Cost of existing on the internet
Having a website exist on the internet costs money. Even if you made your own website from scratch and ran it off your own computer in your house you still would have to pay electricity and a domain registry. Most of us can't run websites off of our home computers because we don't have business class internet at home, don't have the skills to manage and maintain it, and don't want our computers running 24/7 sucking up electricity. For this reason, we pay for what's known as Website Hosting.
What is Web Hosting
Think of Web Hosting as the physical costs related to your website. Electricity, computer maintenance, computer updates, security patches, and all the other things that go along with keeping a computer running 24/7 so that others can connect to your website. There are many Web Hosting providers and many packages available with different features. Features that increase the hosting cost might include CPU usage, bandwidth, RAM, and many others. If you're not familiar with those computer terms don't worry, they are not terribly important to understand just know that you get a faster website that runs better the more you spend.
Types of Web Hosting
The main differentiating types of Web Hosting relate to how complex or easy it is to build a website on. Some Web Hosting providers give you no web building tools, just basically a blank computer and it is up to you or your Web Developer to figure out the rest. Other Web Hosting providers give you specialized website building interfaces that make it easier for less technical knowledge to build a website. These web building interfaces make it simple to just drag and drop images or add/edit text similar to how Microsoft Word behaves. There are Pros and Cons to each approach as well as costs and savings.
How much does Web Hosting Cost on Average?
As I explained earlier there are many factors that lead to the cost of web hosting. Depending on the website and project requirements the cost can range anywhere from $30 a month to thousands of dollars a month.
Why you shouldn't go for the cheapest
I recommend you do not prioritize low cost over all else when choosing hosting. If you are working with a web developer, it is best to rely on their judgement as they know better about the requirements for the project. There are many independent web hosting providers on the internet offering low costs but often I've seen the prices change over time, the company goes out of business, or web pages get completely wiped because of bad maintenance. I've learned hard lessons about cheap web hosting and now only use prominent name brands I know and trust, even if it costs a bit more. Saving $5-10 a month is worthless if your entire website goes down for days at a time or worse, you lose all of your hard work because their backups failed.
What are some Hosting Providers I trust?
- Microsoft Azure
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- GoDaddy
- WordPress
- Squarespace
- Bluehost
- Wix
- Digital Ocean
Not all of the Hosting Providers are created equal. Each one has different pros and cons. They offer different packages and services that won't apply to all projects. Azure, AWS and Digital Ocean are better for web applications than an informational business showcase site. WordPress is great for blogs or low-cost Content Management Systems with advanced features and plugins. Wix and Squarespace are great for people who don't know much about websites but can drag and drop content in a do-it-yourself website building tool. And Bluehost is great for Web Developers who don't need a bunch of frills but need reliable cost-effective hosting for custom built websites.