Am I Overpaying For Web Hosting?
The web hosting marketplace is incredibly competitive. However, the lower cost may be mitigated by other additional costs or be burdened by slow speeds and unreliable connectivity. Determining whether a lower cost is really a better deal can take a little figuring out. Luckily, VPS.NET is here to help.
If you are paying $400 per month for a dedicated server that includes an operating system you need, you may not save any money by switching to a $350 server plus $100 OS license. Unfortunately, there is not an all-inclusive formula to help you decide if you are spending too much on your web hosting. However, we do have a few tips to help you think through your options…
Combine your costs.
Web hosting fees can come from a variety of sources. For example if you have a server, a domain, and freelancer fees. On the other hand, you could have four different cloud hosts and software licensing. Before you can determine if you are overpaying for web hosting, you will need to total your web hosting costs.
Many new VPS.NET clients find that they were paying much more for their shared hosting arrangements than they realized once they factored in all of the additional fees. If you fall into this category, learn more about what you can do about it below.
Understand your ultimate goal.
Web hosting can become quite complicated. This is especially true if you have hosted a website for a very long time and have grown accustomed to various fees that have accumulated over the years. Before you know it, you could be auto paying multiple web hosting, website builder, domain registration, or licensing fees each month or year. We often encounter clients who help support a dozen websites, each with their own hosting platform and monthly bill, all while not realizing that there are options for easy hosting management.
These clients are so focused on the day-to-day management of the sites that they don’t see how much they could save by migrating the websites to one single server rather than a dozen shared hosting plans. By understanding what you are ultimately trying to accomplish, whether it’s simply storing databases or managing several large websites, you can clear out some of the red tape surrounding your current web hosting arrangements.
Research hosting methods
Large shared hosting packages often leave much to be desired. Instead, consider a VPS or dedicated option. Many clients find that even if the costs aren’t quite equal, the resources, security, and uptime more than make up for the cost. On the same note, if you are managing a combination of multiple cloud hosting packages, combining into one low-cost location could save you hundreds, if not thousands per year.
Explore your options
Migrating your online data is not an easy task. So, it is wise to first understand your options and exactly what you can expect from your new hosting arrangements should you decide to switch. Your first step is to carefully read through any existing hosting contracts you have. You may find that you are unable to leave your contract without incurring a large fee. If you are free to switch hosts, be sure to take a look at online reviews. Chat with technical support staff. Take a look at social media comments before partnering with a new web hosting company.
Once you’ve chosen the host that will work best for your needs, be sure that you devote enough time to asking about all the available options. Leasing a new server at half the price doesn’t serve you well if you are spending even more on bandwidth, security, or additional nodes. Fully understand all fees you may incur along with the tools, services, and control panel you will have access to.
Ask an expert
If you are unsure, our expert sales team can help. We can help you decide the best course of action. Our primary focus is helping VPS.NET clients create customized solutions that best fit their web hosting requirements.