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Shared hosting accommodates multiple Websites on a single server by allocating each site its own "slice" of server space. By doing this, hosting companies can maximize their use of each server while reducing the cost for shared hosting customers. Although many Websites reside on the same server, shared hosting customers cannot access each other's sites. Customers get access to a Web-based control panel that lets them maintain and update their own sites, while the hosting company manages the server itself.
A shared hosting plans are also typically cheaper and easier to maintain than a more expensive dedicated account.
Shared hosting, also known as virtual hosting, is typical for budget and entry-level hosting services. It can provide ample disk space, bandwidth and functionality for many personal, hobby or small-business Websites, and is available for both the Unix/Linux and Windows operating systems. It can even offer security for online transactions through a shared SSL certificate, which is available in many basic hosting plans.
The typical shared hosting account often includes such features as a file manager, email accounts, WebMail, email forwarding and autoresponders, FTP access, password-protected directories, database, Server Side Includes and site statistics.
Many companies that provide shared hosting also offer additional features like wizard-based site design, site templates, search engine marketing, shopping carts and scripts for blogging, discussion forums, form generation, content management and more.
When considering a shared hosting provider, look for a company that can also provide 24/7 customer service, how-to guides or FAQs. Depending on your Website needs, you might also want to seek out a host that offers add-on services such as additional disk space and bandwidth. Customer support is definitely something you want to play close attention to in the consideration process. We have reviewed each web host and we have only included the very best in our rankings. You will want the peace of mind just incase something goes wrong. Each company listed offers the highest quality phone and email support.
For basic hosting needs, a shared plan is usually the best and most cost-effective choice.
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