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When starting a new business, you want to make sure you’re utilizing available funds effectively and efficiently. You need to be sure you’re not overpaying for services for web hosting providers or unnecessary suppliers.
Most people pay little attention to their web hosting provider, as it’s necessary to get your website up and running. However, what if another provider offers better services for a lower price? Here are some tips on picking the best providers for your business and three signs that you’re overpaying for web hosting services.
Picking the Best Web Hosting Provider for Your Business
It’s important to know what your business specifically needs before finding a hosting provider. For non-established brands or influencers, it’s best to choose an affordable service. Also, you should research different web hosting providers, as well as look at their plans in detail.
For example, a great hosting provider with affordable plans is Hostinger. They’re a perfect example of an everything-in-one package that can save you money on your first investment. While you’re researching, keep these three things in mind.
1. How Big Your Site Will Be
Do you want it to be a one-page website design, or do you want multiple pages? Your website can have images, texts, videos, and other media files. The more media files or webpages you have, the more storage space you need on your web hosting plan.
2. Features You Will Need
When searching for the right web hosting provider, you’ll realize they have many features to offer you, beyond just hosting your website. Keep in mind the specific features you need for your business. For example, a few common features include extra security, a built-in website builder, or a free domain.
Compare the features that different web hosting providers offer, while also keeping the price in mind. Then, decide which features are absolutely necessary and find the most affordable provider to accommodate your needs.
3. How Much Traffic You Will Expect
Web hosting providers usually charge based on the amount of storage and bandwidth you need. Bandwidth measures the number of bytes you serve at a given time. If you expect only a few people on your site at once, then the bandwidth will be low. However, if you expect many people on your site at one time, then the bandwidth will be high.
Luckily, you can adjust your web hosting plan with the amount of bandwidth you need. Of course, the higher your bandwidth, the more expensive the hosting plan will be. Nevertheless, it’s worth the investment if you expect a lot of traffic.
Are You Overpaying Your Web Hosting Provider?
1. Check Your Usage Statistics
The easiest way to see if you’re paying too much is by checking out resource usage statistics. Simply access your web hosting’s control panel and check the statistics there.
Overpaying is common for users who simply didn’t buy the right plan. If the statistics show that you’re using less than 50% of your hosting plan’s resources or if the amount you’re using is equivalent to a cheaper plan, you should consider changing it.
2. Compare ROI (Return on Investment)
If you’re successfully monetizing your website by utilizing AdSense, Affiliate links, donations, or sales, you should compare that income to your provider’s monthly price. If most of your revenue is going toward paying for your web hosting plan, consider downgrading. Find a different web hosting provider that offers plans that fit in your budget and provide similar resources. It’s important to generate enough revenue to cover your expenses.
Image source: Canva
3. Check the Downtime and Reliability of Your Web Hosting Provider
Nowadays, many web hosting providers boast about offering 99% uptime guarantees. However, that isn’t always true. You should always check your uptime stats yourself. If you ever experience more than 1% of server downtime, it means that your hosting provider isn’t following through, and that you are overpaying.
If you want to have little to no downtime, consider choosing VPS for web hosting, which most hosting providers offer. However, it’s more expensive than the more common hosting options.
RELATED ARTICLE: WHY A VPN IS ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
Conclusion
Now you know how to pick the right web hosting provider. When researching it’s important to consider how big your site will be, features you want, and how much traffic you’ll have. By checking these three things, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices.
Keep in mind that you can be overpaying your web hosting provider if you don’t fully utilize the hosting plan you choose. It’s essential you’re generating enough revenue to cover monthly costs and then some. All in all, be careful and take your time when selecting a web hosting provider.
RELATED ARTICLE: SHARED HOSTING VS. DEDICATED HOSTING: WHICH IS BETTER?
About the Author
Mary is a founder and chief editor at her digital content and SEO agency PRable.org. She is passionate about digital marketing innovations and loves to write about the technologies and online businesses that drive them.
