Virtual hosting is the term used to describe what is also known as “shared” hosting. Essentially this is the act of having many different clients and websites all on one server. This means your site will reside on a server that is also being used by other people to host their sites. Think of it as a big mall. You all have your own sites they are just under the same roof. There are some pros and cons to using virtual web hosting instead of dedicated hosting.

Among the pros are typically price and usability and service. Since you are sharing a server with many other websites the price you will pay for this service it typically significantly lower than if you were to purchase a dedicated server. Also many companies provide tech support for their virtual hosting clients which is not always the case with a dedicated server. Many virtual hosting accounts are very easy to use and have a very small learning curve.

When it comes to the cons of virtual hosting there are a few worth noting. First is that you are sharing a server with other people. If some of those people suddenly start using a lot of the servers resources the performance of your site could suffer. Also many virtual hosting accounts share IP addresses with other sites so you won’t be able to assign a web site its own IP address. There can sometimes be problems when using SSL certificates on virtual hosting if sharing an IP. If you need to use SSL you will need a dedicated IP address.

Generally speaking virtual hosting is something people use for smaller sites or sites that don’t require a lot of bandwidth and/or system resources. It is a great for hobby and personal sites or as a way to get your feet wet and play around with your site. As your site grows and your needs expand you may outgrow it and need to move on to getting your own dedicated server.

If you are looking to start a website, start with Got Web Host and easily change to a dedicated server when your web site grows. Click here for more information on our virtual web hosting accounts.