Shared hosting is a great option for new websites starting out. If you are creating a new site, a shared hosting account allows you to share a server with other websites. This brings the cost of hosting down to a very affordable cost. As a result, you can make your website accessible online and not have to worry about your wallet. However, you do have to share the server resources which could be a reason to upgrade to a VPS down the road as you gain more visitors and traffic. However, for now, a shared hosting package could be just enough to get your website online. In this post, we’ll explain some of the important elements you should look for when choosing a hosting package.
1. Set Your Budget Upfront
Just like anything else, shared hosting has a wide range of pricing. Generally, you will get what you pay for in a hosting package. While some shared accounts can cost as low as a few dollars per month, others can cost over $25 per month. Come up with a monthly budget that you can easily afford to spend on your website. Then, you can look at hosting providers who offer shared solutions in your price range. Ideally, you’ll be able to find a shared hosting package that offers the best performance within your budget.
2. Limit On Domains
When you sign up for a shared hosting package, there might be a limit on the number of allowed domains. That means, under a smaller package, you can host only one domain. Meanwhile, a business or premium package can give you hosting for unlimited domains. Since you probably have only one domain to start, you can buy the smallest package for now. After some time, if you want to add more domains or websites, you can always upgrade in the future. Additionally, if you don’t have a domain yet, some shared hosting providers will give you one free as part of a promotion for signing up. Make sure you find a hosting package that will host all of your domains.
3. Guaranteed Server Uptime
Since shared hosting accounts can have an overload on resources, uptime is a very important element to choosing the right package. Reliable hosting providers will offer an uptime guarantee so that you know the server will stay online. And, in the event that your website is not accessible, you can request a credit for that downtime. A great guarantee is about 99.9% uptime. This equates to just hours of downtime per month which is very reasonable in a shared hosting environment. Moreover, some shared hosting providers have a 100% uptime guarantee. You should choose a hosting package that has a proven track record of uptime and supports it with a guarantee.
4. User-Friendly Control Panel For Installs
The shared hosting account should offer easy software installs. If you are planning to create a blog, many providers have user-friendly backends or control panels. These interfaces make it easy to download and install CMS platforms like WordPress or Blogger. In some cases, you can install WordPress with just one click. On top of that, a control panel makes it easy to manage your domains, DNS, email accounts and more. Make sure that you choose a shared hosting package with a quality control panel. You can always ask to demo the control panel before buying.
5. A Quality Support Team
Equally important, your shared hosting account should come with quality support. Especially when you are just starting out with a new website, you’re going to need help from time to time. It will save you plenty of time to pick up the phone, submit a ticket or enter a live chat to access someone who can resolve any hosting issues. If you find a hosting company with a good support team, the knowledge and expertise could be very worthwhile. If you have to pay a little bit more for a quality support team, it could pay dividends over the life of your website.
These are some of the most important elements to choosing a quality shared hosting package. You need to find a provider that fits within your budget. Make sure you can host as many domains as you would like. Then, check out their uptime and control panel features. If everything checks out, get in touch with support. If you have a quality experience all around, you will have a much better chance of working with a quality shared hosting provider.
