Comparing Web Hosting Plans

When you’re shopping for web hosting, comparing hosting plans can be a tricky task. Unfortunately, it’s not always an apples to apples comparison. Some web hosting companies offer a wide range of plans from a beginner or one site hosting option all the way to an unlimited pro plan where you get the kitchen sink—while other companies offer only one type of hosting account. Then there are the extra features or freebies that are included with your web hosting plan. These can be significantly different. And then of course, there’s the price factor where you not only have to take into account your initial cost but also your renewal rates (see my previous post for more on web hosting costs).

So what’s the best way to compare web hosting plans? Since there are tons of hosting companies out there, I’d suggest you narrow down your list by first considering the following criteria.

First, determine if you’re website will be for your business or personal use.

If you’re going to have a heavy traffic eCommerce site, you may want to consider a Dedicated or VPS hosting plan. But for this example, let’s assume you’ve decided that Shared hosting (as opposed to Dedicated or VPS hosting) is the kind of plan that will suit your needs—for the majority of websites, this kind of plan is fine.

Next, think about your online web presence. Will you only need one website? Will you need maybe 2 or 3 sites? Or do you plan on having a large number of websites?

Then, consider your level of technical expertise. Will you need more assistance in building your first website? Or, are you an experienced webmaster who has created a lot of sites in the past?

And finally, now that you have narrowed down your search, you can see who might offer a lower initial price and what extra features are contained in their web hosting plan.

In my next post, we’ll look at a couple of examples using the above criteria.