Know What Really Happens When You Choose Cheap Hosting

Highlights

• Cheap hosting may look attractive, but it can hamper your website’s performance and business growth.

• Understand what you truly get to avoid long-term frustrations.

• Some budget-friendly hosts still deliver great value if chosen wisely.

• Cheap isn’t cheap anymore. A truly affordable hosting delivers value with transparency, reliability, and robust support.

Introduction

Negotiating with a supplier to secure a cheaper product or service is quite natural. Still, the essential question is whether the price is economical or the quality is too low.

It isn’t wise to seal a deal where the price looks attractive, but the quality is unacceptably low. It would indeed delight you to get a good deal, especially when you are hosting your new business website. 

Any individual, small professional, or a fresh startup with limited financial and physical resources, would welcome the idea of launching their website for just a few rupees a month. 

In reality, there is a thought that you must ponder upon and think with an open mind as to “What really happens when you choose cheap hosting for your commercial establishment?”

The initial scenarios might give you a smooth and rosy impression when the website goes live, pages load decently, and there are no visible glitches; you experience that your victory is too close. Time is the genuine determining factor that assesses whether things slow down, emails are delayed, and pages take longer to load when traffic spikes.

That’s when your fear becomes reality, and you realize that “buying cheap” isn’t always a “smart move.” 

If these concerns are yours, let’s dig deeper to understand what cheap hosting actually means and what really happens to your website after a while. 

What Does “Cheap Hosting” Actually Mean?

The argument over what ‘cheap hosting’ actually means may baffle you, but it’s pretty simple if you understand the basics. 

Let’s make it clear that the phrase Cheap Hosting actually relates to the financial aspect of the hosting plan and has nothing to do with the quality, facility, and features provided along with that plan. Cheap hosting also takes away your worry about investing large amounts yearly; instead, it offers quite low monthly fees (price) that startups and individuals can afford. 

Cheap hosting means you are offered hosting on a shared server, where server resources are shared across all the websites residing on that server. On a cheap hosting platform, all the hosted websites can enjoy common resources like CPU, memory, and bandwidth.

Let’s understand this concept with a simple example:

Suppose you share a small rented apartment with ten other roommates. Everyone gets to use common resources (facilities) such as the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and Wi-Fi. 

One person can begin cooking meals for everyone, while others can manage laundry, housekeeping, gardening, and tidying the hallway and other common areas of the apartment. When resources, expenses, and responsibilities are shared, all can fulfill them. 

The main goal in such scenarios is not only to cut costs but also to reduce per capita expenses while judiciously using common resources.

Is Cheap Hosting Bad?

An affordable commodity isn’t necessarily bad, as long as it maintains its quality, delivers consistent performance, and effectively meets your needs. 

Hosting a small blog or an LMS (Learning Management System) based online tuition app is a good example. For such small ventures, cost-effective hosting offers a great starting point.

However, there might be businesses that fall into the startup category but have faster growth momentum. eCommerce sites gain popularity quickly and are considered growing businesses. Hosting eCommerce sites on cheap hosting servers can quickly lead to bottlenecks. 

Sharing a single Wi-Fi connection amongst many users can be an interesting example. This Wi-Fi connection will work flawlessly when only a few users are connected online. Its performance will soon deteriorate as more users begin streaming videos or playing bandwidth-intensive games online.

The Difference Between Cheap and Value-Based Hosting

There might be a few products that you may use once or twice, and there would be others that serve you for several months or years. In the first case, buying a cheap product is fine. Still, in the second instance, you must consider the value it delivers in terms of performance, reliability, and usability, as well as the cost factor.  

While selecting cheap hosting is driven by only the lowest price, the value-based hosting acknowledges your business needs while offering the perfect balance between cost, performance, and reliability.

You can enjoy transparent pricing, 99.9% uptime, security features, and 24/7 human support by opting for a value-based hosting plan rather than a cheap hosting service. Hence, given the value you receive, you must pat yourself on the back for investing in an affordable plan rather than its cheaper alternative.

➢ Price vs. Performance

The principle, “You get what you pay for,” is common everywhere, even in web hosting. Hence,  the lower the price, the fewer resources your website receives. Cheap hosting plans often share a single server with hundreds of other websites. This means the server’s CPU power, bandwidth, and memory are distributed among other users.

Initially, this server setup is great. You might be delighted to see your site load well and perform efficiently when traffic is low. Even if everything looks great, the worst part begins when your website starts receiving heavy traffic. 

Reasons like a sudden rise in the number of visitors, a transfer of a few heavy files, or even a busy neighboring site on the same server can very well slow down your site’s loading speed. 

Would you appreciate a website that takes an immense time to load? It irritates us waiting for the webpage to load. Even an extra 2–3 second delay from the standard acceptable time is good enough to break your users’ patience. 

Visitors lose patience (and hope) quickly and would probably click away from your webpage if it takes too long to load. Slow page load is your biggest enemy. It not only impacts user experience but also harms your Google rankings. Search engines favor faster loading and more reliable websites.

For a moment, cheap hosting might deliver short-term benefit, but it would quietly cost you traffic, conversions, and credibility in the long run. The best solution experts suggest is to strike the right balance between affordability and performance, as both are essential for the well-being of your business.

Also Read: Different Types of Web Hosting Services

➢ Resource Allocation

Life with limitations is something one wouldn’t love to live. Cheap hosting is like surviving with limited resource allocation. During the initial days, when your site is new and doesn’t have much traffic to handle, limited resources don’t bother you much. 

As your business grows and people begin to know your brand, you start getting a smaller share of bandwidth, memory, and storage. All the resources are divided among hundreds of users. 

Consider a situation where one of the websites experiences heavy traffic. That site would instantly utilize a major share of all the resources, letting all other sites slow down in performance. That is not the case in value-based hosting.

When you align with a partner that offers value-based hosting like Host IT Smart, your website receives a fair distribution of resources, resulting in consistent performance even during high-traffic periods.

Also Read: How Many Websites Can You Host on One Server​?

➢ Security Measures

Here, the main concern is selecting between minimal and optimal security. How do you want your users to feel while visiting and transacting on your website? If you truly value your customers and are committed to providing them with a memorable user experience, ultracheap hosting is not for you.  

The ground reality is that ultra-cheap hosting will compel your website to be satisfied with just minimal security. Basic firewalls and a few malware scans are as good as they don’t exist. If you want regular backups, SSL certificates, and advanced protection, you will have to burn a hole in your pocket. 

You don’t need to worry, as there is a way to take care of your website’s security. Simply switch to a quality hosting provider. There, your website will get free SSL, automated backups, and proactive monitoring. All these features will ensure your data stays safe without hidden costs. 

Why wait when you can have your peace of mind at affordable prices?

Also Read: How can you create a Secure Login for a Website?

➢ Support & Assistance

Buying a product or a service without its ongoing support can get you into hot water. When you buy a hosting plan, it is essential to know if the provider offers you the right kind of support and assistance. Even if they charge you for their quality service, you thank them. 

Support can make or break your business. You must ensure that your provider offers you human support instead of bots. If you ignore the value and buy only a cheap hosting plan, it may take them 24 to 48 hours to respond. 

When bots or untrained agents handle your query, there is a chance of committing blunders. 

For a guaranteed peace of mind, switch to a reliable host like Host IT Smart, which offers round-the-clock human support, ensuring help is available whenever your site faces an issue.

Also Read: How Much Storage Do I Need For My Website?

➢ Scalability

Everything in life must grow with time. Things from the past might not be able to cope with the needs of the future.

The best example is that of your child’s school uniform. Suppose your child now studies in the sixth standard. Try fitting him into his 1st-grade uniform. It would be impossible for that uniform to fit his body. It means that his uniform hasn’t scaled. 

If the same principle applies to your hosting server, your website would be in deep waters, making it unfit for future needs. The server resources haven’t grown, but your website traffic has. 

The sadder part of the story is that cheap hosting doesn’t provide flexible upgrade options. It would be cumbersome and quite challenging to migrate to a new provider entirely. With value-based shared hosting, you can forget all your worries. Here, your server evaluates your new requirements and scales resources smoothly without downtime or data loss. 

Before aligning with a new shared hosting partner, confirm if they provide scalability in their plans. Alternatively, contact the sales team at Host IT Smart before finalizing the best hosting plan for your business website.

Also Read: Difference Between Shared Hosting And WordPress Hosting

➢ Long-Term Cost

Every penny counts towards making your business financially stable and successful. Hence, you must keep a check on your expenses. Buying cheap hosting may save on upfront costs, but it can prove costlier in the future. 

When buying a shared hosting plan for your business website, you should also consider the long-term costs involved. Cheap hosting appears economical, but it can offer unexpected gifts (challenges), like frequent downtime, slow speeds, paid add-ons, and migration costs. 

Check our website for affordable yet value-based hosting plans. Our plans not only ensure long-term stability for your website but also save you from surprise renewals or hidden fees.

Also Read: Is Free Web Hosting Still Worth It​ Today?

➢ Server Reliability & Uptime

A robust infrastructure is essential to provide your hosting plan with reliability and appropriate uptime. Cheap hosting partners may charge a low subscription fee, but they won’t guarantee consistent availability and reliable uptime. 

Frequent downtime may pose a serious concern and erode trust, making your business appear unreliable. Frequent downtime will also hamper your search engine rankings. Hence, search for a provider that offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee. This guarantee will keep your site accessible round-the-clock and enhance users’ trust.

Also Read: 11 Best Web Hosting Control Panels (Paid+Free)

➢ User Experience

It takes ample time, consistent effort, and unwavering patience to deliver a positive, memorable user experience. Most brands consider customers as the real heroes of their success story.  

A slow-performing website would frustrate your users. It makes little sense to make your visitors wait for pages to load. Such scenarios compel them to leave your site before the users can explore the site’s content. Poor user experience and lower engagement are the primary causes for losing genuine customers and business revenue. 

A simpler way to retain your genuine customers is to invest in high-quality hosting services. Let your customers enjoy and experience smoother navigation, faster load times, and world-class support with Host IT Smart.

➢ Additional Features

Free domain registration, daily backups, and advanced email services are categorized under essential features. Unfortunately, many cheap plans deprive their users of these features and compel them to pay extra.

As a smart hosting provider, Host IT Smart addresses these concerns by providing these features in all the plans, including the entry-level ones. We are committed to delivering better value for money to our loyal customers.

Also Read: Which Functions are Important on a Website?

Pros and Cons of Too Cheap Hosting

Let’s understand the pros and cons of too cheap hosting with an Infographic below:

When Is Cheap Hosting a Good Choice and for Whom?

Cheap hosting makes a perfect choice when you have:

•  Personal blogs and portfolios.
  An ideal platform for sharing ideas, writing blogs, or showcasing personal work with limited traffic.
•  Small websites with minimal traffic.
  Cheap hosting will work perfectly well if your site is small and doesn’t receive many visitors daily.
•  Learning environments for beginners.
  If you are a student or a beginner who is learning hosting, websites, or basic web development, this option is excellent.
•  Testing ideas or development projects.
  If you can’t risk testing new concepts, demos, or temporary projects on a live server, then cheap hosting is a great option.

Not suitable for:

•  eCommerce or large-scale businesses.
  Online stores need better speed, security, and reliability than cheap hosting offers. Even mission-critical apps can’t rely on cheap hosting.
•  Websites needing 24/7 uptime or advanced security.
  If you have a critical website that cannot afford downtime or basic security limitations, then cheap hosting is not for you.
•  Fast-growing brands are expecting heavy traffic.
  As your business grows faster, it will soon outgrow the limited resources and shared server performance offered by cheap hosting.

Also Read: Difference Between a Website and a Web Application

Can Too Cheap Hosting Still Deliver Great Performance?

This is quite a tricky question because it depends on how you view Cheap Hosting. If cheap hosting refers to a lower price bracket, great performance doesn’t stand a chance. If your partner offers affordable hosting with great features that add value to your plan, you can expect great performance from your website.  

Let’s discuss each parameter that you must consider before buying a cheap hosting:

➔ Domain registration (many don’t include a free domain)
Many cheap hosting plans don’t offer free domain registration. As a result, you are forced to buy it separately, which increases the overall website setup cost.

➔ Backups and security upgrades
Basic hosting often restricts backups and security. Hence, you are forced to pay extra to safeguard your website data from hackers, sudden crashes, and accidental loss.

➔ Advanced email hosting
Confirm whether you get professional email features like larger inboxes, stronger spam protection, and greater reliability with your cheap hosting plan. In most cases, they are paid add-ons.

➔ Dedicated IPs or firewalls
Dedicated IP addresses and advanced firewalls are not included in cheap hosting plans. Adding them to the plan improves site security, deliverability, and overall users’ trust in your site.

➔ eCommerce or database features
Running online stores or databases often requires additional tools and powerful resources that cheap hosting plans don’t support well.

Also Read: Top Technical Requirements For Your eCommerce Websites

What Signs Indicate That It’s Time to Migrate?

Here are a few indicators that suggest you migrate.

➔ Your website crashes during traffic spikes.
Your site can’t handle heavy traffic and goes down immediately, resulting in lost visitors and missed opportunities.

➔ Pages load slowly or show frequent errors.
When your users get frustrated by slow-loading pages and frequent errors, it’s time to migrate to save your site’s credibility.

➔ Support takes too long to respond.
If you have to wait for days to receive support, even when your website issue is urgent.

➔ Security issues become frequent.
When your website receives frequent malware alerts or experiences hacking attempts, it makes your users feel unsafe and your site unreliable for transactions.

➔ You need advanced features like staging or backups.
Your website has outgrown its original size and needs better tools, backups, and testing to stay stable.

If you’re facing any of these, it’s time to switch to a VPS server hosting or another reliable hosting option that matches your growth needs.

Also Read: How to migrate a website from one server to another

How Can You Choose a Cheap Yet Affordable (Value-Based) Option?

To help you choose a cheap yet value-based hosting option, consider the following aspects before buying:

➔ 99.9% uptime guarantee
With this guarantee, your website will remain online consistently without unexpected outages, making your visitors happy.

➔ Transparent pricing with no hidden charges
What you see is what you pay. No surprise or hidden charges during renewal.

➔ 24/7 human support
No need to rely on chatbots for support. Real support professionals solve issues quickly, anytime.

➔ Free SSL and backups
Secures your website and keeps your data safe at zero extra cost.

➔ Scalable plans
Easy scalability allows your hosting resources and features to grow as your website traffic increases.

➔ Positive customer reviews and ratings
Honest user feedback helps users assess trust and reliability before making a final decision.

Smart hosting isn’t about being the cheapest; it’s about being the most reliable for the right price.

Hit the Bullseye with Host IT Smart

Your business deserves precision-perfect hosting

Host With The Best

Conclusion

How about buying a low-cost parachute that doesn’t guarantee to work when needed? No one would be so crazy as to take chances with such a parachute. When the question is of survival, the parachute ought to work.

Because your website represents your business, it should be equipped with stability, security, and support to ensure it performs.

Relative hosting can team up well with affordability. When you have market players like Host IT Smart, getting cost-efficiency with performance is indeed possible. With such partners, you can build your online presence with ease and confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions