The Dangers of Cheap Hosting: What You’re Not Being Told

“Why is WebHero charging almost double what the cheapest hosting provider is offering?”

It’s a fair question, but the truth is that the WebHero team understands the frustration and time-consuming issues that can arise from using cheap hosting options.”

It’s a trend we’ve all come to server & software, with our own software costs skyrocketing by 286% since 2018.

But hold on, have you noticed that some hosting companies are still able to sell their web hosting services at the same price as 15 years ago? What’s their secret?

I’ve been in the server game for a while now, and I was curious to find out.

So, I did some digging and talked to some industry friends.

And let me tell you, the answer may surprise you! In this article, I’ll take you on a journey as we explore the mysteries of cheap hosting and discover why some servers are just better than others.

Buckle up and let’s get started!

Cheap ‘Unlimited’ Hosting Trap

People are often drawn to unlimited web hosting services because it seems like a steal – lots of resources for a low price?

“Sign me up!”

But here’s the thing: most buyers only really understand two things – storage and bandwidth limits. And let’s face it, “unlimited” sounds pretty darn good, right?

Hosting packages can have a lot of big, technical words that people might not know. This can make it tough to decide which one to pick, so lots of people go for the cheapest one because they all say ‘unlimited.’

The catch is, most hosting providers don’t actually offer truly unlimited resources and there are often sneaky limitations hiding in the fine print.

This can lead to some pretty nasty surprises down the line, like a shockingly high bill when it comes time to renew. It’s important to read the fine print carefully before you sign up, so you know what you’re actually getting into.

And here’s something to think about: if “unlimited” really means unlimited, why do Amazon, Google, and Facebook build their own data centres?

Why not just sign up for a $3 unlimited hosting plan and call it a day? The answer is that it’s not economically feasible for a web hosting company to provide truly unlimited resources, and they may shut down your account for even the smallest of violations. 

I’ve learned some tips from my experience and industry connections that I want to share with you. These are real strategies that I’ve seen work.However, I want to be honest – we didn’t try to save money on servers because we knew it could cause problems.Also, we looked into the fine print of some popular hosting companies and found some sneaky limits that can restrict your resources and your usage.

The Hidden Ways Companies Cut Costs on Servers

You might not be aware that some companies cut corners on their server expenses in ways that aren’t always obvious.

It can be difficult for someone who isn’t familiar with servers to tell the difference between hosting packages, even if they’re compared side by side.

And sometimes, companies might try to dodge your questions to avoid revealing their cost-cutting measures.

Your website’s data is the backbone of your business, and you need to protect it at all costs.

Unfortunately, some hosting providers cut corners by not providing a backup service, or worse, charging extra for it. This is a serious problem because it leaves you vulnerable to losing all your data if something goes wrong with your website.

Even worse, we’ve discovered that some of the most popular hosting companies hide a 30GB limit on the amount of data they will back up in their fine print, despite offering up to 600GB storage limit with daily backups.

This might not seem like an issue until you actually need your backup to work, and by then, it might be too late. Don’t take the risk of losing everything you’ve built, including important email data. Backup should NEVER be an option for a server and data that you use for business!

At WebHero, we invest a lot in our backup service, which makes up about 25% of our total server cost. This is because we understand the importance of having a responsive and reliable backup that works when you need it the most. We never cut corners when it comes to backup cost.

When hosting providers oversell server resources, they sell more resources than they actually have.

For example, they may sell 100GB of storage to 10 customers and promise each of them 10GB of storage. This would be fraud in other industries, but not in the world of server resources.

The problem is that hosting providers don’t have to deliver the promised resources until the customers actually need them.

Customers who sign up for unlimited plans often only use a small fraction of the resources they’re promised. This means that a provider with 100GB of storage can sell that same 100GB to 50 customers and promise each of them 100GB of storage without getting caught.

This deceptive practice also applies to other server resources. Overselling can cause the server to become overloaded and unstable, resulting in issues like missing emails and corrupted databases. Don’t be fooled by unlimited plans – they’re often too good to be true.

Many low cost hosting providers cut costs by purchasing used or outdated server hardware. Although the server may still look good on the written specs, it can cause data corruption, slow server performance, missing email data, and longer downtimes.

Unfortunately, you won’t always be able to identify this by just looking at the package deal. To avoid the risk of losing valuable data, it’s important to ask the right questions and not fall for deals that seem too good to be true.

One way hosting providers cut costs is by removing or upselling server security, which can leave your website vulnerable to hackers and data breaches. This is often an optional add-on that you have to pay for, and it may not be noticeable until it’s too late and your data is compromised.

At WebHero, we believe that security should never be an optional extra, which is why we include it as part of our hosting plan. While there’s no such thing as a hack-proof server, we believe that the more secure your website is, the less likely it is to be breached. Don’t take chances with your website’s security – choose a hosting provider that takes security seriously.

One common way hosting companies cut costs is by reducing the number of trained technical support personnel. This is because hiring trained professionals can be expensive, and replacing them with less-trained staff or relying on FAQs can often solve 90% of customer issues.

However, this can lead to frustration for customers if they experience a server outage and have to wait hours for support to get back to them.

Unlimited hosting packages may seem like a great deal, but they often come with a fair usage policy.

This means that if you use more resources than an average user, you could be kicked out of the hosting service, and they don’t even need to refund you!

This policy can leave your data hostage, your website down, and your business email not working.

Hosting companies can easily replace you with another customer who pays the same amount but uses fewer resources. This is more profitable for them in any case.

Unfortunately, there are some hosting companies out there that take advantage of their customers by making them pay for multiple years of service upfront, and then disappearing with their money. These companies often offer very low prices or promise unlimited resources to lure customers in, but they have no intention of delivering on those promises.

One example of a company that has been accused of running away with customers’ money is Rootpal Hosting. You can read reviews from other customers on Trustpilot to see how they’ve been affected.

Many hosting companies claim to have a 99.9% uptime, but in reality, they may only have 99% uptime.

Don’t underestimate the impact of downtime on your website just to save a few dollars. To put it into perspective, an availability of 99% means that your website can be offline for almost 4 days. That’s 96 hours of potential business lost, all for the sake of a cheaper hosting plan.

This is because they change the definition of what constitutes “downtime.” Normally, if a server doesn’t respond for more than 20 seconds, it is considered down. However, some companies argue that a server suffering from performance issues or slow response times for up to 10 minutes shouldn’t be considered downtime.

The truth is, achieving a high uptime requires more investment in infrastructure and putting fewer users on the same server resources. Cheaper hosting options cannot afford this, and they end up misrepresenting their server uptime to attract customers.

This can lead to missing important emails, corrupted databases, and poor customer experiences for visitors to your website. It’s important to carefully consider uptime when choosing a hosting provider and not just rely on their marketing claims.

The WebHero Definition of a Great Host

High server availability

A website that’s down is a problem for everyone. When you’re hosting a website, it’s important for it to be up and running. At WebHero, we aim for the best server availability – 99.9%.

This may seem like a lot, but most hosting companies only have an average server uptime of 98.2 to 99.5%. So when we aim for 99.9%, we mean it! This level of reliability ensures your website will be up when you need it.

Reliable and Responsive Server Support

When it comes to web hosting support, you want technicians who can quickly fix any problems you have. It’s not always best to have 24/7 support, as higher level support may only work during business hours. And, even with 24/7 support, the technicians may not be able to handle complex issues. Quick resolution is key in web hosting support, even if it’s only available during business hours.

Proactive monitoring

You don’t want to constantly deal with problems with your website. That’s why proactive monitoring is important. This is when your web hosting support keeps an eye on your website to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Think of it like a health check-up for your website. Regular check-ups can catch any potential problems before they become bigger issues. Your web hosting support takes care of everything, so you don’t have to. This means less stress and a smoother, more secure website.

Strong server security

Your website needs to be protected from security threats. A good web hosting service should provide strong security measures like firewalls, anti-virus software, and intrusion detection systems.

This keeps your website safe and secure, so you don’t have to constantly worry about security breaches.

With a good web hosting service, you can focus on growing your website and creating content. And if something does happen, your web hosting support should be able to quickly resolve any security issues. Good server security is important for a good web hosting service.

Closing Thoughts

In the end, it’s important to remember that you get what you pay for when it comes to web hosting. While cheap hosting options may seem appealing, they often come with hidden costs and limitations that can cause major issues for your website and business.

At WebHero, we understand the frustration and time-consuming issues that can arise from using cheap hosting options. That’s why we invest in high-quality servers, reliable backup services, and strong server security to provide our customers with the best web hosting experience possible.

If you’re fed up with dealing with hosting issues and want a more reliable, proactive, and secure hosting service, contact the WebHero team today to discuss your hosting needs and receive a quote. We’re here to help you make the most out of your website without the headaches that come with cheap hosting.