Web hosting on A Budget (Walter D. Joseph)

As you all probably know, there are a lot of companies out there that offer cheap/inexpensive web hosting. When I say cheap I mean roughly $3 per month. Even with such a small fee, most are somewhat satisfied with their provider. However, some of these inexpensive hosting companies may provide poor customer support and may often have down times. Additionally, some providers are only available in certain areas.

This blog is going to address cheap web hosting and whether or not it is truly inexpensive for it’s customers. Personally, I do not consider web hosting a product like a home appliance or even clothing. For example; if your refrigerator, oven or television broke you would certainly purchase a new one. What if your web hosting were to “brake” or continually have problems? Most companies will allow you to change providers with no questions asked, but is it always an easy process?

If you have recently created a webpage it is likely that your number of visitors is small. In the event that your hosting provider is poor, it would be a shame to loose the visitors you had. On the other hand, what happens when you purchase inexpensive hosting from a smaller company and after two to three years your website is lively with a ton of traffic, committed customers and suddenly your server crashes for two weeks; what do you do then?

Continuing with this example, your website is very popular so we can assume you can afford to buy a more reputable or even dedicated server, however with your old server being down you will likely be unable to retrieve your database? Now, you have put in the hard work, your website is successful but only to be ruined because some company wanted to make a quick buck by offering cheap web hosting. At this point you are likely thinking that life is cruel. But don’t fret because it does not have to be. There are at least two fool proof ways to get hosting at an affordable price:

1. If you truly would like inexpensive web hosting you must do your own research. I know the idea of research sounds arduous and annoying, but it really is not. Choose a few hosting companies you may be interested in. Then simply “Google” search them. I recommend including either “hosting” or “review” within your search. Regardless of what you search, you will find three types of websites.

• - Forums- where people share their personal experiences and interest. This allows for the sharing of valuable information with no one selling anything; people are simply chatting: what they like and dislike about their hosting site. Remember that on forums you will rarely find hosting companies that everyone is happy with. Keep in mind; you will see both great and terrible replies/responses. Just remember one or two unhappy customers does not mean a web hosting company is bad.

• - Hosting review sites- they are valuable if they have user reviews and user ratings. These sites allow you to read reviews of hosting companies by real customers. If you notice a pattern in the rating (all great or all terrible) there are likely false reviews; be wary of that.

• - Banners on sites- Some companies may have large images telling you to BUY NOW!, I strongly encourage you all to stay away from these hosting sites, because they are likely to have poor hosting service. From my experience, the companies that run these sites are simply in it for the money. They are promoting cheap web hosting just to make money off of hard working entrepreneurs looking for a good product.

2. My second strategy for finding high quality web hosting is to use reputable companies. I am sure you may be asking yourself “aren’t they expensive?” No, not really. After researching I have found that the larger companies in the web hosting industry are quite inexpensive if you take into consideration the aforementioned. Packages usually range from between $4 to $5 per month and they offer 99% uptime and a lot of great features. More importantly, they are likely to have good customer service, which is essential.

Keep in mind, your website may be the first interaction a potential client has with your company, so you want to make sure it is safe, secure and accessible at all times. If you are looking to create a webpage or currently have one but with a poor hosting company, I strongly encourage you to do your homework and research what it is you need for your site. Visit the forums and discuss your options with real customers. Also, don’t be afraid to spend an extra $3 or $4 a month for a more reputable company. It will likely pay off in the long run.

Below are several URLs to some of the more reputable hosting companies:


1. http://webhostinggeeks.com/
2. http://www.bluehost.com/
3. http://www.webhostingpad.com/
4. http://www.globat.com/pack-gx01.htm
5. http://www.lunarpages.com/