Below are some tips for choosing a cheap web hosting company and how to spot bad hosting deals. In many cases a webmaster will look for cheap web hosting, but this could actually cost more in the long run. Always compare cheap web hosting companies before choosing just one.
1. Use a web host that is well known.
Sometimes the cheap unknown hosts are unreliable. They may be inexpensive, but the host might only have a few customers. There are cases where sites mysteriously disappear from the web and it is usually with these types. Using one may become a nightmare for the site owner, creating a frenzy with backing up files and locating a new host.
It is better to use a large hosting site that is popular. One should steer clear of any that are selling space at ridiculously low prices. In most cases, the saying, ¨ you get what you pay for¨, is true.
2. The host´s Google ranking will be indicative its popularity
This may be offensive to small hosts, but a site that needs to make money and attract customers should be on a very good host. The average cost of web hosting is not very high nowadays, yet people get picky when they have to pay five more dollars a month. When there is a problem, however, the owner often wishes he had paid hundreds more to avoid his site disappearing. This is especially true when the cheap web host tech support never answers an email.
3. Test their response time by sending a couple of emails to determine how long they take to answer.
The response time can tell a potential customer quite a bit. If the host takes a few days to answer the email, then it could be a week before they respond to existing customers.
4. Browse through the company´s forums. See if they are busy and have recent posts. If there is no forum, it is best to move to the next potential hosting site.
If the company has a forum, then it means there is a fairly large customer base. It also indicates that the company is concerned about its customers. One can also get a sense of the quality of support and how often there are updates by perusing posts.
5. Tech and Customer Support
This is one of the most important features one should evaluate. It is worthless to have cheap hosting if no one is available to help when the site is offline due to some mishap or error.
6. Extra Features
Unix is the platform that most IT pros use because it is stable and has been used in servers for a very long time. Web hosts that use any of the Unix/Linux distributions are typically cheaper because Linux is less expensive, being an open source platform. Linux hosts have more features to offer, as well. For $15 to $20 a month, a site owner can have access to powerful web tools like PHP, SSI, MySQL databases, SSH, and other great tools. Not every web host will be able to offer these features, but if a site owner is able to get them, it is a great bonus.
7.Customer Reviews
One can go to a webmaster forum to read about different hosts. Forum posts from real webmasters will often have votes and personal experiences from multiple forum users. The more recent posts with views from professionals are great resources for finding a quality web host. I hope you’ve found these tips for choosing a cheap web hosting company helpful. I’ve had a good time bringing them to you.