| Many hosting buyers
examine hosting prices only to find that looking at pricing makes
their decision more difficult. Why is that? There are a number of
reasons why pricing varies and there are differences that are usually
associated with higher-priced plans. Here are a few pricing considerations
in different areas:
• Low priced-plans – Some web hosts offer simply hosting
services at a very low monthly cost. These may be suitable for very
simply web pages or email only sites. However, be sure to examine
what sort of upgrade paths exist – if your business succeeds
online, you will need a more robust hosting solution. Also, given
the low-margins associated with these plans, be aware that technical
support will be limited (e.g. email support only.)
• Dedicated Servers – Companies providing dedicated
or co-location services often have wide-ranging services. One factor
to consider is the network infrastructure itself, does the company
have a solid-data center? If so, the price is likely to be higher
as the company needs to recoup some of their infrastructure investments.
Another consideration when looking at dedicated pricing is the quality
of the servers themselves. Are hosting firms using quality Micron
or Dell servers or "no-name" machines?
• Bandwidth/web space/email allowances also impact pricing.
What kind of bandwidth/web space/email can your website consume
without additional charges? Some companies will have very low bandwidth/web
space/email allowances associated with a low-cost plan. However,
if your website goes over their threshold, you could be looking
at some significant and non-planned expenses.
• Set-up fees are fairly standard amongst web hosts with
the $50-$100 for shared hosting solutions being common. Set-up fees
actually encourage web hosts to provide a quality set-up fee as
they can afford to allocate staff to care for your domain registration
or transfer. However, ask a web host if they can waive a set-up
if you are transferring a domain name – as this is commonly
done.
• If you are purchasing a higher-end hosting plan, e.g. $100
per month and up – expect better technical support. Not only
do many higher-end hosting firms offer longer hours of support,
but they also hire some of the best hosting technicians in the industry.
Furthermore, some companies offering dedicated technical support
lines for higher-end shared and dedicated customers, so inquire
if your company provides such as service when considering a purchase.
In the end, hosting is a critical component of your online business
strategy. Consider purchasing the best hosting package that your
business can afford – the benefits will come back to you multifold.
Ultimately, the web hosting company that offers high-end plans will
typically have more room (financially) to hire better technical
support, increase feature allowances, and service quality hardware
and network infrastructure – these benefits are definitely
critical for companies looking to have a serious online presence.
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