What is the most common form of web hosting?

Shared hosting Shared hosting plans are the most common option for website owners. In this type of plan, a single server is shared between several users. That means that a single computer (a shared server) will host several (or even hundreds) of websites. Shared hosting is the most basic type of web hosting.

It's cost-effective and the best option for small or entry-level websites. Shared hosting is an agreement in which several websites are maintained on the same server. Price and usability make shared hosting the most popular hosting option for new small business websites, personal blogs, affiliate websites, and early-growing startups. The drawback of shared hosting is that the hosting infrastructure is used by others.

So, if your “neighbor” is going viral, you may receive fewer shared resources. Which means that the speed and performance of your website are decreasing. Virtual private hosting is a good “upgrade” after a shared hosting plan. In this case, you'll continue to share physical server space with other website owners.

But their website is hosted on a separate virtual “real estate”. Therefore, some hosting providers propose separate “managed” WordPress hosting plans. In this case, you'll still have shared hosting space. But the hosting package includes website maintenance and security.

Managed WordPress hosting is more expensive than regular shared hosting. However, it gives you more time and peace of mind to focus on your core business and marketing, rather than technical work. There are six main types of web hosting: shared hosting, VPS, dedicated hosting, cloud hosting, reseller hosting, and WordPress hosting. When you browse through the different web hosting providers, you'll find several hosting plans, so it's good to know what they all mean and which one is the perfect one for you.

Unlike shared web hosting that limits configurations and usage, dedicated servers offer exceptional performance that makes them ideal for high-traffic websites. WordPress hosting is basically specialized hosting for WordPress websites to help optimize their speed, performance, security and scalability. A new website owner or experienced IT professional, you'll find the information you need to understand the advantages and shortcomings of the six most popular types of web hosting. A major disadvantage of shared web hosting is that a popular website on your server can affect its performance.

Most cloud-based web hosting plans will have a simple form of pricing structure to pay for what you use.