Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting: Which One Is Best for Your eCommerce Business?

With eCommerce becoming more popular, many businesses are now opening up shops on the web. And if you are considering starting an online business, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is about the type of hosting plan you’ll need to host your website and store.

The two main types of hosting options are shared hosting and VPS hosting. Which one should you choose? Here’s what you need to know about each option to make the best decision that fits your needs and budget.

But before anything else, let’s begin with the basics.

What Is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a service that provides individuals and organizations with online systems for storing information, images, video, or any content accessible via the World Wide Web.

There are different types of web hosting services available, each with its own unique set of features and benefits. When choosing a web hosting service for your eCommerce business, it’s important to consider your needs and budget.

Do you think you will need a large amount of storage space to store media files and photos? Is bandwidth an issue? What about customer support options? The type of web hosting service you need will greatly depend on your answer to these questions.

If you need a lot of storage space, then Shared Hosting may be best for you because this plan allows customers to share server resources. If your website gets a lot of traffic and requires fast speeds, then it may not be the best option because many users are using the same server, which can slow down site performance.

Well, that is just an overview. Let’s look into more reasons why you might need a web hosting service.

Why Your eCommerce Needs a Web Hosting Service

In order to have a website that people can visit; you need to store your data on a server. This is where the different types of web hosting services come in. A web hosting service will provide you with the space and resources you need to keep your website up and running. 

A web hosting service is a platform that allows you to host your eCommerce website on the internet. This is important because, without a web host, your website would not be accessible to anyone except yourself.

Also, a web hosting service provides you with the space and bandwidth necessary to run your eCommerce website, as well as the tools and support needed to keep it running smoothly.

There are two main types of web hosting services: shared hosting and virtual private server (VPS) hosting. Shared hosting is the more affordable option, while VPS hosting is more expensive but offers more features and resources. So, which one is best for your eCommerce business?

We will help you make an informed decision when choosing between web hosting options below.

2 Main Types of Web Hosting Options

There are two main types of hosting options: shared hosting and VPS hosting (virtual private servers).

What Is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting is a type of web hosting where your website will share server resources with other types of websites, be they eCommerce or not. This can be a great option if you’re just starting out, as it’s usually the most affordable option. However, it does have some downsides.

For example, your site may be slower and less reliable than sites on a VPS or dedicated server, and you’ll have less control over your server environment. If you use too many resources (CPU time, memory, bandwidth), this could negatively impact the performance of your site or even crash your account altogether.

With shared hosting, there are also limits to how much storage space and data transfer you get each month. If you go over these limits, additional fees will apply. You won’t have root access to your server either, which means you won’t be able to install any software updates or configure things like Apache and PHP yourself. You also won’t get the best level of customer support from the company that hosts your site.

With shared hosting, it’s very important that you research who hosts your site before signing up – ask about their uptime guarantee, service level agreement (SLA), and refund policy so that you know what kind of support they offer in case something goes wrong.

If they offer more expensive plans with more features and greater reliability, then this might be worth considering. But if not, you might want to look into another option such as VPS hosting instead.

The Pros of Using Shared Hosting for eCommerce Websites

Here are the advantages of using shared hosting for eCommerce sites:

• Shared hosting is the most affordable option for hosting an eCommerce website.
• Shared hosting plans usually come with a user-friendly control panel that makes it easy to manage your website.
• Shared hosting providers offer a variety of features that can be beneficial for eCommerce websites, such as one-click installs for popular eCommerce platforms, SSL certificates, and more.
• Some shared hosting plans often include unlimited storage and bandwidth, which can be important for businesses that are expecting a lot of traffic to their website.
• Shared hosting providers typically offer excellent customer support in case you have any questions or run into any problems.

The Cons of Using Shared Hosting for eCommerce Websites

Here are the disadvantages of using shared hosting for eCommerce sites:

• The main downside of shared hosting is that you’re sharing server resources with other websites.
• If another website on the server gets a lot of traffic, it can slow down your website.
• Shared hosting also doesn’t provide you with root access to the server, so you can’t install custom applications or make certain changes.
• If you’re running an eCommerce website, you need a fast and reliable website – shared hosting may not be able to provide this.
• You’ll need to upgrade to a dedicated server if you want the security of knowing your site won’t go down due to high traffic levels.
• At times, you may have to perform troubleshooting methods. Although running the dism online cleanup image restorehealth command may help, when the problem is with the server itself, there is nothing much you can do.

What Is VPS Hosting?

VPS hosting, or virtual private server hosting, is a type of web hosting that uses software to emulate multiple servers. This means that each user has their own slice of the server, which is a portion of the resources and power.

VPS hosting is a great option for businesses that are outgrowing shared hosting but don’t need the resources of a dedicated server. Unlike other options in this range, with VPS hosting, you’ll have your own operating system (Linux or Windows) as well as your own set of IP addresses.

The Pros of Using VPS Hosting for eCommerce Websites

Here are the advantages of using VPS hosting for eCommerce sites:

• When you use VPS hosting for your eCommerce website, you get a dedicated IP address.
• This can be helpful for building brand awareness and making sure that your customers can always find your website.
• Plus, it can also help with search engine optimization (SEO).
• Having a dedicated IP address also means that your website will load faster, which is important for keeping customers on your site and reducing bounce rates.
• Another pro of using VPS hosting for eCommerce websites is that you’ll have more control over your server environment. This means that you can install the applications and software that you need to run your business without having to worry about compatibility issues.

The Cons of Using VPS Hosting for eCommerce Websites

Here are the disadvantages of using VPS hosting for eCommerce sites:

• You’re on your own – if something goes wrong, it’s up to you to fix it.
• It can be expensive – while VPS hosting is cheaper than dedicated hosting, it’s still more expensive than shared hosting.
• While VPS hosting is faster than shared hosting, it’s not as fast as dedicated hosting.
• You need to know what you’re doing – VPS hosting is more complicated than shared hosting, so you need to know what you’re doing or be willing to learn.
• You have to worry about backups – with shared hosting, the company handles the backups for you.
• There are fewer options in terms of cPanel and plugins – there are many different control panels and plugins that you can use with a shared host that you may not be able to use with a VPS host.
• If a problem arises and the host has to reboot the server because of an update or bug, then all customers will experience downtime at once instead of just one customer at a time (which is how it works with shared hosting).

Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting: Which Is Better?

There are pros and cons to both shared hosting and VPS hosting for eCommerce businesses. Shared hosting is typically more affordable, while VPS hosting offers more control and flexibility.

First, there’s the cost difference. While a small business may find a host that provides a virtual private server at an affordable price, most companies will find shared hosting much more cost-effective.

Second, the level of control differs between the two options. With a shared host, you have limited access to your site’s underlying code (typically PHP or Perl) and have no say in what applications can be installed on your site.

With a virtual private server (VPS), you’re given complete access to your web server’s root directory so you can modify any aspect of your site or install new applications without having to ask permission from anyone else on the same host as you.

When choosing between VPS hosting and shared hosting, it’s important to think about your needs as well as your budget. If you’re unsure about which one will work best for you, we recommend starting with a few months of shared hosting first before investing in VPS hosting.