Best Cheap Web Hosting

Choosing a hosting service for your company's website can be a laborious endeavor. To start, there are dozens of hosting services offering a wide array of features at varying prices. And, as with many products, a lot of promises can be made that never quite get fulfilled once you've signed up for service.

With that in mind, we took a look at some of the best web hosting deals for small business owners who don't want to spend a lot of money as they launch their e-commerce site.

Web Hosting Tip #1: Look for Promotional Pricing

First, we considered price. Companies often offer promotional pricing to get you in the door. This can be a great way to save money while you try out their services, but  check whether they have a money-back guarantee and for how long that guarantee is good. If you're dissatisfied with the service, you'll feel better knowing you can walk away during that money-back period.

One caveat with money-back guarantees: Some services don't let you transfer a domain name you've purchased through them, so be sure it's transferable in case you do abandon ship.

Web Hosting Tip #2: Be Sure the Pricing Is Honest

Some web hosting services throw out a price that looks amazing, but upon closer inspection, you realize it offers only the bare minimum of tools to build your site. There's an upcharge for every little thing  beyond the basic. Want email? That's extra. How about an e-commerce store? Yep, shell out some more. SEO tools? You know the answer.

That's why it's important to do thorough research, know exactly what tools and services you need going in and exactly what they'll cost you.

Web Hosting Tip #3: Make Sure the Service Is Worth the Price

As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. The biggest complaints we've seen about lower-price web hosting services are slower uploads and greater downtimes. Both can keep your online business from thriving. Be clear on what the uptimes and load times are among the services you're considering. Paying a little more to ensure you get good quality can definitely be beneficial in the long run.

Web Hosting Tip #4: Confirm You Can Transfer Your Domain

Some web hosting services don't allow customers to transfer domain names when they decide to move to another hosting service. This can be a major hassle for obvious reasons. BlueHost, however, provides simple, clear instructions on how you can take your domain with you.

Our Pick for the Best Basic Web Hosting: BlueHost

In making our selection, we took all of the above into consideration, plus the scalability of the services that the web hosts offer. We chose BlueHost as the cheapest web hosting option for small businesses. Here's why:

Introductory offer: At the time of this writing, BlueHost had a phenomenal introductory offer of $5.45 per month (regularly $14.99 per month ). No, it's not the lowest price offered among hosting services, but here's what it includes:

Unlimited websites

Unmetered website space

Unmetered bandwidth

Free SSL certificate

Unlimited parked domains

Unlimited subdomains

Unlimited email accounts

Unlimited email storage

Spam experts

Site Backup Pro

Domain privacy

On top of all of this, BlueHost offers 24/7 support, reliable uptimes, one-click WordPress installation and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Best of all, BlueHost's services are scalable, so you can upgrade as your business and site grow. BlueHost also offers cloud hosting.

Source: 4 Tips to Find Basic Web Hosting That Fits Your Small Business Needs