Shared hosting is one of the most affordable ways to get your website online. Hosting companies make their money by dividing up server space and bandwidth, so you only pay for what you need instead of paying for more than you actually use. However, there are still things you can do to get the most out of shared hosting so that it’s not just a cheap way to host your site but also provides a good experience for visitors and doesn’t slow down as much when there are traffic spikes.

1. Choose the right provider.

Choosing the right provider is essential to getting the most out of your shared hosting plan. Here are a few things to keep in mind when selecting a company:

  • Security. Is the company using up-to-date software and hardware? How long has it been in business? Does it have any security certifications? Can you verify that its data center meets industry standards?
  • Reliability. What is the uptime guarantee for the company's services? Does it use multiple redundant connections to ensure maximum uptime?
  • Support. How quickly does the company respond to support requests? Is there a phone number on the website for customer service?
  • Performance. How fast is your site going to load? This includes page load times, image load times, and query response times, among other factors that affect how quickly visitors can access your site.

2. Pick the right billing cycle.

Most companies offer billing cycles that range from one month up to two years or more. If you're looking for reliable, low-cost hosting, then you should probably look for a company that offers monthly billing or at least quarterly billing. This will help prevent you from being locked into an extended contract if your site has problems and needs to be moved or if your business suffers a major setback and you have to downsize your hosting needs.

If you're planning on building a high-traffic blog or e-commerce store, however, then it may make sense to opt for longer billing cycles. The longer the billing cycle, the more time and money you save by spreading out your payments over several months or even years instead of paying them all upfront at once.

If you're unsure about which option works best for your situation, consider contacting the sales team at your chosen provider and asking them which billing cycle would be best suited for someone like you who wants reliable hosting with low prices that's easy enough for anyone to set up on their own without having to rely on expensive technical support services.

3. Buy extra services from your host.

The best way to get the most out of your shared hosting plan is to buy extra services from your host. You'll find that many hosts offer additional services, including backup and restore e-mail services and even managed servers.

If you're looking for more than just a hosting company, then you might want to consider going with a managed service provider (MSP). MSPs are companies that can offer more than just shared hosting — they can also provide other services like dedicated servers and collocation.

You'll also find that some MSPs offer cPanel-based web hosting packages. This means that if you're already familiar with cPanel and WHM, then it will be easy for you to manage your account online.

4. Make use of caching tools.

Caching is a very effective way to improve the performance of your website. The most common form of caching is page caching, which stores copies of static pages in memory or on disk.

Caching can be implemented with a plugin or via server level settings. Either way, it will save you time and money since your shared hosting plan will not need to process requests for files that are already stored locally.

If you use WordPress, there are dozens of caching plugins available on the official WordPress repository. Some of the most popular ones include W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache and WP Rocket.

5. Set up an email address that forwards to your primary account.

You should set up an email address that forwards to your primary account if you're using shared hosting. Many plans don't allow for unlimited sub-domains, so this can be a useful workaround in such situations. This means you can only have a certain number of email addresses — and this can limit what you can do with your website.

For example, if you want to set up a mailing list for your website, or if you're selling products online, then you might need multiple email addresses. You may also need to set up an email address for each member of your team, or each department within your company.

Setting up an email address that forwards to another account is easy enough in most email providers — all you have to do is add the forwarding address (i.e., [email protected] ) into the settings page for your primary account.

This won't cost any extra money and will give you much more flexibility when running your business or personal website

6. Choose the right domain registrar.

Choosing the right domain registrar is one of the most important decisions you will make for your website. There are a lot of options out there, and it can be difficult to know which one to choose.

It's important to choose a domain registrar that offers reliable service, good support and a great selection of features. If you're looking for a new shared hosting plan, check out our top picks below:

Namecheap is easy to use and has great customer service. They offer 99% uptime guarantee, which means if your site is down for more than 30 minutes in any given month, they'll refund your money. They also provide free WHOIS privacy protection for all domains registered with them, which means your personal information will not be visible on WHOIS searches. Namecheap also provides free SSL certificates with all hosting plans - no extra fees required!

Final Say

Whether you've had shared hosting for years or never used it at all, these tips can come in handy when trying to take full advantage of your plan. Remember: every good business owner knows that planning ahead is essential to success. So turn these tips into something positive, and enjoy your shared hosting experience even more than you already do.