Is a cheap hosting package for you?
A cheap hosting package... well, what's wrong in that? Everyone loves to save a little money, and selecting a cheap web host seems an easy and obvious way to cut corners. Especially when starting a new business, the pressure is on to develop and stick to a budget in the early, lean days of operations.
But of course the words "cheap" and "cheap hosting package" do instil a certain amount of wariness. For who wants to look cheap? A cheap web host is a great idea, but no one wants to sacrifice quality or reliability for a few dollars a month.
If you've shopped around for cheap hosting packages at all, you'll know that there are plenty out there. With all that choice - start with our Top 10 Cheap Hosting Companies - there's a good chance that one among them will meet your needs.
Cheap web hosts generally push their shared hosting packages, which are generally the cheapest of the cheap hosting packages. Unless you have a high-traffic website or large disk space or download requirements, shared hosting will probably work for you and your budget. For more, read our article on The Pros and Cons of Shared Hosting.
Features
Before you sign on with a cheap web host (or any host, really), you must examine the cheap hosting package and the included features. Is everything you need (and think you may need in the future) there? Does it support e-commerce hosting, business hosting, blog hosting or other particular needs? A cheap web host is worthless if it doesn't offer the option you want. Do some research! You'll probably find a cheap hosting package with all the options you're looking for and more. Look for, at the very least, a sitebuilder, databases, a respectable control panel (such as cPanel) and email features.
As well, keep an eye out for add-on costs. Some cheap web hosts charge for site backups, extra email addresses, e-commerce functions or other features. Add all those up and your cheap hosting package may not be as cheap as you thought.
Reliability
Just because it's a cheap hosting package doesn't mean you can't count on it! Check customer reviews and expert hosting reviews for the real deal on a cheap web host's uptime and security. A cheap hosting package you can't trust or rely on is of no use to you.
Support
Pick up the phone and try to call the cheap web host. See if you can reach a real person. Give the live chat a whirl. You need to know now if the support is up to the standard you want. Don't wait until you've committed to a multi-year cheap hosting package to find out you're on your own.
A cheap hosting package is not something to be afraid of. If you do the proper research and choose carefully, you'll find a cheap web host to meet your needs. Check out Hosting-Review's Top 10 Cheap Hosting companies to start!