We understand the need for wanting affordable hosting – it is one of those expenses in running a business that people just hate spending more than they need to. But in the long run – this choice can hurt you tremendously!
There is so much to think about when you are deciding on what hosting you need and who you want to host with – and there is no shortage of not so great hosting companies, so definitely use the “buyer beware” sentiment when making your decision.
Many people get sucked into the “Unlimited Hosting for only $4.99 per month” marketing angle and think – yay, I can get all the hosting I need for just a few dollars a month – sign me up!
But the reality is – unlimited hosting is just a marketing gimmick. There is NO SUCH THING AS TRULY UNLIMITED HOSTING.
Why Do Hosting Companies Do This – Isn’t It Scammy?
Well, in their defense there is virtually no way a host can give anyone truly unlimited hosting at the low costs they offer. There are servers to run, electric bills to pay, employees that do not work for free – they just cannot give away bandwidth and storage for free or for pennies a month. Hosting is a labor intensive and hardware expensive industry – to be able to keep websites secure, running fast and with the most uptime possible – you have to expect to pay a fair value.
If you are hosting an image heavy or video website – these will drain resources quickly, there is no way you can expect any company to host resource heavy websites for $5 a month! Hosting companies are a business – just like we all want to make money, well so do they.
Realistically most hosts account for a certain type of website when they offer these unlimited plans and most of their clients will have no problem staying within those guidelines.
If you are a new website owner, a blogger with a small following or a business that may only see several thousand visits a month, unlimited hosting will probably work for you with no issues and you may never go over what the host is estimating you will use.
If that is the case you will never see an issue – and for you your hosting will be “unlimited”.
So Is An Unlimited Hosting Package OK For Me?
It depends on a few factors including how your website was built, your current website traffic statistics, the type of content you are delivering to your users and what your plans are for growth.
Because most unlimited plans DO have limitations – they are just higher than most small websites need – it is important to understand the current usage of your website as well as what your future usage may be so you do not have service issues.
Most unlimited plans do have terms that account for too many emails, too much bandwidth being used as well as storage overages which can result in your website being taken down with no notice!
It is IMPORTANT that you KNOW your website – how many files you have, how many visitors you have – the amount of RAM you are using. The more you understand, the better you can be at managing your hosting and choosing the right provider for your needs!