Shared web hosting basically refers to a kind of web host wherein you will be sharing one server with other websites. It is actually the most popular choice for website owners because it is cheap and easy to use. One server alone could have hundreds of small websites sharing its space and resources. Since you’ll be sharing the cost with other people, it becomes much more affordable when compared to getting a dedicated web host. For smaller businesses and personal website owners, a shared web host is the top choice. After all, they wouldn’t require as much space or resources to run their relatively smaller websites.

Besides having a more affordable price tag it is also great for beginners who might not know much about website hosting. Basically, it does not require you to know anything about the specifics of administrating and managing a server because all of that falls onto the shoulder of your provider. It is their responsibility to make sure that the server is running well and it is also their duty to fix any glitches or bugs that the server might have. All you really need to worry about is your own website. You can leave the technical side to the experts working for the web host company. Now, all of these might sound good and well but as with most things, there are also disadvantages to using a shared web host. The first you’ll have limited resources and would have to pay extra if you wish to expand further. Because you’re sharing the space with other websites, your web host is bound to place limitations regarding the available amount of disk space, email addresses, data transfers and domains that you can have. Some even impose restrictions on running scripts as these can reduce the performance for everyone on that particular server.

Second, you might become the victim of a selfish neighbor. There are instances wherein a website on a particular server has been marked by search engines as banned and it affected every other site on said server. This isn’t anything new and it does happen so if you end up with a black sheep in your flock, your website might end up getting negative effects from it too. To avoid the above mentioned, it is important that you choose a reliable web host. There are many options out there that could provide you with stability and security without burning a hole straight through your pocket. All it takes is a bit of research and a lot of reading in order to find the best one based upon the testimonials provided by people who have used the services before.

The very first thing you must consider is the intent or purpose of your website. Are you looking for a convenient way to share photos of family and friends? Or, are you considering something a little more complex such as adding multiple pages with different content on each? How about a website to promote a product or business?

The purpose of your website will act as a key component in determining which type of web hosting service is best suited for you. For example, if your website will be used primarily for personal postings, your file sizes aren’t very large and you don’t expect a lot of traffic, you won’t require a lot of disk space or bandwidth for your hosting.

If this is the case, a free web hosting service may meet your needs. Free web hosting services are also useful if you’re inexperienced in creating web pages. This type of service can provide an excellent opportunity for you to learn and practice your html skills. You could even use a free service as a test site before uploading your web pages to your live website.

Keep in mind that most free web hosting services provide limited features compared to paid web hosting services, but normally offer enough disk space and bandwidth to host a small website. To help offset costs, though, most free providers will place advertisements on your web pages.

With paid hosting, you’ll find a variety of available plans to choose from. These plans allow more disk space and bandwidth, and usually include a number of other features such as free domain names, free sub-domains and unlimited email accounts. Some of the more advanced common features are a CGI-Bin, MySQL databases and Microsoft FrontPage extensions.

Compared to free web hosting, you’ll also find that the services provided by paid web hosting companies are much more reliable, not to mention offering a higher level of customer support.

Cost wise, there is no charge to register for a free web hosting service, although you may be required to purchase your own domain name. For a basic paid service, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $10 per month – a very small price for the improved service, support and features you receive.