How much does it really cost to host a website? And what’s the price to build your site with your own domain name? Is using inexpensive web hosts better than hosting with expensive providers? And what about the uptime, server speed, and reliability?
So, let’s answer these questions, in the end, you’ll find how much you need to pay for a website hosting plan on monthly or yearly billing that should work well for you.
Creating a website is the only way to get new customers and make your business look professional online, but, when it comes to web hosting, things can be different from a company to another and that can make confusion, especially for newbies who look for cheap, but good web hosts that take their sites to the next level.
How much does a web host cost?
Web hosting is the most important thing for your website or blog, if you choose the right service, you will solve lots of problems, but if you use a low-quality service, then, things will be different and even, minor server issues can make big problems to online stores and websites.
The cost of web hosting depends on the nature of your website, but, in general, it ranges from $5 for the shared hosting, to hundreds, and even thousands of dollars for high traffic websites, that are hosted on dedicated servers. So, the traffic of the website and its size are what you should look for basically to compare the web hosting plans and offers.
If your website gets some dozens on daily visits, then, going with a shared web hosting like HostGator should be your first option. However, if you think that you’re going to build a high traffic website with lots of members or thousands of visits per day, then, only a VPS or a dedicated server is what you need.
The cost of a good VPS starts at $59 per month with premium quality providers such as Liquid Web, which is a fully managed web hosting solution with exceptional customer support and amazing features. They also offer the most powerful dedicated servers on earth, so, you can get one of their super-fast dedicated hosting plan for your website or even online store at $169 per month.
How much does web hosting cost per month?
For shared web hosting, the cost per month is around $5, however, that depends on the billing cycle and also, the plan you choose. In general, the monthly web hosting cost is higher than the long-term billing cycle. So, expect to see things like activation fees and things like that, besides, a good web hosting plan for few dollars per month works well for those who have a limited web hosting budget and who need to save money.
How much does web hosting cost per year?
Unlike the one-month hosting plan, the web hosting cost per year is cheaper with special discounts, for that reason, I recommend choosing a web hosting plan for a one-year billing cycle at least for those who want to save money on web hosting in the long term.
The cost of a web hosting plan for one year is around $80 for a good service provider with customer support. If you add some addons or options, the price can go higher and that’s, of course, should be clear and in total transparency of the web host suggested add-ons.
How much does WordPress hosting cost?
It was hard to find cheap and reliable WordPress hosting in the last years, but now, things have changed and you can get a great WordPress hosting for just a few dollars per month.
- For managed WordPress, the monthly cost will be $29 at least, and it can go up to hundreds of dollars with the configuration and size of the site.
- For shared WordPress hosting, the cost ranges from $47 to $120 per year on average.
Other premium hosting providers like WP Engine charges $29 per month for WordPress, and you can choose their service if you can pay that amount of money, but the quality is the best in the industry, so, it’s worth it to invest that amount of money is such great web hosting service for WordPress sites.
For other applications and software, like Joomla, Drupal, and PrestaShop, the hosting cost ranges from $3.99 per month to $40 or more for a VPS plan. Of course, the price of a dedicated server is much higher and you don’t need it unless you have hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors to your website.
VPS and dedicated hosting
- For the other applications, the cost will be $47.88 per year and it can go up to $200 or more depending on your add-ons and resources.
- The minimum cost for a good VPS is $30 per month, and it can go up to $70 for a fully managed server.
- The minimum cost for a reliable dedicated server is $129 per month and it can be something like thousands of dollars for super configured machines, with strong hardware and architecture.
The cost to host an eCommerce website (eStore)
The web store needs customized web hosting settings and configurations. That also needs dedicated resources, secure connections, and extra levels of security. In addition, all online transactions should work smoothly, and in total security with an encrypted connection.
So, all that comes with extra prices in the end, and you’ll find that a good eCommerce web hosting for small businesses starts from $249 per month for WooCommerce hosting that’s fully managed and come with dedicated resources.
The only eCommerce web hosting that I recommend is Liquid Web, in fact, they have all the tools, systems, and the most powerful infrastructure with the latest data center technologies in the USA. On the other side, if the online store site is smaller, then, you can choose a regular VPS plan with extra levels of settings, which will cost around $60 for a good eCommerce hosting plan. For this kind of hosting, cloud hosting providers like HostGator should work for you.
How much does it cost to get a domain name?
If you want to start a website with WordPress, then, you don’t have to buy a domain name, you get a free domain for yearly billed hosting plans with the web hosts mentioned above and other services. Just create your account and add a domain to the signup process.
If you want to create a website with other services, and you need a separate domain name for any reason, then, I recommend NameCheap that makes things easier for you, they have a great DNS manager to configure everything in easy clicks, but the quality of their hosting is awful, so, only use their domains.
Recommended web hosting companies
In my personal experience, there are lots of scammers and low-quality services, but, also, there are good website hosting providers that offer affordable prices, professional security, and support. Now, for those who want to build their websites on secure infrastructure and get the correct configurations with better customer support, I recommend the following services.
WP Engine (web host for WordPress)
WP Engine is a fully managed hosting for WordPress only. So, if you want to start a WordPress website and you need the best performance, speed, and security, then, choose this one. It comes with fast servers, live chat, and phone support, but also a great control panel and first-class infrastructure.
HostGator (good cloud hosting for all sites)
HostGator is a Texas-based company that offers reliable hosting for all kinds of sites and applications. So, the webmaster gets shared web hosting for their sites or blogs, VPS hosting plans, and also super-fast dedicated servers with discounted prices. What I found better is their VPS and shared hosting, so, I highly recommend them for your site. Also, there are fully managed WordPress hosting packages with SSL, daily scanning against malware and hacks, and a lot of good features.
What’s a good web hosting service?
Before signup with any hosting service, make sure that they have a secure connection, you don’t need to waste your time and risk your business with a company that’s not trusted and verified. The green bar or lock that appears at the top of the browser’s URL bar is a good sign of trust when creating your account. That means the connection between the server and your browser is encrypted and no one can intercept your data or at least, it will be hard for people to get any information.
You should pick a plan that suits your website size, for example, if you just started, or want to create a website, you don’t need expensive planes, just pick the smallest web hosting plan. A new website even after months, will need a few resources and that will be helpful to save money.
That being said, if you can get a free domain with your hosting account like the above-recommended company, that will be great for you and you will avoid lots of complicated settings and setup options.
The monthly bandwidth and the disk storage are no more issues to worry about them, all the modern service offers enough server resources for the shared hosting. If you think that your website needs more resources, then, it’s time to get your own VPS plan, That way, you guarantee the resources and you speed up the site.
The backup is another important thing to look for with every hosting provider, you need to protect your files, and the full website, by creating daily backups. Luckily, you can get a free daily backup and restore service, with the above recommendations, best of all, the storage itself is fully protected and scanned for malware and virus.
Please remember that you need to optimize your website for speed, by installing a caching plugin, like the WordPress example, or, ask the company that you want to host with it about making your website faster.
Conclusion
These are the average costs for starting and hosting a website on good servers, the monthly plans work well for beginners who never used such services before, but for saving money, I recommend choosing HostGator’s one-year hosting plan that comes with a free domain, better options, and more features.
The above services are fast and I’ve tried them all, the server speed is one of their priorities and that’s why they are always among the best companies with low-cost hosting plans, and there are premium managed web hosting packages for small businesses and bloggers who care about speed, security, and quality.