
Any available software installations should be as straightforward as possible – ideally a one-click installation process. A good installation guide (preferably with video or images) should be available for each software application. Ideally, a web host will be using a cPanel or Plesk control panel interface.
5. Quality Software and Applications
It is now common practice for a web host to provide popular CMS platforms, such as WordPress and Drupal, for customers to install. These should be available with semi-automated installation. One feature many new customers require is a website builder. Not everyone will already have a ready-to-go website. In this case, finding a host that provides a free top-class website creation utility is quite important.
If a website builder is available, be sure to do some online research and find out if the utility is any good. There is no point paying to host a website that looks cheap and unprofessional.
6. Support for Analytics and Website Management
Analytical insight is vital to the improvement and management of a website. Running a successful website means committing to a continuous battle for efficiency and optimization. Analytics plays a massive part in this. You will need to see where your traffic is coming from, what keyword phrases are being used to locate your website, bounce rates, high/low page traffic etc. This task is made easier when a web host provides high-quality analytical tool which displays usable, understandable results from your website. Good feedback is essential for improving site efficency.
Shared Hosting Propaganda: 4 Irrelevant Factors to Ignore
1. Unlimited Disk Space
This is nothing more than a marketing tactic. If you have decided on a shared hosting option, it is likely your website will not require masses of disk space. Even if your website was to expand, it would require additional increased resources (like RAM) to function efficiently. Most average websites don’t really require a lot of disk space and web hosts know this. Unlimited disk space is simply a sales tactic. Never base your hosting decision on this irrelevant feature.
2. Unmetered Bandwidth
As your website will be sharing bandwidth with other websites, the total amount of available bandwidth will also be shared. A sudden bandwidth surge from other sites can affect your own websites performance, if you choose an ill-prepared host. Some web hosts promote the offer of unmetered bandwidth. But if your site received a huge sudden spike in traffic it would be likely to crash or freeze (though the spike would have to be momentous). Unmetered bandwidth would not prevent this. This situation rarely happens and hosting providers know most websites never need unmetered bandwidth.
3. Free Email Accounts and MySQL Databases
Don’t be sucked in by the promise of unlimited email accounts and MySQL databases. Nearly every host will offer more than enough of both. You will only ever need a limited amount. The amount of email storage space you are allocated is more important. If you ever get to the point of using a multitude of resource-hungry databases you will undoubtedly require more RAM and have to upgrade to either a VPS or dedicated server anyway. The RAM factor is more important in terms of large or numerous databases; the actual amount of available databases is immaterial.
4. Lowest Price
Everyone loves a bargain. You may be tempted to click on the web host advertising an incredibly low monthly fee but be careful, all may not be as it seems. Most of the lowest monthly fees come with a hidden clause: You will need to sign up for a 2 or 3 year contract to qualify for that price. With reputable no-fixed contract hosting available from $5-$10 a month, price should never be a deciding factor.
Finding a Good Shared Hosting Provider: Knowing What’s Important
Hopefully, this guide has offered you some practical insight into shared hosting. You should now be more conscious of what shared hosting features are relevant, and be equipped to recognize any hosting red herrings. If you start by concentrating on reputation, you won’t go far wrong. Watch out for hidden charges associated with low-cost web hosts, and check online resources for negative feedback about reliability, performance, and customer service. There are some fantastic web hosting providers around offering some great deals. Now you know what to look for, it’s time to go online and find the right one for you.
