An Affordable Web Hosting Primer

An Affordable Web Hosting Primer

by: Jay Moncliff

Not all web hosting plans are created equal. How do you find an

affordable web hosting plan that will meet your needs and still be

economical? There are several issues that you'll want to consider.

Price is always an issue. If you're just getting your site up and

running, you don't have extra capital to spend on web hosting, so

you'll want the most bang for your buck. Look at several providers

and compare characteristics.

What kinds of traffic allowances do the affordable web hosting

plans you're considering offer? Some of the most affordable plans

have more generous allowances than higher priced plans, and some

have less. Make sure that you choose a plan that will allow your

site's traffic to grow. Don't box yourself into an upgrade the minute

your traffic starts to pick up. There are plenty of web hosting sites

out there that will allow moderate traffic with no additional cost.

What kind of disk space do they have available? Don't tie yourself

to a plan that won't support the volume you hope to do. Compare the

statistics. Many affordable web hosting plans have plenty of

capacity and don't cost too much.

What is their service record? Are they down a lot, or infrequently?

This is a major consideration, because nothing discourages traffic

more than "this page is currently unavailable." That message means

lost traffic. Of course, every web host needs maintenance time, so

expect some time offline, but compare outage records.

You'll want to be able to review your traffic statistics. Choose a

web hosting provider that has a meaningful traffic statistic reporting

feature. You need this information to target your advertising and

analyze your traffic to keep your site growing. Many of the most

affordable plans have simple to use, effective statistical programs

that will provide almost every user the information they need to

effectively manage their site.

There are many other features that you may be interested in. Many

web hosting sites, including the affordable, low cost choices, offer

domain name registration and renewal as part of their service. This

eliminates one more step from your responsibilities. If they offer it, take advantage of it!

There are many outstanding affordable web hosting companies on

the internet. One of the most highly rated is HostGator.com. For a

modest fee of $9.95 per month, you not only receive reliable service

and a 30 day money back guarantee, but you'll be able to host

unlimited sites for this price. They also have a program called

SiteStudio that helps you set up your website without HTML or FTP.

Even more exciting, there is not setup fee.

Another popular choice is StartLogic.com. They offer several plans

that vary in price depending on the length of the plan you choose.

Plans start at $6.50-$12.50 per month. They include a marketing

guides manual with each plan to help you get started promoting your

site. Although they are one of the newer providers, they are growing

rapidly on word of mouth, reliability and great customer service.

Of course, there are many other choices out there when you're

looking for affordable web hosting services. Compare plans and

remember to consider your site's growth when you're choosing a

provider. Remember, you're only there to increase your traffic, so

be sure that your affordable web hosting plan can handle it!

About The Author

Jay Moncliff is the founder of

http://www.ofertashosting2005.com a website specialized on

Web Hosting, resources and articles. This site provides updated

information on Web Hosting. For more info on Web Hosting visit:

http://www.ofertashosting2005.com.