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Website Hosting Cost

How Much Does Website Hosting Cost?
 
low cost Low: $4-$10/month
 
average cost Medium: $25-$40/month
 
high cost High: $125-$300/month
 



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e-Commerce Website

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Typical costs:
  • It's possible to get basic web hosting for as little as $4/month. This plans may limit you to 50mb of disk space and less than 3GB of traffic each month. Two popular low-end web hosts are Verve Hosting, which offers plans as low as $5/a month, and Pair Networks, which offers plans as low as $6 a month. Both companies focus on relatively low-traffic, low-complexity sites. Domain registrar Go Daddy offers a $4/month economy plan with a high data transfer limit, popular with users with major file-sharing needs.
  • Some Internet companies, notably Google and Yahoo, offer free web sites for small businesses if you use their suite of Applications. Examples include Google Apps, and Microsoft OfficeLive.
  • Basic merchant plans usually cost around $25-$40 a month. These plans offer the functionality needed to set up a relatively basic and low-traffic retail site. More details are available under the Website - E-Commerce topic.
  • The pricier options (closer to $20) include a reseller account, which enables you to conveniently host multiple sites with separate login information and control panels. You can also use it to provide web space to others. Verve Hosting offers a reseller plan.
  • Basic dedicated services start at $125-$300 a month, and can run well over $1,000 a month. In these cases, the web host would manage a low-end server dedicated to your use. High-end web hosts include Level3 Communications, Layer 42 and Verio.
What should be included:
  • Each of the plans listed above should let you host your own domain name (i.e., mycompany.com), receive email, forward emails, and, if needed, add cgi programs to add functionality to your web site. Many web hosts also enable you to easily set up a blogging site.
  • Most plans include basic e-mail based support and web-based faq support.
  • Many plans waive setup fees.
  • Be wary of web hosting firms that permit unlimited traffic, as that mean the resources are over-taxed and your website may become slow or unresponsive.
Additional costs:
  • Additional traffic allowances and additional disk space usually cost more or require an upgrade to a higher level plan.
  • e-Commerce integration, including SSL support, shopping cart functionality, and payment gateways can require you to upgrade to a higher plan.
  • Most companies charge extra if your site receives more traffic than is allowed by your basic plan.
Shopping for website hosting:
  • Compare different hosting plans' features based on your individual needs. Some plans offer more diskspace or bandwidth than others, and some are set up to allow scripting and databases that others do not.
  • Keep in mind the type of server offered and the software the various plans run (Linux and Windows are the most common options), as some software will only run on one type of system of another.
  • If you have little technical ability and want a simple Internet presence, consider using Google Apps, and Microsoft OfficeLive for free. Businesses are also beginning to create Internet presences on MySpace, especially in order to attract younger audiences.
  • If you have little technical ability and want more flexibility, consider a service that will create your web site for you. Examples include Yahoo Small Business and Homestead.
  • If you have the technical skill to design your own website, low-cost web hosting firms include Verve Hosting, Pair Networks, and Go Daddy.
  • Examples of collocated or dedicated server, high-bandwidth, high realiability web hosts include Level3 Communications, Layer 42 and Verio.
Article updated November 2006
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Recent Posts
Amount: $5.00 per month I really like VerveHosting for low-bandwidth sites
Posted by: PCGuyinCali in San Jose, CA.Purchased: September, 2006
Provider: VerveHosting.comType of Plan: Starger
Website URL: 50MBStorage: 3GB
Features: MySQL, SubDomains, PHP, Email, cPanel, Scripts
I use Vervehosting for a live music bar I webmaster(http://www.waldoslive.com). Verve is great for low-bandwidth sites -- it's cheap and they give you a ton of tools that make it easy to do the common stuff (email, database, log analysis, simple scripts). The downside is that they max out at a $20/20GB bandwidth plan, so this isn't the place for heavy sites. In terms of reliability, maybe two times in four years the server's been down and I had to email support (who were responsive).
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