The market for web hosting services is as competitive as it can be today. There are hundreds of service providers competing in a vastly growing market. New services, better pricing and added features are being introduced on a regular basis. Let’s not forget that there are plenty of discounts and bonuses to go around. So, does cheap web hosting still too good to be true?
How cheap is cheap?
Before we go further into whether cheap web hosting is a viable option, we need to know how cheap is actually considered to be cheap. You can get an unlimited web hosting service for as little as $0.99 per month. That’s VERY cheap.
There are even free web hosting services available out there. You no longer have to put up with advertisements ruining your site’s layout. Instead, you get the ads displayed on your control panel and other backend pages.
A good baseline is around $5 per month. Anything between $1 to $5 per month should be considered relatively cheap. You don’t have to worry about not getting the level of service you expect when you are within this price range, but you can still save a lot of money on web hosting.
Does cheap web hosting suck?
The simple answer is: no. When you try to find the cheapest possible option, chances are you will end up with a web hosting service that doesn’t suit your needs or perform as well as you expect it to. However, you can definitely get great web hosting services within the $1-to-$5 price range.
FatCow offers something similar for as little as $3.15 per month. You still have to opt for a longer contract in order to get such a low price, but the company has great reputation for reliability. There are also a lot of other great services available for less than $3. You just have to know how to find them.
How can I find good yet cheap web hosting?
One of the first things to do when you are searching for cheap web hosting is to know exactly what you need. Figure out the features you need to run your site to its full potential. Determine the amount of disk space and monthly data transfer required, the number of add-on domains and MySQL databases needed and several other details about your web hosting requirement.
The next step is to find service packages that meet those demands. If you only host a single, relatively small website, for instance, you can actually save up to $2 a month by opting for a limited hosting with sufficient disk space and monthly bandwidth. For hosting multiple sites, on the other hand, going for a slightly more expensive unlimited hosting will help you save more in the long run.
Find deals and special offers when comparing multiple web hosting plans. Don’t forget to take these deals into considerations too. For example, one hosting service package may be cheaper on the first year while another is more affordable in the long run. Depending on your budget – and how much you actually want to save on web hosting – one can be better than the other.
Last but not least, consider sticking to a very reputable web hosting service provider. This way, you can safely opt for a longer contract and get an even lower monthly cost in return. Don’t forget to check if the hosting company offers money-back guarantee and other customer protections.
How do I avoid bad (albeit cheap) hosting?
Last but certainly not least, there are a few things you can do to avoid choosing the wrong web hosting service just because it is absolutely cheap:
– If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. You can’t expect to get good performance and reliability as well as unlimited hosting for less than $1.95 a month. If you do find a plan that offers these features for less than $1, it probably isn’t good.
– Terms and conditions matter. Be sure to always understand what you are getting for the price before deciding to sign up for an account. Read the limitations and understand how the web hosting service is being managed to get a clearer picture of what to expect.
– Beware of freebies and bonuses. A free domain name, for instance, may seem like a good deal at first, but it will end up in disaster if the hosting company (usually in its terms and conditions) actually don’t give ownership of the domain name to the customer.
