When it comes to web hosting, there is no one-size-fits-all formula that really works. It usually comes down to your business needs. For instance, a small business might have basic web hosting requirements while a growing mid-size business might need a scalable solution to cater to their dynamic business needs. This is why it is harder to estimate the true cost of website hosting for businesses.

As a result, we see many businesses underestimate their web hosting cost and end up paying more later down the line. Website hosting can get really expensive if you don’t know where to find the best deals. Before you start shopping for the cheapest hosting deals out there, you need to know the hidden costs associated with web hosting so you don’t end up overpaying for website hosting.

What are The Different Types of Website Hosting?

There are five types of website hosting.

1. Shared hosting
2. VPS hosting
3. Dedicated hosting
4. Cloud hosting
5. WordPress hosting

1: Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is the most affordable type of web hosting. On average, a shared hosting plan will cost you anywhere between $3 to $15 per month. In a shared hosting setup, your website will be hosted on a server which is also shared by other websites. This means that resources are divided amongst all the websites. As a result, if one of the websites experiences a traffic spike, you will notice a dip in performance as it would divert more resources to accommodate the increased demand. If you have a small website with little to no traffic, then a shared hosting might be a good option for you.

2: VPS Hosting

Just like shared hosting, your website shares the server with other websites but this time around the number of parties sharing the server is lower than shared hosting. VPS hosting providers split the server into visual servers and dedicate each virtual server to a website. This enables it to handle more traffic, deliver faster page load times and better uptime as compared to shared hosting. VPS hosting can cost businesses anywhere between $20 and $80 a month.

3: Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting can be expensive, costing businesses $80 to $300 on a monthly basis. If you are willing to pay the premium to get top-of-the-line performance, you should go for dedicated hosting. Since your website is the only website hosted on the server in dedicated hosting, all the resources are dedicated for your website. Due to this, you get the lowest page load times and higher uptime while delivering a great user experience.

4: Cloud Hosting

One of the latest additions to web hosting options is cloud hosting. Cloud hosting costs vary a lot. You can get it for as low $3 per month but the prices can also go as high as $240 per month. The biggest advantage of cloud hosting is that it is extremely scalable, making it an ideal choice for growing businesses. Moreover, you only have to pay for what you use. Best of all, you can add more resources or delete existing resources with a click of a button.

5: WordPress Hosting

If you have a WordPress website and want something that can cater to your specific needs, you should consider WordPress hosting. When shopping around for options and comparing plans from different hosting providers, you will notice a big gap. Some hosting providers might be offering you WordPress hosting for as low as $5 a month while others might offer it for as high as $830 per month.

You can also choose between managed and unmanaged WordPress hosting options. A managed WordPress hosting might cost you more but frees you up as everything is managed by a service provider. On the flipside, unmanaged WordPress hosting is usually lighter on your pocket but it also comes with more headache as you are responsible for managing everything. If you are a startup and don’t have the resources or expertise to manage your own IT infrastructure, you should outsource it with managed WordPress hosting. Businesses with experienced IT management teams should opt for unmanaged WordPress hosting to reduce the costs.

Hidden Costs of Web Hosting

Since, we have already discussed the usual cost that hosting providers tell, let’s look at some of the hidden costs associated with website hosting.

• Domain Name Registration ($10-$15 per year)
• SSL Certificates ($450 per year)
• Automatic Backup and Recovery ($2 per month)
• SiteLock ($24 per year)
• Email and Productivity Suite integration ($6-$15 per month)

Some web hosting providers might sell it as a separate add on while other hosting providers might offer these features for free. If you have a web hosting service provider that charges for these features, this will increase your overall website hosting bill. If you are planning to migrate your website from your current hosting provider to a new hosting provider, be ready to shell out anywhere from $150-$400. To calculate the real cost of website hosting, you need to factor in all these additional costs.

How do you calculate the true cost of hosting a website? Share it with us in the comments section below.