As expensive does not necessarily mean good, cheap does not necessarily mean bad. This is true for a lot of things, and this is certainly true for web hosting, as long as you know what your website’s needs are. So, put your prejudices aside, and read our article about cheap web hosting, how to find it, and whether it’s right for you or not.
Here is all you need to know about cheap web hosting…
What Does “Cheap” Mean Anyway?
Well, it means not expensive! Obviously, what’s cheap for someone might very well be quite expensive for someone else, but as you keep viewing the basic plans of different web hosting companies, you will get an idea about the average prices for the lowest offers.
Most, if not all of these cheap web hosting plans will be shared hosting, which means your website will be sharing the resources -memory, CPU, etc.- with other websites, and that is perfectly fine, especially if you are a beginner and planning to host a small site. More on shared hosting here.
Benefits of Cheap Web Hosting
Let’s take a look at the benefits.
- Cost Savings: The primary benefit of cheap web hosting is cost savings. It can be a good option for those who are just starting out and have limited resources.
- Easy to Set Up: Cheap web hosting plans often have simple and easy-to-use control panels that make it easy to set up and manage a website.
- Scalability: Some cheap web hosting plans allow users to upgrade to more robust plans as their needs grow, which can be a cost-effective way to scale a website.
- Customer Support: Many cheap web hosting providers offer 24/7 customer support, which can be helpful for those who need assistance with their website.
Drawbacks of Cheap Web Hosting
However, it is important to consider the potential drawbacks of cheap web hosting as well:
- Limited Resources: Cheap web hosting plans often have limited resources, such as storage, bandwidth, and processing power. This can limit the functionality and performance of a website.
- Unreliable Uptime: Cheap web hosting providers may not offer reliable uptime, which can result in website downtime and lost traffic.
- Security Issues: Cheap web hosting plans may not offer robust security features, which can leave a website vulnerable to hacks and attacks.
- Poor Customer Support: Some cheap web hosting providers may not offer quality customer support, which can be frustrating for those who need assistance.
It is important to carefully evaluate the provider and plan to ensure that it meets your needs and offers the necessary resources, performance, and security features.
How to Choose the Best Cheap Web Hosting Service?
When it comes to hosting companies, you have a lot of options, and most of them have basic plans for those with small websites looking for cheap web hosting. And how to choose the best for you? Well, if “best” means the cheapest web hosting for you, you just need to do a little bit of research, and check out special deals by hosting companies- there are a lot of them. But if you mean good performance for an acceptable price, there is a lot more to consider, of course depending on your needs and priorities.
Some things you must consider when choosing a cheap hosting provider are the following:
Free features – If you are on a budget, you might as well look for what free features are they providing with their plan. Is there free SSL? Then you should take it! Do they give you free e-mails? Cool, how many? Compare these and find out what combination is the best for your needs.
What’s the real price of the plan? – If you are looking for cheap hosting, chances are you’re going to end up buying a shared plan with a special deal, meaning you will be charged the normal amount once your discount period ends. So make sure to check and compare the regular prices as well.
Support – It is painful not to be able to receive support when you need it -not just for you, but for your users as well- so if you can, pay a few extra bucks for a plan with a better support system. Try to get something with 24/7 live support available.
Upgrade options – Hopefully, sooner or later your website -and audience- will grow, and you will have to upgrade your plan for better performance. Check the plan(s) you may need to upgrade to in feature, before deciding on a starter plan. Remember, it is much easier to just upgrade to a new hosting plan instead of changing your hosting provider.
Cheap Web Hosting FAQ
If you still have questions about cheap web hosting, you might find the answers you are looking for in the following lines:
Q: Do any paid web hosting companies offer free trials?
A: Yes, some web hosting companies offer free trials to their users. Trial periods are usually 30 days, with main features such as technical support, cPanel, and FTP access included. Free trials are a good way of checking the performance of a hosting company and seeing if it fits your needs, so feel free to try them before making up your mind.
Q: Which web hosting companies offer a free SSL certificate?
A: Security is very important, and getting a free SSL certificate is always a big plus, whether you are looking for a cheap solution or not. And yes, some web hosting companies offer free SSL with their hosting plans, which is great news for those looking for a budget hosting plan. Make sure to check it out when you are looking for a new provider.
Q: Will cheap hosting have a negative effect on my website’s SEO score?
A: Not directly of course, but it may do so indirectly. The thing is, if you are opting for a cheap hosting service, your website’s resources will be very limited. This means that as soon as your audience grows, there might be performance issues -decreasing website speed, maybe even downtimes– which have a negative effect on SEO. So, cheap web hosting alone will not hurt your search rankings, but if you end up having performance issues because of it, then it’s time to make some changes!
Overall
Now you know how to find the best cheap web hosting, as well as what it means to opt for a free web hosting platform. The good thing about all this is that even if you are not happy with the results at the end, you will always have the option to change your hosting provider/package. So, bottom line is, if you think cheap -or free- hosting will cut it for you for now, just go with it! When you see it is not doing it anymore -and hopefully it will come to that point as it means your website is growing!- you can just upgrade it!