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Whether you run a service business, own a local brick-and-mortar store, or sell products on an eCommerce store, today’s increasingly competitive business world demands having a commanding presence online. Having a highly optimized website for your business is one of the ways to achieve this, reach a wider audience, attract traffic, and get more revenue!
And as you might already know, one of the critical steps of creating a website is choosing a Webhosting company. Different companies may have different prices for different hosting packages.
Since it pays to be budget-conscious in all aspects involving money and your business, it is only natural to wonder how much a good host would cost and how you can find a better deal.
Who Are Web Hosts?
Web hosts are simply companies that literally help you store your website, its features, functionalities, and data on their servers. Choosing one is a crucial part of designing a website that best serves its purpose.
In the simplest of terms, they basically make your website accessible to anyone on the web all over the globe. But as you may already know, not all web hosts are the same!
Importance of Good Web Hosting
Whether they are shopping online or just looking up information, today’s typical internet user is the busy kind, so time is extremely precious to them. Many people will spend no more than a few seconds on a site if its pages take long to load, a site that has broken links, or shows errors.
Some will even take note of sites that frequently experience downtimes and will never click on their links for any reason whatsoever.
Well, a good web host can help avoid such scenarios that may cause your site to lose traffic, leads, and revenue. Great web hosting services provide various plans to choose from depending on what suits your expected traffic, website type, and so forth in terms of bandwidth, storage, and other factors that affect page loading speed and user experience. It is safe to say that a good web host is a must-have!
The Average Cost of Web Hosting
For starters, the amount you pay for web hosting will depend on various factors, specifically the hosting company, the server, and the hosting package you choose.
Below are some of the most popular web hosting server options and their average costs.
Shared Server:
This is a type of hosting where one person shares their server with the rest of the world. The cost of a shared hosting service usually ranges from $1 to $20 per month. It’s the cheapest option available.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) Server:
A virtual private server (VPS) server is a server built on a Linux or FreeBSD operating system, using virtualization technology, which allows for greater flexibility and scalability, faster processing power, and higher performance than a standard server. A VPS server may cost anywhere between $18 and $100 monthly, give or take.
Dedicated Server:
A dedicated server is a server that you own and maintain complete, both software and hardware. You don’t share it with anyone, so it ensures faster speeds and minimal to no traffic downtimes. A dedicated server typically costs between $40 and $150 per month.
Cloud Hosting:
Cloud hosting is a type of hosting service where you host your website in a data center run by a third party.
In exchange, you only pay a monthly fee, from as low as $5 depending on your needs and based on the number of servers you need. Cloud hosting is commonly used by businesses to reduce costs, as it is less expensive and more convenient compared to traditional hosting services.
Google Cloud, Amazon Web Hosting, Cisco WebEx, DropBox, and Salesforce are all good examples of cloud providers of public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud hosting. Depending on your needs and the company you approach, you can pay anything from $300 to $1,400 or more each month for cloud hosting services.
The Secret to Finding a Cheap Deal on Web Hosting: Understand Your Needs
As established, web hosting may cost anything from two bucks to several hundred or thousands of dollars. Choosing a web host can actually be compared to picking a restaurant or hotel, where you can find a room for $50 a night and another one for $500 a night just a few miles apart.
Finding the best deal on web hosting often requires you to research web hosting prices so you can pick the one that best suits your needs and budget.
If you’re just getting started in building an online presence and your site’s needs are not too demanding, web hosts like HostGator, BlueHost, InMotion, and Hostinger could be worth looking into. This is especially if your budget is on the lower side.
Qualities of a Good Web Host
Indeed, research and price comparison are among the best ways to save money on web hosting, but we can’t afford to overlook quality.
Besides affordable pricing and your site’s needs, other crucial things you should look for in a web hosting provider include:
- At least 99 percent uptime
- Great customer service 24/7
- An intuitive user account interface
- Great reputation and experience in the industry
- Resources to help you get started
- A variety of flexible plans
Web hosting is a crucial determinant of success for anyone doing business or other endeavors online. Sometimes it can be costly, or the process of choosing one can lead to costly mistakes. The above piece hopefully sheds some light on how much web hosting costs, and how to find an affordable deal.