The services that come with shared hosting are aimed at small and medium sized businesses and as soon as your website is considered as a mid-sized it should be upgraded to a managed hosting plan.
Most websites begin life on shared servers and the word managed does not get mentioned because this is only applicable as soon as we begin searching for VPS hosting, semi-dedicated hosting or dedicated servers.
So what is the difference between managed hosting and shared hosting and what benefits are experienced once the upgrade takes place?
Sharing a Server
Shared hosting means that server on which your website is hosted will be shared with other which means that all resources are shared between all other websites. If one website requires more memory or one of the other resources then all the other websites will suffer because of this. We suggest that you try and compare different shared hosts by checking out reviews from real customers. This way you’ll find a provider that is best suited for your website. We suggest using sites like this to compare shared hosting providers.
Managed hosting is different because your website and email account will be on its own server and there will be no loss of resources because it is not shared with anyone else.
Cost and Performance
If your website does require a performance that is average and you need it to fit into a budget then this option is ideal.
If your website requires better than average performance whilst also generating an income then managed hosting is for you. Managed hosting will mean that you will not experience the same problems that come with shared hosting which does make it a better choice all round.
The Limitations of Shared Hosting
One of the marketing tactics that web hosting companies use is to promise unlimited features. This could cover things such as storage space, bandwidth and even an unlimited number of domains. Be wary of these offers because they are essentially lying because on a server there is no such thing as unlimited. You will have a certain amount of bandwidth and diskspace and as soon as your website goes beyond this it will fall over.
Benefits of Managed Hosting
Managed hosting comes with many benefits which is why it is the better option. It will come with things such as constant monitoring to ensure that your website is performing as it should, it will have around the clock support and back up services along with practical server support.
It will also mean that your website will be able to handle and spikes in traffic or other problems that may require an element of load balancing of traffic across a number of servers. Therefore, managed hosting is exactly what it says it is because the web host has to managed things to ensure that your website runs smoothly all of the time.
Customising
As mentioned, shared hosting is for those who want a hands off approach when it comes to configurations and settings and managed hosting is also similar in a way. However, it is possible to customise the hosting plan so that it meets your needs but shared hosting does not offer this.
Managed Hosting – Who Should Choose It?
If your website receives a large amount of traffic or if you have a site that sells products then managed hosting is the right choice for you. This is because your site will have the right resources which will ensure that it runs efficiently and reliably. This highlights the real difference between shared and managed hosting but it does all depend on the website and its needs.
Finally, if your website is fairly new then there is no real point in spending out big money to have managed hosting. At the start opt for shared hosting because this will give you everything you need until your website grows, and when it does you can simply upgrade.