> Compare Our Prices <

Shared Hosting - What is it?

OK, so you're shopping for a hosting company and you keep seeing the term: shared hosting. (Also commonly known as "virtual hosting".) But what does this really mean, and how does it affect you? Note: We've received a lot of nasty emails from other hosting companies as a result of publishing this page. It seems most hosting companies don't want their customers to know the truth about why their prices are so cheap! At AmericaHosts Web Hosting we're completely open and honest about everything we sell. There's a lot of misunderstanding about what shared hosting really is, and we're committed to giving you all the facts so you can make an informed buying decision. As a potential customer, you deserve to know exactly what you're getting for your money. Shared Hosting - the definition Shared hosting plans significantly reduce the cost of getting started on the web by allowing many websites to reside on a single server that is connected to a high-speed Internet backbone. The huge costs of operating a server are shared between each website, giving a more economical solution for both individuals and small to medium-sized businesses looking to establish an online presence. The alternative to shared hosting is called dedicated hosting, where there is only one website on the entire server. The Truth In reality, there is a very good chance all those other websites sharing your server will be using up all the available memory and processing power of the shared server, leaving very little (if any) left for your website. The important thing you must understand is that most websites are poorly built and often run scripts and programs that use excessive system resources. For example, if someone on your shared server decides to run a SPAM script, the server will suddenly go crazy trying to handle the task. (This happens more often than most companies will admit!) When this happens, your website will become unreliable. Your web pages will display slowly (or not at all), your scripts and databases may not run properly, and the entire server will eventually become unstable and crash causing your site, and possibly even your email, to become unavailable. Eventually, a technician will reboot the server and the whole cycle will start over again until the next crash. A web server is just like a regular computer.. it has a limit to what it can do. When that limit is reached, it becomes unstable and unreliable. The Problem With Most Hosting Companies One of the biggest differences between hosting companies is the number of websites they try to fit onto each shared server. Since most potential customers are attracted to companies offering very low prices, many companies offer super-cheap packages that include too much disk space and bandwidth. As a result, these companies are forced to squeeze a very large number of websites onto their servers in order to recoup the cost of running the servers and still make a profit. Most companies also get greedy and end up putting way more websites onto a shared server than the server is capable of handling. (Remember that more websites per server equals more profit for the company.) As a result of this greed, the servers become unstable and your website will be unreliable. These companies are taking advantage of your desire to find the "best deal", and are counting on your ignorance of how shared hosting really works. They want you to believe that you can get a reliable hosting plan from them even though their package costs are so low they can't make any money unless they overload their shared servers. So What Can You Do? The adage of "You get what you pay for" is especially true in the web hosting industry. Companies that offer lots of disk space and bandwidth for very low prices are just not able to deliver reliable services, no matter what they advertise. They take advantage of consumers, and trick them into exchanging lower prices for a sub-standard product. (The really sad thing is that most of these companies blatantly advertise a false "uptime guarantee" to make their services look good!) Whether you choose AmericaHosts Web Hosting or someone else, now you know the truth behind "shared hosting" and why there's such a wide range of prices for the same type of packages. Why chose AmericaHosts Web hosting?

This site is copyrighted!

Do-It-Yourself and save!