Cheap hosting is very often the starting point for people and businesses who wish to build an online presence. Often, the thought process is, “Well, I need to just get going with it. I’ll just get online now and deal with growth issues later.” The problem with this short term approach is that it will probably cost you more in the long term- and not just straight expense, but potential business lost.
Cheap hosting’s biggest advantage is of course its low cost. You can have an online presence almost instantly for very little money. The question is, of course, what kind of presence do you want? If your desire is to only have a simple static site that merely displays information for the public, you may be just fine with cheap hosting- now and in the future. But, if your online marketing vision and overall business strategy is even slightly more dynamic or expansive, you fill find yourself frustratingly restricted by the limits of cheap hosting.
Some of the limitations of cheap web hosting can include inadequate customer service, poor hosting performance, a lack of application and plug-in access, and high server down time. Jumping into cheap hosting before you know what services you’ll really need in the future may put you at risk for high costs on future upgrades, or even for the burdens of switching to a different hosting company later on. Take the time to envision what you want your website to be- even if you can’t create everything right away. That way, you can set a solid foundation on which to grow on and not be at the mercy of cheap hosting restrictions. Calculate costs in the long term by accounting for current and prospective needs. You wouldn’t build a house with a quickly thrown together foundation, would you? No! You would plan and design a house with concern for aesthetic and utility- and future reliability. The same care you’ve put into building your business should be put into planning and building your website.
Your website presence doesn’t just function as a marketing tool- disseminating information; its design and performance is also taken as a reflection of your customer service and company quality. The form and function of your website is really an extension of your customer service; a current or potential customer’s online experience with your company can begin to build trust or turn them off. If cheap web hosting compromises your website’s efficiency, performance, or functionality, you will eventually feel it compromise your customer base. Building customer loyalty begins with building trust and if a user can’t even trust the experience they’ll have on your website, you’ve already started off on the wrong foot.
So, don’t rush into signing up for cheap hosting without first envisioning your long term needs. You not be paying a lot now, but as your business and your site grow, your changing technology needs could add up to quite a bit more than the low cost of cheap hosting. As you expand on services- or seek a bigger hosting company- your expenses may end up being higher than if you just bought a more comprehensive package with a more comprehensive hosting provider.