Web Hosting Glossary Terms: Shared Hosting

A shared hosting account is the most inexpensive and most common form of web hosting providing the typical website with ample storage and numerous features that should prove adequate for most websites. Even business websites are hosted on shared accounts, because text and even image based content does not require the increased room that is offered by other forms of hosting. Prices for shared web hosting do vary along with service levels, storage capacity, and the range of features that are offered.

Some shared hosting accounts may be scalable, in the sense that if you find yourself having reached the limits of your existing account and requiring increased bandwidth, storage, or extra features it is possible to either upgrade to the next package or have additional features added to the plan you are currently on. This allows for the average website to continue growing and increasing the content they offer, as well as allowing for greater levels of traffic over a space of time.

Shared hosting can have its drawbacks and you should always try to ensure that the server you are being hosted on is secure and that the web hosting company offers a high level of customer service and an excellent uptime guarantee. This guarantee is usually expressed in the terms of a percentage and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, far from being the best on offer, means that the average website will only suffer 0.01% downtime over the space of a year.

For related information, please see our cpanel web hosting blog.