Cheapest Web Hosting

If you have just finished your website design and eagerly waiting to hit the web, finding the best web hosting service at the right price is the last hurdle you need to cross. Today, the website hosting market is replete with umpteen hosting companies, each promising to outclass the other with a plethora of services at the cheapest rate. Web masters find it really difficult to find the fittest one among the lot. This article will help you to select the right hosting company by considering several criteria.

The very first thing you need is to assess your requirements. Let us illustrate this. The hosting requirements for a personal website will differ largely from that of a corporate or a product website. The requirement for server space and other software and hardware support will be minimal for a personal webpage, while these requirements will be significantly greater in case of a corporate or an ecommerce website. You need to take into account your present hosting needs, as well as what you expect in the near future. 

The next thing that will come into your mind is the website hosting rate. Different hosting companies offer differing rates. If a hosting company offers dedicated servers, then its service charges will naturally shoot up. On the other side, companies that offer cheap hosting services on a shared basis with limited bandwidth will naturally charge less. The point here is – if you are planning to host a personal website or a fun / game website without any commercial objective, you may settle for the cheap ones. On the other hand, if you are planning to host a site, such as a corporate /product/ecommerce site, with serious business intent, then you should not settle for free or cheap ones. After all, you cannot put your reputation and credibility at stake for the saving of a few bucks. You should first evaluate every other criterion and finally select one based on rate from a shortlist of two to three.

Reliability and speed is another crucial factor. Today, a best hosting company has the ability to guarantee 99% or a little more uptime (though 100% can never be guaranteed). Wide bandwidth should ensure smooth flow of web traffic and satisfied visitors to your site. Hosting companies that are technically equipped to enter into a business continuity agreement and have multiple servers on standby for recovery from disasters (say, fire, flood, and earthquake etc.) are certainly credible. These are all the more important for continued hassle-free hosting of commercial sites.

The next important factor to watch out for is the data transfer rate and disk space allotted to you. Website hosting companies have to pay for the bandwidth they consume, and in turn, they will bill proportionate amounts to you – the client. It is wise to pay upfront the amount for the expected data transfer. Otherwise, you might be bombarded with a surprise bill. Another important but related decision is to decide upon the required disk space and reserve that. Note that most websites require a space less than 3 GB.

The extent of technical support provided by the hosting company is another crucial determinant for the success of your web service. The best hosting support possible is 24x7x365. In this competitive age, this has become the most desired service level. You cannot allow your visitors (and therefore your business to suffer) because of downtime. You can take a surprise check of the promised service by shooting off an email at the odd hour.

Certain websites require support on special features. Evaluate carefully whether your host can accommodate special support for a variety of scripts, database, shopping carts and secure servers. Support for desired DBMS (Database Management System) in tandem with your growing business needs is another crucial judgment criterion.

Last, but not the least, you should judge a host on the basis of freedom to control your site to some extent. As a webmaster, it is not feasible to turn to the hosting company’s support chain to address every trivial requirement like changing passwords and email addresses. There should be an administrative control panel for your website under your control.

Let us now share a few thoughts about web hosting plans available in the website hosting market. Typically, there are three types of hosting packages available for you to choose from: discount web hosting, Windows web hosting, and Linux web hosting. Discount web hosting or Cheap web hosting is most suitable for start-ups. Start-ups and small companies generally have limited funding and tend to opt for the discount web hosting services with a low price tag. Generally, the package ranges from $5 to $6 a month. The best discount web hosting deal should not cross the $10 a month mark. If you have a little more money, you can easily opt for a Windows or a Linux hosting plan. Such plans are sufficient to cater to all your day-to-day website maintenance requirements. A Windows plan typically offers support for ASP and MSSQL. Basic Windows and Linux plans are available in the range of $10 to $15. If you have more requirements like greater disk space, increased bandwidth, and other requirements, the price tag will rise accordingly.