Best Cheap Affordable Web Hosting

Archive for August, 2009

by AJ Farro

Cheap web hosting can be a good thing if you avoid a few pitfalls that can turn a cheap web hosting deal into an expensive project.  Sometimes spending a little money upfront can save a lot money in the long run.  It’s sort of like buying an old car for cheap, but then paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in repairs to keep it running. 

Web hosting is only as expensive as you let it be.  Here are three important tips for keeping your hosting costs in check.

1)  Avoid accepting “free domain name” offers. 

Some hosts only give you the first year free and then charge bookoo bucks to renew the name a year later. 

No matter what the term of the free domain name is, a year or lifetime, you will not have access to the domain name registrar account because the hosting company owns the name, you don’t.  That means you can’t make changes and you can’t transfer it to a cheaper registrar.

You may not get a privacy manager to hide your personal name, address, phone, and email from spammers, or the web hosting company will charge extra for a privacy feature.

2)  Avoid limits on disk space, bandwidth, databases, email accounts, and add-on domains. 

Disk space includes all physical space on the server’s hard drive for your files, databases, email, scripts, images, videos and more.   As your site grows, so will your needs for more space.

Bandwidth is data transmission to and from the web hosting server.  Each time you upload files to your hosting account or someone visits your site, data transmission takes place.  This digital traffic is metered.  If you reach the bandwidth limit on your account, be it per day, or month, no one will be able to access your site. 

If you aren’t already a blogger, you might catch the blogging bug sooner or later.  Blogging lets you create an instant website – no templates, design, layout, or coding and little techie skills required.  Installing a blog requires a database installation so you don’t want restrictions on databases if you’ll be hosting more than one blog.  However, blogs aren’t the only applications requiring a database.

If you’re running a business or multiple sites, you’ll need to be able to create unlimited email addresses.

Unlimited add-on domains means you can host additional domains on the same web hosting account.  You should not have to buy more hosting to host another domain unless you have specific reasons to do so.  Unlimited add-on domains is a major money saver.

In summary, if you buy hosting with restrictions, you’ll have to pay for more when you need more.  Look for the word “unlimited” in the features list. 

3)  Avoid buying web hosting from domain name registrars, despite the convenient one-stop shopping.

Getting web hosting from the same place you buy a domain name will drain your wallet faster than a carnie at the state fair.  That warm fuzzy feeling you get from trusting them with your hosting needs is nothing more than the heat of their hands in your pocket reaching for your wallet.  Any web hosting account you get from a domain registrar will come with exorbitant prices and severe restrictions.  They are counting on you “already being there” and will glady take your money when you need more space, more email accounts, more databases, and more of anything.

Cheap Domain Names:  Get a cheap TLD domain name with WhoIs Guards for only $8.81/yr at NameCheap

Cheap Web Hosting:  Here’s a list of the top cheap web hosting companies

WebHostingPad already has low prices on web hosting, but you can practically steal an account when you use the exclusive coupon codes show below.  Get 3 years of unlimited web hosting with cPanel for less than the price of 1 year!  That is stupid crazy low pricing so hurry before they come to their senses.  This offer could be pulled at any time.

With all things being the same, if you were to purchase the 3 year plan at the regular $4.95/mo price, you’d pay $178.20.  But if you use the temporary discount pricing and coupon codes shown here to purchase a 3 year plan, you’ll save $131.56 and pay ONLY $46.64 for THREE FULL YEARS OF WEB HOSTING.

Coupon codes are applicable only when you use your own domain name on the WebHostingPad order form like this:

First, get your own domain name for for only $8.81 at NameCheap. Comes with free WhoIs Guard.

  Then get a WebHostingPad account here.