How Much Does Web Hosting Cost?

Web hosting, that marvelous social interaction where you create a domain and website that hosts dozens of others, can be incredibly lucrative, but you should remember that initially there will be a rather exorbitant cash outlay to make the dream a reality, if you want exclusivity of domain and a dedicated server. If you’re willing to begin sharing (like the person who needs a roommate because he can’t afford the apartment by himself), the web hosting price is much less.

How Much Does Website Hosting Cost?

Generally speaking, in figuring web hosting rates you can expect to pay between $15 a month as the absolute lowest level of the web hosting fees; the highest web hosting cost is somewhere near $500. At $15 a month you will get no more than a shared server with a number of other websites; at the higher web hosting price of $500, you will have your own dedicated machine, and have the benefits of managing numerous websites. In addition you will have an experienced server administrator at that price; as far as web hosting goes, this is the ballpark figure.

Average Web Hosting Costs

The average price of $500 a year to maintain and service a web hosting site will have some additional fees attached to it. Site maintenance, unless you are a webmaster in both design and function, will cost you something (of course, if you were such an individual, you wouldn’t be reading this). Just as your cousin who’s a computer whiz might be able to patch a few problems here and there, you wouldn’t give him a wrench and tell him to go fix your car. For maintenance, you’ll need the services of a server administrator.

This administrator probably made himself known to you when you bought into the web hosting package; however, he will still charge maintenance fees for minor glitches. This is usually on an hourly basis, between $40-100 (if he is freelance), upwards of $200 and more if you have an emergency situation and need twenty four hour maintenance men to stop by.

In addition, there is the matter of domain registration, in which you create, so to speak, a house for your hosting duties in a unique domain that is all yours. An initial registration is usually between $7 and $15. The site with the most bargains in this area, and the most user-friendly domain creation and registration instrumentality, is GoDaddy.com.

Web Hosting Cost Per Year

With all of the amounts figured together, you may assume (this is going on the premise that you are a $500 and up dedicated machine host) a yearly cost of approximately $900-1000, depending on the number of glitches you experience (the average problems manifest themselves around once a month) that need maintenance.  You might assume a first year expense near $1200, just to add in the domain registration and other costs with all your other web hosting fees.

Dedicated Web Hosting Cost

If you wish to be a constant presence on the web, and associate with a web host and a server dedicated to no one else but you, dedicated web hosting, from Cordero, Firehost, Liquid Web or a number of other dedicated web hosts, is probably the way to go. Dedicated web hosting is based on the size, capacity and drive of the server; the dedicated machine’s smallest web hosting fee is around $70; the highest up to $500. The best thing about the dedicated machine server is that maintenance, protection and security are always available to you, as well as power backups, so that your web hosting maintenance fee is virtually nil. Customized configurations are also available with a dedicated server, as well as guaranteed near 100% up-time. In terms of web hosting costs, it’s an excellent bargain.

Shared Web Hosting Cost

Shared web hosting is just as the name implies, a communal effort in which you share a server, a hosting site with numerous other sites, all at fairly low web hosting prices.

If you are a small business just looking to begin an internet presence, you can get away with $5-10 average monthly charges on a shared server from such web hosting services as GoDaddy (which shares both domains and web hosting with numerous servers), HostGator (for medium businesses that need a dedicated hosting plan) and Register.com (for those hoping to begin a small ecommerce site); the latter comes at about $30 a month, the highest shared server price out there, but worth it for the ecommerce company you may find yourself in.

Low Cost Web Hosting

If your business or website is such that you don’t really want to become your own dedicated machine or master web hosting service, but simply want to enjoy the benefits of affordable hosting, there are several inexpensive web hosting services that offer special web hosting packages.

These packages give you access to a free domain, disk space, domain privacy and FTP, among other internet tools, all beneficial in getting your website out into the web world and getting it noticed. If you’re a complete novice to web hosting, or want the expertise of others around you, and the communal experience of low-cost site maintenance and assistance, this is definitely an excellent first step.

Web hosting packages start around $5-$10, with groups such as AVA, CoolHandle, JustHost and a number of other “parent” businesses that shepherd you through the setup for your own web hosting on a shared server. They’re ready to help any novices get their websites up and noticed for minimal web hosting rates.

Web Hosting Costs In General

It should be obvious that web hosting is affordable for everyone, whether it’s a major undertaking such as a dedicated single server that you use to control and maintain multiple websites, or a shared web host that allows you and other businesses to co-exist in the internet continuum. Ranging from shared servers at $5 a month to major professional webmaster sites for $20K, the web hosting experience generates leads, connections, customers and revenues. It’s definitely a win-win situation, no matter what your budget.