A web hosting provider is an essential part of getting your small business website in the faces of customers. Without a web host, your website is not viewable on the internet. When searching for viable hosting options, keep in mind that not all hosting is created equal. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Going with the cheapest option seems like a no-brainer. Though, based on the size and functionality of your website, the cheapest option could give you slow service, which could drive customers away. Luckily, there are cheap web hosting options out there. However, depending your needs, the prices can start to hike.
A website with seven pages is going to have more flexibility in choosing hosting than an ecommerce website with 100+ pages. You’ll see why later on.
What exactly is web hosting?
Web hosting is service that allows organizations and individuals to post a website or web page to the internet. A web host is a company with servers you use to store and deliver the files that make up your website. Not all web hosting is created equal. There are many different types that cater to the needs of small and large businesses.
Popular types of web hosting
Shared hosting:
Shared hosting allows multiple websites to utilize a single server. Normally, you don’t know the other customers that are housed on that server. Each business has a limit on the total amount of server resources they can use, depending on your hosting package. Shared hosting is the cheapest option, ranging anywhere from .99 cents to $10. This would be the best option for individuals, entrepreneurs, or small businesses that don’t get much traffic or don’t have that many pages.
Dedicated hosting:
Dedicated hosting is the polar opposite of shared hosting. It is a service where you lease an entire server for yourself. By purchasing this, you get full access to all its resources. With dedicated hosting, you can host as many sites on it as you want. The price tends to run higher for this exclusive service, with the average being around $150 to $200 per month. If you have a large website that gets lots of traffic, it’s probably worth it. Additionally, hosting providers usually offer full maintenance and 24/7 support for customers who purchase an entire server.
VPS hosting:
A Virtual Private Server is a virtual machine sold as a service by an internet hosting service. This type of hosting mimics a dedicated server within a shared hosting environment. This option is significantly cheaper than dedicated hosting but provides similar bandwidth and disk space. However, it is more expensive than shared hosting. The average price ranges from $20 to $50 per month. VPS hosting is the happy medium between shared and dedicated hosting. They are best for sites with low to medium traffic, small web hosts or designers with a small number of websites, or as a staging or development environment for testing a new application. VPS customers usually receive more control to configure the server to meet their needs.
Managed WordPress hosting:
Among small business websites and many websites across the internet, WordPress is extremely popular. Many cheap web hosting servers are offering managed WordPress hosting. This type of hosting is specifically designed and optimized for WordPress websites. It takes care of all the technical aspects of WordPress for you. You won’t have to worry about site updates, site speed or up-time. Managed WordPress hosting is considered a step up from the typical shared hosting, and the price reflects that. The most basic plans could cost anywhere from $7 to $30, while more advanced options could go up to $500 (for really big websites). Managed WordPress hosting is great for small businesses that have a WordPress site and don’t want to worry about managing the technical backend.
Looking at your cheap web hosting options
There are so many different web hosting companies out there it’s hard to tell what sets them apart or who’s better. Let’s dig in to some of the most popular ones.
HostGator
HostGator offers all the types of hosting mentioned above – and then some.
Pricing: Currently, shared hosting starts at $2.75/month, and WordPress hosting starts at $5.95/month. Check out the full list of their prices using the link above.
Pros:
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Within each service, there are tiered plans, so you can choose the service that best fits your business
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Unlimited storage, email, and monthly data transfer
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99.9 percent uptime – this is the percentage that your website is up and running smoothly
Cons:
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Slow customer support response times
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Restore from backups requires an additional fee
GoDaddy
We’ve all seen the Super Bowl commercials – GoDaddy is a big guy in the playing field. In fact, GoDaddy is one of the world’s largest web services companies.
Pricing: Shared hosting starts at $2.49/month, managed WordPress hosting starts at $3.99/month, and VPS hosting starts at $17.99/month.
Pros:
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Great for all-in-one service – they sell domain names, SSL certificates, access to Windows 365, site-building, and online marketing tools
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Unlimited bandwidth and disk space
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Windows and Linux-based servers
Cons:
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Quality of customer support has shown to be inconsistent
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Live chat support is not available 24/7
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Among competitors, GoDaddy has slower load times
BlueHost
As far as cheap web hosting goes for small businesses, BlueHost is a worthy competitor. It also happens to be recommended by WordPress.org for hosting.
Pricing: Shared hosting starts at $2.95/month, managed WordPress hosting and VPS hosting start at $19.99/month, and dedicated hosting starts at $79.99/month.
Pros:
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Easy for beginners with one-click WordPress install
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Unlimited storage, data transfer, and domain hosting
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30-day money back guarantee
Cons:
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Quality of customer support is lacking
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Many upsells, which can be annoying
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Migration fee of $149.99 to move an existing site to their service
LiquidWeb
First thing to note: LiquidWeb does not offer shared hosting. That being said, LiquidWeb would not be a good option for individuals or super small businesses.
Pricing: VPS hosting starts at $29.50/month, managed WordPress hosting starts at $69/month, and dedicated servers start at $199/month.
Pros:
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VPS hosting plans come with a choice of Linux or Windows-based operating systems
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Solid customer support
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100 percent network uptime guarantee
Cons:
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Expensive prices
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No shared hosting option
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The knowledgebase on their website could be organized more clearly
Finding the right cheap web hosting provider isn’t going to be easy since there’s so much to consider. When you’re doing research on your own, be aware of important features like:
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Storage and bandwidth. If your website is going to feature a lot of high-resolution images or a huge inventory of products, you’ll want to make sure you have the speed and space available.
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Security. Security is a top concern for most businesses, especially ecommerce websites. Make sure your hosting provider at the very least has basic security measures, like SSL encryption and PCI/DSS compliance.
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Automatic backups and one-click restore. Backups and easy restoring make it simple to restore your website to a recent version in case of any loss of information.
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Customer support. This kind of stuff isn’t intuitive to most people. Make sure you choose a company with a trustworthy and knowledgeable support staff. It’ll make your life a lot easier!
Need help or have any questions about getting your website hosted? Drop a line, send us a message, or use the nifty chat feature at the bottom of your screen!
