UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE COST OF WEB HOSTING TODAY

Creating a website is exciting when you’re starting or expanding your own business.

But in order for your website to be live on the Internet, it needs to be hosted. So it’s definitely a must and you’ll need to consider the website hosting costs as well. Like anything else, the costs of hosting your website can influence some of your decisions.

Like every other product and service out there, there are some hidden costs associated with site hosting that you need to be aware of.

If you cut corners with site hosting, it can financially hurt you down the road. You could run into issues that are more expensive than you might think.

Here is a guide to help understand how much website hosting will really cost. We’ll go through different areas that you need to take into consideration when picking the best web hosting company.

Free Web Hosting

So what about free website hosting? Is it worth it?

This is a good option for beginners if you’re starting off. But when it comes to web hosting, free or cheap isn’t always better.

So why do so many services offer free hosting packages? Well companies make money using up-sells and other ways once you sign up. You’ll see web hosting plans that are offered free but then entice you to switch and upgrade to paid service. What you want to avoid is s startup business that’s running a web host and offering free hosting and then go after paying clients.

You might even come across a startup company that’s running a web host for the first time, and offering free hosting before they transition and go after paying clients. This is something you’ll want to avoid for sure.

While free hosting is definitely an option you can consider, as the saying goes ‘you get what you pay for’.

 

Website Traffic

It’s natural to try and save some money with free or cheap hosting services. But once your site grows the host may begin to throttle your website if you’re on a shared server.

Your web visitors will have trouble accessing your pages and content and may even see error messages to your site. Even the increased load time will cause your visitors to bounce. Loading time is extremely important, you want a good host and efficient website that loads quickly. Slow loading times are extremely costly, most visitors who leave are most likely not to return. Upgrading and paying more for your web hosting can save you thousands on your business.

 

Security

 

As your website grows you need to be secure. Secure and safety is a top priority for your business.

Especially true if you’re processing payments and generating leads and customers information. It’s your responsibility to protect your site visitors and customers from cybercriminals and malicious attacks.

Here are just some common security measures that you need to think about:

  • scans for malware and viruses
  • spam filtering
  • passwords
  • security audits
  • firewall configuring
  • network protocols
  • user permissions
  • multi-level authentication

PCloud is a decent security option is a secured cloud where you can store all of your documents and manage files with Top Level Cloud Encryption. Starting from $4.99 per month.

This is much better than having to pay for them individually, or even worse, pay the costs of your website getting compromised or having security problems.

 

 

Servers

You have to make sure your website and hosting is reliable. Make sure you read reviews and do your research before you sign up for any hosting service which has attractive deals.

The best servers have updated software, 24/7 monitoring, regular maintenance, and automatic updates. You don’t necessarily need a Server but your website will perform better if you do, depending on the size of your site and traffic. But just to remember you will incur additional costs when upgrading to a server including some downtime on your site. This is more likely to affect your visitors and regular users.

 

Renewal and Setup Fees

When you first purchase web hosting, the price might seem great. But that is likely just your initial cost for signing up.

The promotional rates aren’t usually the final price and probably won’t last forever.

I would recommend reading the fine print to see what your renewal costs will be. Some services will also charge you for a setup fee, otherwise, you will have to pay full price at renewal.

 

Conclusion

There are lots of different options for you to consider. It’s all down to your needs and requirements.

Some options are more expensive than others. You may even decide to look for free website hosting but choose the best plan longterm so you don’t regret mistakes. There will be some hidden costs that you need to be prepared for. Be prepared for additional fees associated with renewals and setups as well.

It’s important to make sure that you’re always using a reliable and trustworthy Host. Here are some of the best hosting companies to consider: