If this is the first time you look for a web host, you are probably looking at some of the cheapest ones. People that only own one site, both for personal or non profit, don't want to spend a lot of money on web hosting. So, what choices do you have, and what do you need to look out for?
The cheapest web host should cost you nothing.
If you only have one site in mind, free is better than cheap, no matter how you look at it. There are many choices available, and free hosting has greatly improved over time. You can find plenty of free templates and tools offered by on line giants such as Google and Yahoo, that you can use to build your site with little hassle.
The downside with free web hosting is that in most cases you cannot use your own domain name. The fact that you have to work within their domain will make it known that you are using free hosting. It may even carry an ad for the free host. This does not matter for most people's personal sites but if you are in business, you may want a more professional looking solution.
Shared Hosting Packages
Another cheap alternative to free hosting is shared hosting, which means that you will have your site on a server that also hosts others. There is no disadvantage to this in terms of your image, because somebody looking at your site would not know.
Shared hosting packages are available as low as $3 per month. But, some problems are possible.
Should you select depending on cost or quality?
If you are really hung up about cost, and you select the cheapest web host, you might possibly run into a few problems. The cheapest packages are usually trimmed somewhere, and that's usually in service. Downtime (no one can access your site) and less than desirable support are two of the most common problems found with some of the cheapest hosts.
Good technical support is essential when it comes to running a website. You will almost certainly have questions that you will want answered quickly and helpfully. And, certainly, good technicians cannot be hired by web hosts for cheap. This is one area where many cheap web host companies cut corners, and it can result in a lot of frustration for you.
It can be maddening enough that you will have no choice but change hosts. This means a lot of extra work and hassle. Moving sites is no easy thing, and you may end up experiencing some downtime while you wait for the DNS to resolve to the new host.
Staying away from the cheapest companies will avoid this type of hassle. You can get good shared hosting for a couple of extra dollars each month.
As an example, you can buy the Hatchling plan from Hostgator, which includes one domain with unlimited disk space and bandwidth, for only $4.95 a month. But if you are thinking of hosting more than just one site, the next package up, the Baby package, might work better for you. For just $1 per month more, you can host unlimited domains. Hostgator may not be the cheapest, but it is definitely inexpensive and reliable, and worthy to be recommended.
The cheapest web host should cost you nothing.
If you only have one site in mind, free is better than cheap, no matter how you look at it. There are many choices available, and free hosting has greatly improved over time. You can find plenty of free templates and tools offered by on line giants such as Google and Yahoo, that you can use to build your site with little hassle.
The downside with free web hosting is that in most cases you cannot use your own domain name. The fact that you have to work within their domain will make it known that you are using free hosting. It may even carry an ad for the free host. This does not matter for most people's personal sites but if you are in business, you may want a more professional looking solution.
Shared Hosting Packages
Another cheap alternative to free hosting is shared hosting, which means that you will have your site on a server that also hosts others. There is no disadvantage to this in terms of your image, because somebody looking at your site would not know.
Shared hosting packages are available as low as $3 per month. But, some problems are possible.
Should you select depending on cost or quality?
If you are really hung up about cost, and you select the cheapest web host, you might possibly run into a few problems. The cheapest packages are usually trimmed somewhere, and that's usually in service. Downtime (no one can access your site) and less than desirable support are two of the most common problems found with some of the cheapest hosts.
Good technical support is essential when it comes to running a website. You will almost certainly have questions that you will want answered quickly and helpfully. And, certainly, good technicians cannot be hired by web hosts for cheap. This is one area where many cheap web host companies cut corners, and it can result in a lot of frustration for you.
It can be maddening enough that you will have no choice but change hosts. This means a lot of extra work and hassle. Moving sites is no easy thing, and you may end up experiencing some downtime while you wait for the DNS to resolve to the new host.
Staying away from the cheapest companies will avoid this type of hassle. You can get good shared hosting for a couple of extra dollars each month.
As an example, you can buy the Hatchling plan from Hostgator, which includes one domain with unlimited disk space and bandwidth, for only $4.95 a month. But if you are thinking of hosting more than just one site, the next package up, the Baby package, might work better for you. For just $1 per month more, you can host unlimited domains. Hostgator may not be the cheapest, but it is definitely inexpensive and reliable, and worthy to be recommended.

