There are a lot of people using shared web hosting. When you use shared hosting you share a web server with many other websites. Each user has their own section which keeps their files private from all the other users.

Shared hosting is often the cheapest option. This is the reason most people choose it. However, there are a number of reasons why a dedicated hosting service is important if you are serious about developing a successful website.

Dedicated web hosting is where the user leases an entire web server. It is not shared with any other users and this gives the user total control of the server. The user can make all the decisions about what hardware or operating system to use.

So how do you know if you need a dedicated web server?

Does your site currently use or plan to use a lot of bandwidth?

Dedicated server bandwidth is often considerably higher than with shared hosting. If you are getting a lot of traffic it can end up costing you a fortune with a shared server if you go over your allocated bandwidth.

Is your current site losing customers and potential sales because of poor server performance?

The problem with shared hosting packages is that every site on the server is competing for resources. If there are a number of sites hosted on the server with large amounts of traffic performance on your site may suffer, especially during peak hours. If your customer is waiting for more than 8 seconds for the page to load, chances are you’ve already lost his business.

Is your current website changing? Does your shared hosting package have everything your new site needs?

Often when users decide to replace their existing site with a new one it becomes clear that the existing hosting package doesn’t meet the necessary requirements to run the new site, software package or script. It can be difficult to get a shared server upgraded to meet these requirements. With a dedicated server such upgrades are generally much easier because the server is completely under your control.

Is your website located in a bad neighourhood?

The problem with a lot of shared hosting is that you rarely know who you are sharing the server with. Do you know any of the other websites on your shared server? Because all the websites on a shared server have the same IP address it is possible for your site to become associated with bad websites that share the server and their bad reputation can affect your business!

Do you have enough storage capacity?

If your site is storing a lot of data a dedicated hosting service can provide more disk space and bandwidth than a shared hosting account. Share servers have to balance resources between many users and websites. With a dedicated server the resources are all yours!

Do you need a managed server?

Many shared hosting services are unmanaged. This can cause problems, especially if there are server problems. Can your business afford website downtime? If it’s not managed then it’s up to you to report a problem. How long before you notice your site isn’t loading? 1 hour? 2 hours? 8 hours? Server downtime = damaged reputation = less sales. A managed, dedicated server is the best option.

How is your shared hosting company customer service?

Customer service is probably one of the most important factors you should consider after server uptime. If you have a question or a problem you want the best advice and friendly, helpful staff to assist you. But guess what? Customer service with shared hosting packages is frequently poor. You get what you pay for and dedicated hosting is no exception. Dedicated server = dedicated customer support.

Do you need more than one domain?

Sometimes shared hosting companies only allow one domain name or charge extra for multiple domains. A dedicated hosting account will allow you to host unlimited domains.

If you’re thinking about switching from shared hosting to a dedicated server there really are a lot of good packages out there. If you need reliability, unlimited resources, excellent customer support and everything else that comes with a shared server, isn’t it time you switched?