Ultimate Guide to Cheap Web Hosting
Web hosting is a necessary expense for any modern business. But unless you’re running a high-traffic super-site that’s serving up tons of media or consuming lots of resources, you may want to consider taking advantage of the benefits of cheap hosting.
“You get what you pay for” is as true in Web hosting as any other market, but the highly competitive nature of the marketplace means that you can find some real bargains. Going lower on the price scale doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be sacrificing key features, but it does mean you’ll have to pay close attention to fee structures, available features, and add-ons.
Defining “Cheap” Hosting
Everyone has different standards for affordability; after all, a price that’s reasonable to a billionaire might seem exorbitant to one of their employees. But in today’s market, where even Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting can readily be obtained for less than $10 a month, “cheap” hosting plans share some common traits:
- They’re on the shared hosting tier. Despite advances in technology and drops in price, shared hosting remains the most affordable hosting option available, largely because it remains the most cost-effective option for most hosting providers.
- They’re less than $5/month Some hosting providers go as low as $1.99 a month, depending on the length of service you choose.
- Their features are basic, but adequate. “Cheap” doesn’t have to mean “terrible.” Even the most basic packages should include support for email, multiple domains, and sufficient resource allotments (including bandwidth, storage, support, and uptime) to ensure your site meets your needs as well as the needs of your customers. Anything less isn’t a bargain—it’s a rip-off.
Cheap Hosting Essentials
Even if your budget is a modest one, it’s important to remember that even the cheapest hosting is only a bargain so long as it meets your needs. A ridiculously low price is still too high if your site is down all the time due to equipment failure or resource limits being reached. At a minimum, your hosting provider should include:
- Plenty of resources. You might be on a budget, but that doesn’t mean you want to skimp on the things you need to build a compelling and professional site. Take the time to make sure your plan includes adequate room for your site, plenty of monthly traffic, and support for the applications, media, and features you need.
- Reliable performance. Your site’s only as interesting and useful to visitors if it’s up and running. Look for a solid uptime rate (99% or higher), and be sure to find out what sort of uptime guarantee (if any) your provider offers.
- User friendliness. Some providers lower costs by cutting out “luxuries” such as name-brand hosting control panels, site management utilities, and one-click software installers. If you need quick and easy management tools, or don’t have time to tackle learning proprietary software, make sure you ask about these options before you sign up.
- Solid support. Another way hosting providers cut prices for their customers is by reducing or even eliminating human tech support. Some providers may reduce tech support hours, eliminate phone support, or simply furnish a knowledge base and ticketing system. Others require a subscription or hourly fee to access support features. With every second of downtime costing you customers and credibility, it’s worth it to pay a little more for a hosting provider with reliable and readily-available support.
- Room to grow. You might be keeping your site small for now, but as your business grows, you’ll likely need a more robust plan, with more resources and features. Read up on available upgrades and higher tiers ahead of time to make the transfer as painless as possible when the time comes. If you’ve been with your host for awhile, they may even reward your loyalty with a price break or bonus features when you upgrade.
Regardless of the provider you choose, remember that your overall goal is to get the best bargain for your money, not to spend the least amount of money possible. Since your site will become a source of revenue and customer relationship building, try to think of it as an investment, rather than an expense.
When Going Cheap Can Cost You
Saving money is always a plus for businesses, but as anyone who’s ever been burnt by an ill-considered “bargain” can tell you, making decisions solely on price can backfire. Keep an eye out for these potential pitfalls when choosing a cheap hosting plan.
- Beware of hidden fees. You’re getting a great price on hosting, but if you want “extras” like more bandwidth, extra databases, or more storage, it might cost you. Customer support may be severely limited, too, unless you sign up for a service plan, or pay hourly fees that can add a surprising (and unwelcome) amount to your bill. And some providers offer their lowest plans with hefty overage or cancellation fees that can quickly add up if your site experiences a spike in traffic or you decide to change providers. Always—always—read the fine print, and if you’re not sure if a service or feature is included, be sure to ask.
- Watch out for changing prices. The same plan that costs $1.99 a month when you sign up for your initial term may surprise you by jumping to $5.99, $7.99, or $9.99 a month (or more) when it’s time to renew. Make sure you negotiate for the best price and take advantage of discounts that often accompany longer service terms. However…
- Balance your budget against your commitment. Some hosts offer attractively low prices that are only available with their longest commitments—and these can stretch into the three, four, or even five-year range. While it’s certainly possible that you can stay with a host for that long if it continues to meet your needs, chances are that those needs will change as your both your business and your website grow. Again, some providers can charge significant cancellation fees (even for those moving from one tier to another within their own plans), so make sure you understand the terms of your agreement when you choose a host.
- Don’t settle for substandard support or hardware. In the name of profitability and volume, some providers may choose to cut some pretty important corners from their hardware and datacenter performance. Various tools are available online that let you double-check the uptime and performance claims of potential providers; taking the time to evaluate them carefully before you sign up can save you headaches down the line. And when it comes to support, if domestic, advanced, or ’round-the-clock support services are important to you, be sure to verify their availability (either as a part of your plan or an available upgrade) before you need emergency assistance.
Finding and Choosing a Cheap Web Hosting Provider
Finding a cheap host is as easy as typing “cheap hosting” into the search bar of your browser, but to find the right host for you requires a bit more finesse. Use a reputable and advanced search tool (such as the Compare Hosting Tool from WhoisHostingThis) to narrow down your options based on price, features, and resources, then review each candidate more closely.
Reviews are critical as well. Industry reviews related to performance, reliability, etc. are of course important, but what really matters are first-hand customer reviews. They’re a goldmine of information, and can reveal pros, cons, and major problems with potential providers. If there’s a community forum, take the time to ask customers about their experiences, or to get answers if your specific questions aren’t addressed in the reviews.
Getting the hosting your site and business need while avoiding the pitfalls of false “bargains” can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. And finding cheap hosting doesn’t have to be the same as “cheaping out.” If you take the time to review your options carefully, pay attention to limitations, and read the ubiquitous fine print, you can get all the hosting features you need—at a price that fits your budget.
Making Cheap Web Hosting Go Further
If you’re on the verge of outgrowing shared hosting, try this.- Obtain a basic hosting account from a company like Dreamhost, Hostgator or Go Daddy.
- Reduce the load of your site (with WordPress, use a caching plugin).
- Use a CDN to host static files such as images and JavaScript files.
- If you distribute files that will eat up a lot of bandwidth, move them to other services.
- Split sites over several shared hosting accounts.
Economising
Cut back on hosting without sacrificing your services with these tips:- Switching to a VPS host that offers burstable RAM may save you money without sacrificing reliability. Be sure to note how much RAM your server uses in its day-to-day operation and ensure that you have enough.
- If you’re comfortable going without support, go with an unmanaged host and you may save up to 50%. If you’re not, find one that builds the cost of the management into the contract. It’s usually cheaper than buying a management contract separately.
- If you have friends with similar hosting needs, consider sharing a dedicated server.
- Scale back extras you’re not using.
- Move your site to a less expensive operating system.
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