Web Hosting - Cheap Web Hosting - When Cheaper Is Better

Cheap Web Hosting - When Cheaper Is Better

Anyone who has ever shopped for web hosting knows that you can spend anywhere from nothing up to several hundred dollars to host your web site. So what's the difference? Well often times if you're talking about typical shared web hosting in the $6 to $20 range ? nothing. That's right ? nothing! Nothing that is, except good old fashioned marketing and hype!

We compared standard features on 5 well known shared hosting accounts to see exactly what you get for your money ? and the results may surprise you. What we really care about in our test is probably what you would care about as a small business owner looking for hosting for a basic site: adequate disk space, ample email accounts, and reasonable bandwidth. We looked over all the other bells and whistles ? but weren't really willing to pay loads extra for them. We were also looking for a short term contract (monthly or quarterly) ? not a year or two commitment.

Upscale

Verio's Bronze Plan - http://hosting.verio.com/index.php/unixwin_bronze.html

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $24.95 per month + free setup

Basic Specs ? 250 MB of diskspace, 7.5 GB of bandwidth, and 20 email accounts

Extra's ? Web design software, free domain pointing, Urchin web stats, free chat software

Our take ? If this were 1998 I might consider paying $24.95 for a package like this?oh wait, it's 2004.

Mid Tier

Interland's b100 Account - http://www.interland.com/shared/bluehalo/?package=b100

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $12.95 per month + free setup

Basic Specs ? 250 MB of diskspace, 10 GB of bandwidth, and 30 email accounts

Extra's ? WebTrends web stats, access to log files, firewall protection

Our take ? This is one of the biggest brands in hosting and their prices have been reduced of late. Still pretty expensive compared to aggressive lower priced competitors.

SuperbHosting's U Power Service - http://www.superbhosting.net/upower.php

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $12.50 per month + free setup

Basic Specs ? 1000 MB of diskspace, 50 GB of bandwidth, and 250 email accounts

Extra's ? Free domain, 30-day money back guarantee, daily data backups, free search engine submission, no content restrictions

Our take ? Another well known hosting service that seems to offer considerably more value in the mid-tier than other companies.

Cheap Hosting

IPowerWeb - http://www.ipowerweb.com/products/webhosting/index.html

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $9.95 per month + $30 setup

Basic Specs ? 800 MB of diskspace, 40 GB of bandwidth, and 400 email accounts

Extra's ? $50 Google AdWords credit, money back guarantee, SSL included, unlimited email forwarding

Our take ? Often thought of as the low priced hosting leader. Their plans really shine when signing up for an annual account where the price drops to $7.95 per month.

HostSave Standard Hosting - http://www.hostsave.com/hosting/plan_features.htm

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $8.95 per month + free setup

Basic Specs ? 1000 MB of diskspace, 100 GB of bandwidth, and 500 email accounts

Extra's ? Free MySQL database, catch-all email address, PERL v5, log file access

Our take ? This looks like the best deal for our basic needs. They have a big brand name and all the features we need plus the MySQL database thrown in.

Conclusions

You can pay a lot for basic shared web hosting ? you can also get it on the cheap. While certain specialty features might justify paying a premium, our analysis suggests that you can probably get the same specs ? maybe even better specs ? without paying more money. So for our hard earned bucks, cheaper is definitely better!

About The Author

Bob Frazer

Email: info@cheaphostingdirectory.com

CheapHostingDirectory.Com is a resource for webmasters and consumers looking to find a web hosting company or a quality expiring domain names with traffic. CHD is part of the TechPad Agency network of web hosting related sites, visit www.thetechpad.com for more information.

Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites

Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE Newsletter

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

Windows Hosting Versus Linux Hosting ? Which Is Right For You?
There are literally hundreds of thousands of web hosting companies out there. Many of these companies offer both Windows hosting and Linux hosting plans. Windows plans usually cost more because of the license costs imposed by Microsoft. Knowing this, how can you know when you need Windows hosting and when Linux hosting will work just as well or better? Keep reading to find out.Windows operating systems are f...(related: Web Hosting)

Back To School Web Hosting
Every year as school starts web hosts see an up tick in orders as entrepreneurs and stay at home parents have more free time and the vacation summer season winds down to the shorter days of winter. Many hosting companies plan special fall campaigns designed for these small business startups. But lately there has been another wave around this time of year and it comes as specialized hosting packages for students and parents. Increasingly we are seeing websites for bloggers, online photos, resumes, family forums, po...(related: Web Hosting)

Top 10 Web Hosting Blunders And How To Avoid Them
Consider the following web hosting blunders and do not allow yourself to make these mistakes that can hav...(related: Web Hosting)

Choosing A Hosting Service: A Checklist For Business Owners
For a website to appear on the Internet, you require a "server" that is usually provided by a web hosting company. Hosting companies are paid monthly, quarterly or yearly. Some companies come with guarantees, too. Recommendations from other business owners and web designers are excellent ways to find a good hosting service.One of the primary features I recommend is that the hosting companies can grow with you. If they only offer one package, and you need more, your web site maybe down for up to 2 days and/or you may have to change the code on any forms you use to match the new "server settings".Don't be afraid to read a hosting service's subscriber information, FAQs (frequently asked questions), ...(related: Web Hosting)

Web Site Design And Hosting
If you're looking for a professionally designed web site at cheap, bargain basement prices, you may find it as close as your web hosting provider. Many companies that host web sites also offer web design services to their customers at low prices. Some of the best deals to look out for are:Cheap, Cheap, Cheap - Free Custom Web Site Design with a Year of HostingYou'll have to shop around for one, but there are a number of web hosting companies that offer a free, professionally designed web site if you pay for a year's hosting in advance, and agree to allow their intern - who does the design - to use your site in his or her portfolio. If the web host is otherwise satisfactory, you could g...(related: Web Hosting)

Free Or Not Free -- Its Your Choice
The internet is one of the world's top sources of information, products and just about anything else you could possibly want. And, if you have spent any amount of time online, you must have noticed that much of it is free.Many home business entrepreneurs get their start online using some of these free resources. In fact, some of them use freebees almost exclusively.So, just what are these valuable assets that attract so many home business newbies? Here are just a few:1. Email - one can get free email accounts just about anywhere (MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Google GMail, Lycos) plus tons of others. Actually, free email accounts can be very useful, but that's another article.2. Autoresponders - there are many free autoresponders (getresponse, and freeautobot, just to name a few). Some are better than ...(related: Web Hosting)

Cheap Web Hosting, What To Look For And What To Stay Away From
"Bargains for sale, Unlimited Hosting for only a Dollar.""Get your hosting here, 50 cents for the first three months. ""Use now. Pay later".In today's world of hosting, instead of who's got the bigger and better thing, it's who has it for the cheapest and don't forget that they usually it at an "unlimited level". But if everyone is offering the same control panel, running off of the same type of servers or even from the same data center, why not get it for the cheapest price you can? The reason is, even though the servers may be the same, the service varies with each company and price. This is not to say that the cheapest can't offer the best service but always remember the old adage "you get what you pay for".Let's break down the costs involv...(related: Web Hosting)

Nine Things To Know Before Selecting The Web Host For Your Business
It may seem simple yet it is often times overlooked. When it comes to choosing the right Internet hosting provider for their websites, the majority of busi...(related: Web Hosting)

Windows Vs Linux : Hosting
The Basics of Linux & Windows :Linux (and its close relation Unix) and Windows 2000 (and its close cousin Windows NT) are types of software (known as operating systems) that web servers use to do the kind of things that web servers do. You do not need to know any real detail of either to make a decision as to which you need but here a few guidelines.Just because you use a windows desktop PC doesn't mean you have to opt for Windows web hosting (and the reverse is true as well). The operating system you use on your desktop has little to do with your choice of web hosts. As long as you understand how to use your FTP or web publishing software, your can use either operating system.But what is important is that you know what you want your website to do and what you want to offer on it. This is ...(related: Web Hosting)

The #1 Factor New Webmasters Forget To Consider When Choosing A Web Hosting Plan
The ProblemToo often new webmasters sign-up with the first good hosting plan they see; they purchased a domain name, built up a site, generated a small income, and decided "Hey, this works, I should make another site". From there the webmasters purchase a new domain and begin working on a new site only to realize that their hosting plan supports only 1 pointed domain; they will have to purchase an entirely new hosting plan for each new domain name.The number of "pointed domains" a web hosting plan can support is often overlooked by new webmasters. With so many other factors to consider, suc...(related: Web Hosting)

Free Or Not Free -- Its Your Choice
The internet is one of the world's top sources of information, products and just about anything else you could possibly want. And, if you have spent any amount of time online, you must have noticed that much of it is free.Many home business entrepreneurs get their start online using some of these free resources. In fact, some of them use freebees almost exclusively.So, just what are these valuable assets that attract so many home business newbies? Here are just a few:1. Email - one can get free email accounts just about anywhere (MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Google GMail, Lycos) plus tons of others. Actually, free email accounts can be very useful, but that's another article.2. Autoresponders - there are many free autoresponders (getresponse, and freeautobot, just to name a few). Some are better than ...(related: Web Hosting)

Tips On Finding A Hosting Service For Your Business Website
There are so many hosting companies offering to host your website for you that the choice may seem a little bewildering. If you are determined about having...(related: Web Hosting)