Most people seem to have the opinion that you get what you pay for so if you pay for cheap web hosting services, then you will also get poor service. When it comes to web hosting, this statement is not entirely true. Each website owner has their own specific needs to consider regarding hosting features and functions of their website. The most important thing to remember is that the services that you pay for have to be worth your money even if you did not spend a lot of it. This means that you may pay for the most expensive web hosting service only to find that their services are substandard. Before making a decision, however, you need to consider the pros and cons of using the cheapest web hosting service.
Pros of Cheap Web Hosting Companies
1. It is cost effective
The best thing about low cost web hosting services is the fact that you have to pay less money. With so many web hosting companies flooding the market, you can get a company willing to offer their services at a cost of $4-$5 a month. If you are working on a shoestring budget, then this would be a very good option for you. In addition, the cost of investment is very low which has made it possible for many individuals and startup companies to have a website where they can do business and exchange ideas without investing too much money.
2. Adequate Disk Space
Low cost web hosting companies offer an average disk space of about 5-7GB. This is more than adequate for most people. They also offer a bandwidth of approximately 100-600GB. This is quite reasonable considering the price that you are paying.
3. Services are in UNIX or Windows servers
Most low cost web hosts offer services on either UNIX or Windows servers, which are the standard and will meet the needs for many.
Cons of Going the Cheap Route
1. The quality may be compromised
If a company is offering low cost web hosting, they have to somehow survive their upkeep expenditure and still make a profit. This means that the company will have to compromise on the quality. Depending on the company that you choose, the compromise can be either a big one or a small one. If your site is not resource or high-traffic in nature, then this usually isn’t a big problem. If you intend to put a high-traffic or big site on these servers though, you might be better off with dedicated hosting plans.
2. You have to share server space with another company.
One disadvantage of sharing your server space with another website is the fact that the other website may have be designed improperly so as to allow the server to get hacked. When this happens, the whole server will stop running properly and data might get corrupted.
3. Risk of overloaded servers
You can expect that low cost web hosting may attract many customers and there is a chance that the servers might become overloaded. If one of the websites has a lot of traffic, you are likely to encounter a bad shared hosting experience.
How to Choose the Cheapest Web Hosting Service
There are a number of web hosting services that offer very cheap packages. It is therefore important to look at other aspects when choosing cheap web hosting services, other than the price alone. Consider the following things when choosing a web hosting service.
1. The features that you need
Some web hosts do not offer certain services in their monthly prices but they will offer them as an upgrade. If for example, you need a database with PHP, the web host may include it as an upgrade instead of including it in their monthly price. Once you accept such a plan, it might be difficult to convert later. With that in mind, it would be much better to look for a host that includes most, if not all, the features that you want in their monthly prices rather than as an upgrade
2. They should offer technical support
Regardless of the amount that you are paying for your web hosting services, you should get efficient technical support whenever there is a problem. Technical support offered by the host should be in a manner useful to you. Most low cost web hosting services rarely provide adequate person-person support. Instead, they have a section for FAQs or a knowledge base. Others just offer email support, which is no good when your domain is down or you have an emergency.
3. They should offer a money back guarantee
The host should give you your money back if you feel that their services do not meet your needs. This is why it is important to choose a host who at least gives you a minimum of thirty days to evaluate their services. Unfortunately, not all cheap hosts offer money back guarantees. Unless you know exactly what it is a web host has to offer, you should choose the one that offers you a money back guarantee.
4. They should offer unlimited bandwidth and space
A while back, low cost web hosting meant that you would get limited bandwidth and space but that is no longer the case. As mentioned earlier, the market is currently flooded with many companies offering web-hosting services at reasonable prices and in order to stay competitive, they have to offer certain benefits to their customers and this includes unlimited bandwidth and disk space. Those that do not offer unlimited bandwidth and disk space, usually offer them as free upgrades.
5. They should offer free set up
Very little effort is required in setting up a new hosting service, more so, a shared one. If a host asks you for a set up fee, then it just means that they are trying to milk a few extra bucks from you. Most of the cheapest web hosting providers offer free setups and choosing one that makes you pay for it is ridiculous.
6. Read the terms and conditions
When Google Chrome was first released, they stated in their terms and conditions that any content created on their browser was theirs. This has obviously changed but if you never read their terms and conditions back then, you would have been disappointed to know that all your work belonged to them. In a nutshell, it is important to read the terms and conditions of your web hosting company before paying for anything. You never know; there might just be a clause stating that they claim ownership over content that you post on to their servers.