Is Cheap Hosting Worth the Price?
When you first see a low price for a service, chances are this runs through your head: there must be a catch. How could a service like hosting be offered at such a low price and still provide quality service. This article examines the pros and cons of cheap hosting, so you can decide if cheap hosting makes sense for you.
Pros of Cheap Hosting
1. Cheap hosting is cheap because of intense competition
Because the hosting industry has no real barriers to entry, web hosts come and go each day heating up competition and keeping prices low. The intensely competitive nature of the industry means all companies must drive prices to low levels to stay in the game, and some will still provide quality service to distinguish themselves from competitors.
The low price of a web host should not shock you; instead, take advantage of low prices across the board to find the best product for your money. Demand nothing less than unlimited data, unlimited RAM, and great customer service. If you can’t find these features at one site, chances are you will find them somewhere else.
2. Cheap hosting saves you money
This should go without saying, but having a lower price will save you money. Duh! The alternative to cheap hosting is a more expensive package, like dedicated hosting or having your own server. At the end of the day, if you are new to the world of web hosting or aren’t planning to create a complex site for a large business, then you should go with the cheaper package.
3. In Most Cases, Cheap hosting offers same tech/security
Many of the hosting providers grant their users access not only to open source databases and technologies, but allow them to utilize technologies such as Microsoft SQL or ASP.Net 2.0 web applications–the same basic applications found on more expensive packages. If you can gather the same resources at a lower price, why go elsewhere? Only if you demand a more advanced application development system, should you be paying for one. If you just want a simple website that will promote your business online, then a good cheap hosting provider is worth considering.
Cons of Cheap Hosting
1. Cheap hosting usually means the server is shared
Usually a hosting package is cheap because it’s a shared hosting package, which means that multiple websites are stored on one server. In a shared hosting arrangement, sites only divvy out disk space on a hard drive and do not make an effort to allocate network bandwidth. This can lead to problems based on how the bandwidth is split up between the users on the server. If there is a heavy user, this can lead to performance issues for the others on the same shared hosting server.
2. Cheap hosting has potential for low quality service
Because of the intense competition in the world of web hosting, the companies that survive sometimes cut costs by cutting man power and work hours. This can cause less reliable customer service due to a smaller, less trained staff and more downtime, because fewer people are working to fix your site. Not all cheap web hosts operate under these budget cuts, but some providers will try to distinguish themselves by offering more reliable customer service at a slightly higher price.
3. Cheap hosting may not be the best package to meet your needs
Packages offering shared hosting might be cheaper, but the unique benefits offered by a dedicated hosting plan could be a reason to choose one. In a dedicated hosting package, no one else has access to your server. You are responsible for all its content, so there is no possibility of viruses or other malicious software unless you put them there. Most dedicated server plans also come with the option of an external firewall to further protect your server. In general, if you intend to launch a commercial website and expect to generate significant amounts of traffic, it is better to choose dedicated hosting. This will provide you with amble disk space and bandwidth to accommodate visitors to your site.
There are some pros and cons to joining the world of cheap hosting. Hopefully, this guide will make it a little easier to figure out whether cheap hosting is right for you.
Category: Web Hosting
