Shared hosting is a much more convenient arrangement than dedicated hosting where setup is concerned. Even though there will be more than your site being hosted on the server, the set up process generally functions as if your site were the only one present. Many hosting companies offer their own uploading interface, which makes this process easier still.

If you’re using an FTP interface, you will likely see one of two things when you connect to your web server. You may see either a listing of directories or simply your own directory and no others. In either case, your own directory will be the only one available to you, as will be the case for all other site administrators working on the server.

Your directory will likely contain a few subdirectories upon login. Most commonly, there will at least be a CGI directory preinstalled. While this may vary depending on your host, it’s generally not recommended to manually alter this directory from the FTP interface. Most often, your host will have web applications that will allow you to load pre-defined scripts into this directory automatically. Other than the predefined directories, however, you may choose to populate the file system however you wish. Remember, even though your sharing disc space, your site is hosted as if it had a disc all to itself.

Keep your directories logical and transparent. Remember that disc space is limited. Do clean out old files often to avoid going over your limit.