Ready to take your small business online? But not sure where to start?
You’re in good company. 73% of small businesses in the U.S. now have a website and most of them started with the same question you’re asking right now…
“How can I host my new website?”
The answer is actually pretty simple.
Shared hosting is the best place for most small businesses to start.
Affordable, easy to use, and packed with all the essentials you need to get online quickly.
Let’s dig in!
Here’s What We’ll Cover
- What Shared Hosting Is and How It Works
- Why Shared Hosting Is Great For Small Businesses
- The Real Costs Involved With Shared Hosting
- Who Should Use Shared Hosting (And Who Shouldn’t)
- How To Choose The Right Provider
What Is Shared Hosting?
Shared hosting is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
Your website shares a server with other websites.
You get a slice of the server’s resources (storage space, bandwidth, CPU power, etc.) to use for your own site.
The analogy that works best is renting an apartment in a building.
You have your own separate space but you share things like electricity, water, etc. with everyone else in the building.
It’s like that with shared hosting. You share a server but you also share the associated costs which means lower prices for everyone.
When you’re looking for web hosting services for your small business, CLDY hosting is a perfect place to start. They take care of all the technical stuff while you focus on growing your business.
3 Reasons Small Businesses Love Shared Hosting
Why do so many small businesses choose shared hosting?
The answer is simple. They love it for three big reasons.
Shared Hosting Is Extremely Affordable
The main reason businesses go with shared hosting is cost.
Shared hosting packages usually cost between $3 to $15 per month. That’s a huge range but the sweet spot is $5 to $10 per month.
Compare that to dedicated hosting. Prices for those packages run $80 to $500+ per month.
Holy smokes.
For a small business looking to get online on a budget? Shared hosting is a no-brainer.
Shared Hosting Doesn’t Require Technical Skills
The next reason small businesses choose shared hosting is because there’s no learning curve.
You don’t have to know anything about web hosting services, servers, PHP, etc. to use shared hosting.
You get:
- One-click WordPress installers
- Easy-to-use control panels
- Pre-configured settings that “just work”
- 24/7 support
That means you can launch your website this week vs. months down the road when you learn how to manage a server.
You Can Get Online Fast
Last but not least: shared hosting is the fastest way to get online.
The average small business website can be up and running with a shared hosting provider in minutes.
Hours? Days? No way.
You can be live tomorrow.
When it comes to shared hosting, speed is of the essence.
The Real Costs To Consider
Look, no one’s paying full price for web hosting these days.
All shared hosting providers offer special introductory deals for new customers.
And then they jack the prices up to an average of 300% once that period ends (usually 1 to 2 years). Oh, and those higher prices will be the ones you see right up front. Clever, right?
You need to shop around, compare pricing, and then compare those prices against renewal prices.
Always look at the renewal price.
The introductory price is never the real price.
Something else to consider is what’s included with a shared hosting plan. Standard inclusions usually include:
- A free domain name (sometimes)
- SSL certificate for added security
- Email accounts
- Website builder
- Storage space (usually starting at 10GB, but can be unlimited)
- Bandwidth for your visitors
The Global Web Hosting Market Share by Type report by Grand View Research, says that shared hosting holds a 37.64% market share, making it the most widely used hosting type in the world.
Who’s The Ideal Candidate For Shared Hosting?
Ideally, shared hosting is great if you:
- Own a small business website
- Receive less than 10,000 visitors to your site per month
- Only have a basic website without heavy features like a shopping cart, forums, or heavy media files
- Want to keep hosting costs low
- Don’t require any custom server configurations
If your website checks all these boxes, then shared hosting is perfect for you.
Performance Isn’t What It Used To Be
Ok, let’s be real. Shared hosting isn’t exactly known for being super fast.
Here’s the truth:
You’re sharing server resources with other websites.
If one of them gets a traffic spike, it can impact your own site’s performance.
Makes sense, right?
Same concept as a party in your apartment building affecting the entire building.
You’ve got a neighbor who decides to throw an all-night bash? Everyone in the building is affected.
Shared hosting is the same way.
But, performance isn’t a big problem for most small businesses.
Here’s why:
Your web hosting services provider should be monitoring their server loads to prevent any one site from hogging all the resources.
Security Is A Shared Responsibility
Security is serious business.
The good news is that modern shared hosting providers take security super seriously. They typically include:
- Automatic malware scanning
- Automatic backups
- Free SSL certificates
- DDoS protection
- Firewalls
The bad news?
You still have to do your part.
Things like using strong passwords. Keeping your WordPress (or other CMS) updated. And not installing sketchy plugins.
Same stuff you’d do on a dedicated server. Shared hosting just means you have less control (but who needs that?)
Uptime Matters
Here’s a stat that’ll make you think twice.
On average, downtime costs small businesses between $137 and $427 per minute.
Ouch.
It’s true. Downtime isn’t just inconvenient. It’s incredibly costly. When you’re choosing a shared hosting provider, make sure they guarantee uptime of at least 99.9%.
This means your site should only be down 8 hours per year at most.
Anything less and you’re taking a risk.
The Migration Process Is Super Easy
Already have a website on another platform?
Moving to a new web hosting services provider is easier than you think.
Most good providers offer free website migration services.
That means you tell them where your site is currently located. They handle the rest.
Everything gets moved and you never experience any downtime or site interruptions.
It’s that easy.
How To Choose A Hosting Provider
Shared hosting isn’t all created equal.
When you’re comparing web hosting services providers, look for these things:
- Guaranteed uptime of at least 99.9%
- Fast customer support 24/7
- Easy-to-use control panel (cPanel, or similar)
- Automatic regular backups that are free
- Scalability and room to grow with easy upgrade paths
Best of all? There’s no need to take anyone’s word for it.
Look for real customer reviews. Read them.
Don’t just go to the hosting company’s website and read reviews that obviously only show the good ones.
Go to independent review sites and forums. Read what real users say about the service.
The Bottom Line
Shared hosting is a great starting point for small businesses.
It’s cost-effective, easy to use, and has everything you need to get online quickly. You don’t need enterprise-level hosting when you’re just starting.
Start with shared hosting. Grow your business. Upgrade when you actually need it.
Successful small businesses do it that way and you should too.
Ready to start your journey? Pick a reliable web hosting services provider, set up your website, and start building your online presence.
The competition is already there. It’s time you join them.
