| 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 ET 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 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. 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.
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. 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 ET 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 ET Web hosting?
| 
Shared
Hosting - What is it?