Shared web hosting by far is the most popular type of hosting used by WordPress users. Despite the popularity, people often do not understand what is Shared WordPress Web hosting? Nobody ever talks about the truth behind those catchy “unlimited, easy, and affordable” phrases. Before making any decisions, we highly recommend you to read through this article so you know what is shared WordPress hosting, and what are the advantages/disadvantages of shared web hosting. Our hope is that our guide will help you make the best decision for your company.
What is Shared WordPress Web Hosting?
Shared hosting is when multiple websites share a large server. By having multiple sites on the same server, web hosting companies can provide the service at much more affordable rates. This is by far the most economical option when it comes to web hosting. To put things in perspective, a dedicated web server starts at somewhere around $150 per month and can go into thousands of dollars per month whereas you can find shared web hosting for anywhere from $3.95 per month to $9.95 per month.
What’s the catch with Shared WordPress Web Hosting?
One of the biggest catch with most shared hosting companies is their marketing efforts. They boast unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited domains, and basically unlimited everything. If you live in this world, then you know the only unlimited thing we have is the amount of lies that will come out of people’s mouth. There is no such thing as unlimited when it comes to web hosting. Shared web hosting option is created for smaller websites which includes new bloggers, small businesses, etc. If every site used their quota, then shared hosting would not work. But since only very few do, it works out very nicely for everyone. Users get a very affordable deal, and hosting companies make a good profit. Long story short, it is the best option for people just starting out. But if your website starts to get popular and use up tons of server resource, then the companies will ask you to upgrade. Having dealt with numerous hosting companies, some of them don’t ask so politely. They simply suspend your account, and then send you an email. Others are not courteous enough to do that either. They would simply suspend your site and let you find out on your own. Yeah that’s why you should pick the shared hosting company that has a good reputation.
Reputation is by far the only thing you should look at when it comes to shared WordPress web hosting. Chances are that you don’t use most of the features they have available for you, so using the feature list to choose a web host doesn’t help you at all. Often hosting companies bloat up that features list by adding the most obvious of things. Because most people don’t understand the industry jargon, they look at the size of the feature list to make an uneducated decision. To choose a good shared web hosting company, the only thing you should look at is their reputation in the industry. That is the single most important factor because most shared hosting companies have the same offers.
Advantages of Shared WordPress Web Hosting
- There is a huge cost advantage because the maintenance fees of the server is shared by thousands of websites. The hosting fee is around $3.95 – $9.95 / month.
- Competition has led to improvements in technology. Most shared WordPress web hosting comes with easy to use admin panel like cPanel, Fantastico, etc.
- Most popular companies employ highly skilled professionals. This allows you to peacefully concentrate on your business and not worry about maintenance and uptimes.
- Most larger companies offer multiple services, so as your site grow you can upgrade without any hassle. We have been with the same web hosting company since 2007.
Disadvantages of Shared WordPress Web Hosting
- Compared to dedicated servers, you will notice a relatively slower server response times on shared web hosting servers.
- When companies get greedy, overselling can be a huge issue. This can cause regular site downtimes and lagging. Again this is where reputation of the web hosting company comes in play.
Best Shared Web Hosting Services
One of the oldest web hosts started in 1996, Bluehost has become the largest brand name when it comes to WordPress hosting. They are an official 'WordPress' recommended hosting provider. With Bluehost, you never have to worry about your website being slow even when there is a lot of traffic. Their 24/7 expert support is always there to help when you need it by phone, email, or live chat. They are rated #1 in web hosting for small businesses. On top of that, they are offering WPBeginner users an exclusive 63% off discount, a Free Domain, Free SSL, and a free Site Builder with templates.
SiteGround is one of the most popular and highest rated hosting provider in the WordPress community. They provide unique in-house WordPress speed and security solutions to make your site as fast and secure as possible. They are known for the best 24/7 support in the industry which is why they're an official 'WordPress' recommended hosting provider. SiteGround features include automatic upgrades, built-in WP caching, CDN, one-click staging and GIT version control. They are also one of the few companies offering location specific hosting with 3 data centers in USA, Europe, and Asia. On top of all this, they have а special 70% discount for WPBeginner readers.
HostGator hosts over 8 million domains and is one of the most popular web hosts in the industry. With 1-click WordPress installation, 99.9% up time guarantee, and 24/7 support, it's a smart choice for every website owner. WPBeginner is a proud HostGator customer since 2007, and our website is hosted on HostGator dedicated servers. We consider them the best web hosting for businesses. They're offering our readers an exclusive 62% off discount, a free domain name, and free SSL certificate.
DreamHost has been around for 18 years, and is known for making web hosting easy. You get custom dashboard, 1-click WordPress install, automatic WordPress updates, unlimited space, unlimited bandwidth and free SSDs which makes your site 200% faster. DreamHost powers over 600,000 WordPress blogs and websites. There are no setup fees, and you also get a free domain.
InMotion hosting has been a well-known industry brand with reliable performance for business class hosting. With award winning technical support and 99.9% uptime, they are a user favorite. Their unmatched U.S. based support is always there to help. InMotion Hosting's WordPress Hosting is optimized for active bloggers and offers great scalability for your blog's growth. They're offer our users an exclusive 57% off + free domain and free SSL.
GreenGeeks has become a well-known brand in the WordPress hosting industry with their blazing fast website performance, 24/7 U.S. based support, and an environmentally responsible platform. They offer automatic 1-click WordPress install, managed updates, enhanced security, free CDN, free site migration, and the choice of over 5 different data center locations. GreenGeeks power over 500,000 websites and customers love them. On top of all this, they have a special 60% discount for WPBeginner readers combined with free SSL and a free domain name.
Started in 1998, iPage powers over 1 million websites, and it is a well-known brand in WordPress hosting. With 24/7 support, 99.9% uptime, and 1-click WordPress install, iPage is a perfect place to start. You get a free drag and drop builder, free security suite, and everything else you need to build a successful website. On top of that, they are offering WPBeginner users an exclusive 83% off discount and a free domain. This makes iPage the most budget-friendly web hosting provider in our list.
Web Hosting Hub is the easiest way to get online presence for small businesses. Easy control panel, website builder, and WordPress combined with their amazing support, it is hard to beat their price and value. Having earned numerous best value awards, Web Hosting Hub also offers special discounts for WPBeginner users.
Just Host formerly known as Super Green Hosting has been one of WPBeginner's original partners. They have outstanding technical support and extremely reliable servers. They have a special deal for WPBeginner users which makes them the most affordable hosting company among all providers. Not to mention, they are also offering free domain for life with every new account.
Is WordPress simply a way to blog? I can blog and showcase my designs through my Stampin’ Up account.
In a “social media training” video one of the other demonstrator said that it’s worth it to register your domain if you want to keep it.
Is that what WordPress does for me?
Do I need to register THAT? Should I have a dot com web address?
I’m sorry I’m trying to figure out what I need to do.
Thank you.
WordPress allows you to create a blog or a website, it is not a domain registration tool. For understanding hosting vs your domain you would want to take a look at our article here: https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/whats-the-difference-between-domain-name-and-web-hosting-explained/
Hi, I am a total beginner to WordPress and have been researching this topic for quite some time but still unclear. Please explain,
1) Is normal shared web hosting the same as shared WordPress hosting?
2) All hosting plans give one click WordPress installation from cPanel, so what is cPanel’s WordPress installation’s place in shared web hosting vs. shared WordPress hosting? Thank you.
Both of those are very dependent on the specific host you are looking at
Well detailed blog, I have a question that if I get shared host plan and if traffic increase and in the middle of the year I wish to go for VPS plan or , then will my half money adjust in upgrading plan or I have to pay full amount for new plan?.
It would depend on your specific host for how they handle that type of upgrade. If you reach out to their support they should be able to let you know.