Web hosts are online companies that allow you to create and display a webpage of your own on the internet. You will need one to create a webpage, so it’s good to be familiar with them. Webhosts can vary greatly between each other, so do your research on potential prospects.
Cost: Webhosts provide you with space on one of their servers, and charge you accordingly. It’s like you’re renting space on the internet, and they’re the landowners. There are typically many different packages you can choose from, but the larger packages are commonly for large businesses, so we’ll focus on the single web creator aspect in this post.
They typically charge you by the month, and this could be anywhere from $3 to $20 per month. If you create a domain with your webhost (you will if it’s your first), they will also charge you a typically discounted flat rate (Ex: $9.95), then bump it up a little and set it as an annual fee after your first year rolls around (Ex: $14.95 thereafter).
Prices typically drop the longer that you agree to stay with your webhost. Webhosts like solid customers that they know will stick around, so they add incentive!
Here’s an example of different plans for hosting services:
1 month – $12.95/month ($12.95)
1 year – $6.56/month ($78.72)
3 years – $3.64/month ($131.04)
After viewing the figures above, you can easily see why you might want to invest in a long-term hosting plan. It doesn’t do any good if you change from the monthly to the 1 year plan 7 months into use. It’s a cheap way to get you to pay more up front, I know, but better safe than sorry.
Many webhosts also like to tack on added benefits with your plans upon registering with them. These aren’t always necessarily features, so try not to fall for all of them. They can really add up for an astounding total for one website. Some examples are security setups, spyware alert, anti-spamming programs, seo packages, more e-mail accounts, monetizing your website, etc. My thoughts on these is that most of them are not worth it for your first site. These add-ons typically cost $9-12 dollars each for a years worth of their services, or they can sometimes be monthly charges. Like I said earlier, do your research to see what’s necessary.
When you finally arrive at your total with a webhosting company, these things are most likely to be in your cart:
- Domain (Ex: $9.95, annually)
- Hosting (Ex: $78.72, at $6.56/month for a year)
- Benefits (Ex: $9.95+$12.35+$12.35, includes seo pack, security backup, and web design studio)
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A year of guaranteed web hosting, with standard features, costing you $123.32.
Features: This is the most differing factor in webhosting companies. Standard features typically include a domain (your actual website registration), disk space, bandwidth (determined traffic amount allowed to your site, many are unlimited), support, and possibly a number of offered e-mail accounts (ran directly through your site).
Other features that some companies offer are databases, types of web builders (WordPress, Weebly, Drag-and-Drop features), online purchase options (shopping cart, credit card areas), advertising credits (Google, Facebook, Bing, etc) , domain transfers, and money back guarantees. It’s up to you to choose the webhost with features that fit your needs the best.
Advice: Choosing a webhost can be a big decision, so take your time. You don’t need to go all out on your first website. You most certainly can, but working your way up to a large multi-purpose website takes some time. Read up on web creation and be prepared to tackle all of the responsibilities that come with a website. Don’t let yourself get ripped off. Make sure that if they promise a money back guarantee, that you get all of your money back. Also know exactly what you are signing up for. For webhosting, it’s not a bad idea to review the Terms and Agreements.
I found this out the hard way. Webhosting domains have what’s called an ICANN transfer lock put on them, which as of June 14th lasts for 60 days. So make sure that the webhost you’re signing up with is one that you can tolerate for 2 months, because you won’t be switching to another company any time before that. You can get your money back, sure, just not switch to another company.
Overview: Some webhosts focus on individuals, with easy point and click designs and features, bonus advertising credits, and so on. Some focus more on the business end, with unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disc space, unlimited mailboxes, etc. I recommend you go here or here to view the current top webhosting companies.
If you would like to check out the webhost that I use for this domain, and also the webhost that works seamlessly with the Internet Income University program, you can view my Secure Online Hosting Review.
If you would like to not worry about any of this when creating a website for a business, you can view the Site Build It Review. They aren’t your typical webhosting experience and you will not run into speedbumps with them.
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