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Shared Hosting Or VPS Hosting: Which Is Best For My Small Business?

Upgrading to a virtual private server (VPS) will not only scale with you as your business grows, but it can improve website performance and give you peace of...


When you launch your company website, you will likely choose a shared web hosting plan. At first glance, it makes sense given it’s easy on your wallet and requires less technical expertise to get started.

Shared web hosting is often the fastest most affordable way to get your website live. However, as your business grows and website traffic increases you’ll face a slew of issues that will give you more headaches than shared hosting is worth.

 

With shared hosting, “You pay pennies and expect dollars. One of the few advantages of shared hosting is the typically lower cost. However, this is a double-edged sword because it’s hard to get $100 service for $1 payments. If you manage your expectations and just want a list of words up instead of a website that makes you sales, this isn’t a problem.”

 

Ask any growing business and they’ll likely tell you that with shared hosting you run the risk of slow website performance and long-term problems with scalability and backup. Worst of all, you may have limited and, in some cases, unreliable and unprofessional customer support.

Meanwhile, slow upload speed and server downtime will impact the overall traffic to your website, which is ultimately the life line of many online businesses.

 

Migrating to VPS from Shared Hosting

A bad shared hosting provider will cost you time and money. If it takes “30 mins to begin chat … almost 2 hours chatting, [and] still [the] problem not been resolved” is it really worth it?”

Since many website owners don’t fully understand the technical aspects of web hosting, they’ll opt to continue using shared hosting. Yet, many will likely switch their website hosting service for improved conversions.

If you’re ready to switch your web hosting provider or level of service, which plan is best? If you’ve outgrown shared hosting, upgrading to a VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting plan can often ensure better server performance at a more affordable price – in comparison to dedicated servers.

 

VPS Hosting and Enhanced Performance

Upgrading your web hosting plan to a virtual private server (VPS) has its own set of advantages. However before deciding when to migrate from shared to VPS hosting, there are a few things to consider:

 

Should I use shared hosting?

Yes, if you:

  • Own a startup with a very limited budget;
  • Are expecting to have low traffic;
  • Have very limited technical knowledge;
  • Operate a very simple website with a few pages.

 

In all the above-mentioned scenarios, you can confidently opt for a shared hosting plan. However, as your online business grows you can’t sacrifice your brand for slow website performance.

 

Should I use VPS hosting?

Yes, if you:

  • Are planning to quickly grow and expand;
  • Have experienced a spike in traffic of your website;
  • Have current issues with a slow website;
  • Are consuming your shared hosting RAM and CPU resources;
  • Plan to maintain the confidentiality and security of your information and data;
  • Need a more powerful server to handle an increase the number of email accounts;
  • Or are planning to host multiple sites, applications and blogs.

 

If any of the above conditions apply to your business, then start making plans to migrate to a VPS hosting plan for optimal performance.

 

VPS Hosting Advantages

There are more than a few reasons to switch from shared hosting to VPS hosting. Here are just a few advantages:

 

  • You will have access to more bandwidth and disk space for your website – keep in mind unlimited bandwidth is not a real concept;
  • You can easily upgrade or downgrade from a VPS hosting plan at any time;
  • And you can configure anything you wish on the server since you own it.

 

“Let’s be honest. Website downtime can infuriate us. And according to some, downtime can do much worse. It can affect user confidence, loyalty and ultimately eat into your bottom line.”

If you are serious about the expansion of your online business and online reputation, keeping an eye on website performance is essential. Upgrading to a virtual private server (VPS) will not only scale with you as your business grows, but it can improve website performance and give you peace of mind.

 

This article has been edited and condensed.

Joy Mali is a certified digital analyst with Tisindia who helps online businesses to perform better on the web with best solutions and advice. Her content is featured on many mainstream sites and blogs. You can follow her on Google Plus or connect with @joinjoymali on Twitter.

 

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