There are a ton of ads on the net offering web hosting plans for as little as .95 per month. However, before you get too excited about finding one of these little gems, you need to determine just what you will get each month for this low price. Low cost web hosting plans are offered by hosting companies known as ''budget web hosting'' providers and while the cost may be attractive to you, the services that they offer may not be adequate to support a solid business presence on the web.
Generally, any hosting plan that costs less than per month falls into the category of budget web hosting. Many budget web hosting plans require an annual committment, although there are some that will allow monthly payment plans. With any budget web hosting plan (or any hosting plan at all, for that matter), you need to carefully read the terms and conditions or ''fine'' print of the account and search for any hidden fees. Certain providers may charge extra for additional services such as extra bandwidth, hosting additional domains, or telephone technical support for the account.
A modicum of research is certainly warranted when searching for a budget web host. Don't simply choose the first decent offer you see - there are many choices in budget hosting. You can choose a Unix or Windows-based hosting plan, and there are many bundles of disk space, bandwith and emails available. Once you have identified a budget web hosting provider that seems appropriate, never make a decision simply based on price. The old adage of ''you get what you pay for'' couldn't be truer in this situation.
According to Ben Fisher, a budget web hosting expert with WebSite Hosting, ''With so many budget web hosting providers online today, potential buyers should take a 'caveat emptor' approach. Perform your due diligence by researching web hosts. Use a trusted source, such as a professional web hosting directory, to point you in the direction of reputable hosting companies.''
Search the net for a short list of budget web hosts that look interesting - based on the types of services provided, and the fees charged. Then visit each site and to determine where you will get the most value for your money. In addition, look to see if the site is professional looking and gives you a sense that the company is credible and reliable.
Make sure you can find each company's contact information easily and look for information on the host's ''uptime'' record. This simply means how much downtime their servers experience. A reputable hosting provider should be running at least 99% of the time. If you are trying to do business on the web and your hosting company has problems - their server downtime will equal your site being offline. That usually includes email not getting through.
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