The cheap hosting plan can be enticing. Let's face it - none of us wants to pay more than necessary when we buy something, and this is particularly true of hosting services. After all, this is hardly the sexiest part of our web site strategy and it's hard to get motivated by anything other than cost. So, our primary aim is all too often a cheap hosting package rather than a professional and stable solution.
But, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for and you can often lose out later if you cut costs here. The reality is that you'll have to spend more in the long run if your hosting choice goes wrong. Don't worry - it is possible to find a reliable cheap hosting plan. You just need to learn how to look behind the bargain to check your choices before you buy.
The main trap most people fall into is simple. They believe what the hosting company tells them. Fact is, they can tell you anything they want and it may not actually be TRUE. Read the marketing blurb on many cheap hosting sites and you'll come across the same 'factual' statements. You'll have more server space than you could ever need, top of the range servers, support and security promises....the list goes on. But what if it isn't true? Well, the one thing you WON'T have is a working web site that's available on the internet 24/7, 365 days a year! So how do you bypass this trap? One way is to read our web host reviews.
Let's take a look at where things can go wrong with a cheap hosting package. One of the biggest issues is that of server space and bandwidth allowance. It's not just about how much you get for your buck now but how much extra it'll cost if you need to buy more later. Many providers start off with generous packages but charge way over the odds if you want more. And, they make sure that you will NEED to buy more.
In some cases, you'll even find that cheap hosting plans are useless anyway because too many sites are put on to individual servers. Here web site speed won't be the problem you'll face because there won't be any! You'll be lucky if anyone can access your site at all. Look at the small print and you'll also probably see that the company limits what you can do with your site. This might not be an issue for you now but may hamper your growth later on even more.
And then there's support...or the lack of it. It costs money to provide a decent support service so many cheap hosting plans limit what they offer. Monday to Friday e-mail support from 9-5 might sound OK but is of no use to you if your site disappears from the internet at 5:01 pm Friday. It really is worth paying that bit extra to get a real person on the end of the phone 24/7, seven days a week.
So, what can you do? First, ask questions about their system, what you do and don't get, the support service and the cost of future changes. Ask if you can sign up for a trial period rather than giving a long-term commitment. Next, ask for a copy of a service level agreement. Any hosting provider will give you an uptime percentage guarantee (this is the time that their servers are up and running OK). This figure should be in the high 90s. Of course bad providers might lie but good providers will offer you compensation if they don't meet their guarantee - simply because they know it's true so they can afford to bet on it.
Another good tip is to ask for the web site addresses of current customers and then do a bit of research. This is better than testimonials as an unethical provider can falsify those or pick a friendly customer (many bad cheap hosting companies aim to keep a couple of people happy to help pull in new business). Spend a few days trying to log into the web sites at peak and off-peak times. If you can't get access or loading times are slow then this isn't the service for you. Take some time to follow these steps and you'll soon find one that is.
The bargain that can cost you more than money
Start Up Your Web Site With Yahoo Web Hosting
Yahoo Hosting - who knew? Turns out they are a major player in the hosting game, in addition to their other product offerings, which include search, directory, malls, auctions, shopping…
Yahoo! Web Hosting in fact offers a full suite of hosting products for small businesses; hence the name Yahoo Small Business. The best part about dealing with Yahoo! is that you know that this host is not to suddenly disappear. They are the safest pick on the Internet and are a great start for beginners.
Yahoo hosting packages do not offer robust features when compared to other web hosts, nor are they the cheapest, but they are the most reliable host on the Internet. A great feature of Yahoo! is their elaborate E-Commerce features. You can take your business to the next level with their comprehensive add-on features that are easy to implement on your business website. Market your business to the millions who surf Yahoo! daily with their substantial assortment of E-Commerce features.
Price Value. Packages offered by Yahoo Web Hosting are not really designed for power web users, but are more geared towards beginners. Their packages are a little more expensive when compared to the other top web hosts, but this is Yahoo! and they offer a complete support team to help you get started, as well as tools (such as website builder) for free.
One thing Yahoo! Hosting has always done well is web-based applications, and this is no exception. If you are new to site building, they are a safe place to go. If you are experienced, you may find their packages to be extremely limiting.
Starting an online store with Yahoo small business hosting is easy because they will set you up with credit card processing, a Yahoo! store in a Yahoo! mall, catalogue, inventory, etc. and help you along the way.
Control Panel. Yahoo Web Hosting features an excellent web-based control panel that really helps to keep you on the right track. The control panel offers extensive features and functionality that integrate directly into Yahoo's other applications and services.
Customer Support. Yahoo! Web Hosting features excellent trained technicians that will help you along the way. They are used to calls from many web hosting beginners, so take advantage of their 24/7 toll free-support desk in multi-languages.
What Yahoo Web Hosting Can Offer Your Business
With Yahoo web hosting you can get your website on the Internet quickly and easily, and have Yahoo take care of all the technical details of hosting and managing the files that make up your website. They monitor the network, take care of backups and protect your data, all of which allows you to spend your time on promoting and developing your business.There are four important things you need to consider when deciding on a Yahoo web hosting packing.
First is how much disk space you will need for your disk. The disk space you need will be determined by the number and sizes of images, audio and video files and other content files you will want to be able to display on your website.
The second consideration is the amount of traffic you want and expect to get to your website. This traffic includes all the customers and prospects you want to check out your website to see your products. This amount of traffic will determine how much monthly data transfer you need. In the third place is the number of e-mail accounts you require. With your Yahoo web hosting account you can create e-mail accounts for your business, such as you@yourdomain.com or info@yourdomain.com.
At the time of writing, the Yahoo web hosting Starter package includes 5 gigabytes of disk space, 200 gigabytes of band width per month and 200 e-mail addresses. When your needs change you can upgrade to a larger hosting package.
As a bonus each Yahoo web hosting package includes free registration for one domain name. Yahoo will pay for the initial registration and the annual renewal fee for your choice of domain name for as long as you keep using Yahoo web hosting. This represents quite a good value. They also offer other features such as their own web site design software, and support for applications such as MS FrontPage. They also support scripting languages like PHP and Perl and MySQL databases and 24 hour toll-free phone support.
The process of signing up for Yahoo web hosting is pretty simple. First you have to select the package you want. At the time of writing the packages range from $11.95 to $39.95 per month, however they have regular special offers. The next step is to select your domain name. If you do not have a Yahoo account yet, you will be asked to create an account and finally you will enter your payment information. And it is as simple as that. You are all set to start up your website.
Written by: Evert Du Toit
