Shared web hosting is a service offered by web hosts wherein more than one website is hosted on a single server. It is an economical option since the overall cost of running and maintaining the web server is shared among many websites.
A real-life comparison can be that of a students' dormitory where all students share the same facilities. Except that in case of shared web hosting, individual website owners do not normally know each other.
Usually small websites prefer shared web hosting to keep overhead cost minimum. It is quite common to find websites from any part of the world availing shared web hosting service from a single provider.
For them, ability to host own website is more important than other considerations.
On the other hand, in many large companies every department has its own server which is shared only by department personnel. Clearly then the concept of shared web hosting varies from need to need depending on necessity and ability to afford the cost involved.
In the paragraphs below we will look at the pros and cons of shared web hosting in more details:
Shared Web Hosting - The Pros
If you are dipping your toe in web-world for the first time, shared web hosting will be a good choice. Costs are low since you are entitled to a small portion of the whole pie. More than that, shared web hosting offers unique advantage of many features and software that already come installed in host server. In addition, a system administrator, available 24x7, will be there to help you in case of any trouble with your shared web hosting.
Depending on service provider, typical freebies in shared web hosting include open-source software such as fully-featured shopping cart (like Agora, Oscommerce, CubeCart, Zen Cart, etc.), content management system or blogs (like Nucleus CMS, Drupal, Wordpress, etc.), image galleries (4Images, Coppermine, etc.) and so on.
This apart, most shared web hosting plans come equipped with web statistics facilities like Awstats and Webalizer, and sometimes even with a site-builder so that you can design your website in no time.
Since all hosting-related needs are taken care of, shared web hosting specially appeals to those website owners who want to focus on their web businesses and have no reason to bother about nitty-gritty of host server. In short therefore, with shared web hosting, one gets going without too much of hassle and certainly in shortest possible time.
Shared Web Hosting - The Cons
Not everything is rosy with shared web hosting. The principal concern is lack of privacy. If your website deals in sensitive data, then shared web hosting is not preferable. Since you have no control on what others are doing in shared web hosting, there is no guarantee that your website data will not be tampered with intentionally or otherwise.
It is true that some shared web hosting will offer SSL and TLS shields (SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and TLS means Transport Layer Security) to ensure that all your web communications remain totally confidential. But in practice this is not so. This is because in shared web hosting, all websites have same IP address (Internet Protocol Address) and therefore share the same SSL/TLS digital certificate.
Another issue of concern is when your host server malfunctions. This can happen even if yours is not a shared web hosting. The problem is that since you do not control the server, you will not know what ailed the system and so you cannot take any preventive measure.
Summing Up
Shared web hosting is without doubt the first stepping stone across the turbulence of web world. Once you graduate and progress you will find you no longer prefer shared web hosting for various reasons. You have grown big and have reached a point where it will be a better option to move out of shared web hosting, for good.
Article by Josh - admin @ hostingfrenzy.com Josh is the webmaster of http://www.hostingfrenzy.com Visit his site for a comprehensive web hosting directory, articles, tools, and much more.
Aid4Mail Simplifies and Speeds Up Email Conversion, Migration and Archiving
Aid4Mail from Fookes Software now supports over 30 email clients and mailbox formats including Office Outlook 2007, Windows Mail, and Windows Live Mail, under Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/2003/XP/Vista. Support for Office Outlook includes import and export capabilities for MAPI profiles, PST databases, and MSG files.
Should You Have Static Or Dynamic Websites
Once a static website has been published it will not change until the next edition. A dynamic website, on the other hand, relies on a back end engine to change site content. Dynamic site content is changed on the fly while static content modified through editions. Deciding whether static or dynamic sites are better is like determining whether vanilla or chocolate ice cream is better. It truly depends on your situation, and your needs.
Senior Citizens Stop Email Fraud with Woomail
Senior Citizens are the most targeted online demographic when it comes to email frauds and electronic scams. Until recently, there was no way to stop the barrage of unwanted email and annoying mass email marketing targeting retired and aging Americans. Woomail has created a spam free email tool that ensures seniors can eliminate spam once and for all.
Understanding the true value of a web hosting provider
The true value of a web hosting provider lies within the fulfillment of your actual web host requirements. You must first understand your basic web hosting needs with regard to your website. Based on your requirement, you can judge the importance of a web hosting provider who should be useful to your specific needs rather than being generally compatible to all web masters. In short, the true value of a web hosting provider can be seen when the web hosting provider is able to fulfill all specific needs of the concerned owner of the website. Now, picture the following situations before you actually acquire a web hosting provider for your website.
Email Marketing: How To Maximize Your Chances Of Getting Your Emails Delivered And Opened
There are a lot of different ways to get the news out about your new website that you just started You can post links in forums (that allow it), sign up with AdWords, or even send out ebooks all over the place for free download
Forget Email! Use Direct Mail To Boost Sales
For a long time, companies have used direct mail marketing. The practice is not as popular today, though, because of the Internet. The main concerns are that customers do not like direct marketing, and that it is an outdated way of reaching people. This is not necessarily true, however, and evidence indicates that companies that use direct mail properly can reach customers. There are a lot of different ways that businesses can use direct mail to increase sales. Usually, these companies find that they can use unique ways in which to market with direct mail and increase sales.
Bad Web Design And Mistakes
Okay, we know we all need to pay the bills. I know that many of us want to get traffic to our web sites. And some of us just want to make enough money to pay for our costs so that this thing we love to do is free.
Osterman Research to Present Key Issues in Creating an RFP for Email Archiving in Upcoming Webcast
Michael Osterman of Osterman Research will present the webcast on May 22, 2008. Participants will receive a complimentary RFP guide that they can use to identify their organization's email archiving requirements for complying with record retention laws, producing data for legal discovery purposes, and improving storage management and disaster recovery capabilities.
Website-Hosting-Offers.com Launches to Compare Leading Web Hosting Providers for Small Businesses
Website-Hosting-Offers.com announces the launch of a website featuring a select group of top web hosting providers, including reviews and side by side comparisons of all web hosting plans from these providers. Web hosting providers reviewed include Yahoo Web Hosting, 1&1 Web Hosting, iPowerWeb Hosting, and more. Site visitors can get informative web hosting reviews and articles that cater to everyone from beginning website builders to more experienced small business owners upgrading to a new web hosting plan.
Important factors to consider when getting a Web-hosting company?
So, you want to start up an internet business. You are now ready to approach a web-hosting company for hosting your website.
Email Data Source Ranks Email Brand Equity Among Pay Day Loan Email Marketers
Email Data Source, the leading provider of email competitive analysis, released its study ranking the Email Brand Equity Index? among pay day loan email marketers.
AdTrack Corporation Offers New Email Marketing Services
AdTrack Corporation has partnered with Emma, Inc. to offer AdTrack clients a full-featured, reliable bulk email service. AdTrack clients have already benefited from its effectiveness.
Magnetic Earns International Recognition with Profile in United Kingdom's Premier Web Design Publication
Magnetic, a full-service Web development firm, achieved international recognition with a profile in the June issue of Web Designer, the United Kingdom's premier publication for online creativity.
How to Choose Affordable Web Hosting
It?s all about what you need; not what those web hosting companies want you to have. In order to find out what you need, a self-assessment needs to be made. Is it imperative that you have an email address with a domain name or will a generic one do? Do you need database support, filters for spam and other junk? What about tools to build your website? You?ve got to have a list of ?must-haves? in order to make a wise decision for your next affordable web hosting option.
How To Choose A Free Web Hosting In Greece
There are some things you should check out when you are up to choose a web host. You should look into the criteria between choosing a free web host that will deal up to your web hosting solution.