1. Start with what you are building
A portfolio or business site usually fits shared hosting. A custom application with background workers often needs a VPS. Dedicated hardware suits heavier, sustained workloads.
2. Check the resources
Look at storage, memory, CPU limits and monthly transfer. Leave room for backups, plugin updates and traffic spikes.
3. Choose a location
Start near your main audience. If your application depends on a third-party API or database, consider its location too.
4. Plan the work around the server
Shared hosting provides a control panel. Unmanaged servers need someone to maintain updates, access controls, monitoring and backups.