How to Choose Hosting for Your Website
Choosing the right hosting provider is critical to a website’s success. If you're just starting out and your website isn't getting many visitors, most web hosts will work (as long as they have decent uptime - good uptime is essential because it ensures that the website remains accessible to visitors). However, if you want your site to grow or believe it has growth potential, it's essential to choose your hosting provider wisely.
We will break down some key factors you should consider when choosing a hosting provider, but first, let’s take a look at some common hosting providers.
Popular Web Hosting Providers (and Why You Should Avoid Them)
- Hostinger
Hostinger offers reasonably priced plans, but they come with a catch: they require a two-year prepayment. This is how they get you. Additionally, be aware that when it's time to renew, the price is much higher.The key page to check is the Limitations page, where you’ll find quite restrictive limits. For example, the base plan has an I/O limit of just 6,144 KB/s, which affects both your website’s development and the user experience. The CPU allocation is also limited, and there are restrictions on the number of inodes you can use. - NameCheap
At first glance, NameCheap’s plans seem to offer decent specifications at low prices, but again, the renewal prices are much higher.When you check their Limitations page, you'll find that the I/O limit is a more reasonable 50MB/s. However, the CPU limit is just 50%, meaning that if your site gets more traffic, you're limited to only half a CPU core, which could lead to slow performance. - Godaddy
GoDaddy’s plans offer better limitations overall, but they come at a much higher price. Additionally, the price increases significantly when it’s time to renew.
So, while these popular hosts have some appeal, their limitations could hinder your site's performance. Now, let's explore some other hosting options with better specifications.
Recommended Web Hosting Providers
- RackNerd
RackNerd offers much higher limits, which can significantly improve your website’s performance. Here are the key limits for their hosting plans:
CPU - 100%
I/O Limit - 80 MB/s
IOPS Limit - 15,000
Physical Memory Limit - 1GB
INODE Limit - No limit
As you can see, RackNerd provides much higher limits compared to the other hosts, which means your website should continue to perform well as it grows. What’s even better is that RackNerd offers plans with these improved specifications at lower prices—and you can renew at the same price (no price hikes).
Here are some of their plans:
35 GB plan
$13.77 per year (recurring) – Order Here
35 GB SSD Disk Space
4 TB Monthly Bandwidth
Unlimited Databases
Host 4 Domains
Free SSL Certificates
CloudLinux
Powered KernelCare Enabled (maximum security/uptime)
cPanel Control Panel
Softaculous Script Installer – One-click install for WordPress and other apps
LiteSpeed Web Server
Free Offsite Daily Backups (JetBackup)
Free Clientexec License
MailChannels Hybrid - Premium Email Delivery
Run Node.js, Python and Ruby apps through cPanel
Available in Multiple Locations (US, EU, Asia)
75 GB plan
$22.93 per year (recurring) – Order Here
75 GB SSD Disk Space
8 TB Monthly Bandwidth
Host 12 Domains
Other details same as 35GB plan
130 GB plan
$51.89 per year (recurring) – Order Here
130 GB SSD Disk Space
25 TB Monthly Bandwidth
Host Unlimited Domains
Other details same as 35GB plan - HostBrr
HostBrr also offers competitive plans, like their 25 GB NVMe Gen4 SSD plan, which also renews at the same price.
25GB plan
$15 per year (recurring) – Order Here (use coupon CMYPANEL for 50% off – just $7.5 per year)
25 GB NVMe Gen4 SSD Disk Space
Unmetred Bandwidth
Host Unlimited Domains
Unlimited Subdomains
Unlimited Databases
Free SSL Certificates
Free E-mail Delivery through mail.baby
CloudLinux Powered
Softaculous Script Installer – One-click install for WordPress and other apps
LiteSpeed Web Server
Accelerate
WPFree Daily Backups (Jetbackup)
cPanel Control Panel
Run Node.js, Python and Ruby apps through cPanel
Available in Germany, USA & Singapore
Limits for HostBrr 25GB plan:
3 CPU Cores
3 GB RAM
50GB plan
$20 per year (recurring) – Order Here (use coupon CMYPANEL for 50% off – just $10 per year)
50 GB NVMe Gen4 SSD Disk Space
Other details same as 25GB plan - Zap-Hosting Lifetime Hosting – Pay Once, Use for Lifetime
If you don’t expect your site to have many simultaneous users but want to keep it online without paying renewal charges, you can opt for lifetime hosting from Zap-Hosting. They’ve been around for many years and have other clients who pay on a yearly or monthly basis, making their lifetime packages sustainable. (Stay away from companies that only sell lifetime hosting, as they may disappear in a few years.)
5GB Lifetime Plan
€46.80 (one-time charge) – Order Here
5,000 MB disk space
40 E-mail accounts
40 databases
10GB Lifetime Plan
€58.80 (one-time charge) – Order Here
10,000 MB disk space
70 E-mail accounts
70 databases
20GB Lifetime Plan
€82.80 (one-time charge) – Order Here
20,000 MB disk space
100 E-mail accounts
100 databases
Zap-Hosting is a German-based site, so may get the site in German, but you can select English as well. The prices are listed in euros, so you may need to convert them to dollars. As for limitations, Zap-Hosting states: “There are no strict limits on CPU, RAM, or IOPS for web spaces. It operates under a fair use policy. As long as it’s reasonable for a website and its traffic, there is no problem.” Please note that you will need to log in to your Zap-Hosting account at least once a month to keep the hosting plan active (they will send you email reminders to log in).
(Note: You can order the above plans by clicking on the 'Order Here' links. You might be taken directly to the order page, where you can enter your domain details and proceed with your order.)
Key Factors to Consider
While selecting a hosting provider, it's important to understand the key factors that should influence your decision as a beginner. Here are the most important elements to consider:
• Uptime:
This is the percentage of time your website is up and running. Ideally, you want a host with 99.9% or better uptime to ensure your site is available to visitors at all times.
• Support:
Look for a provider with good record of customer support.
• Ease of Use:
Beginner-friendly features, like an intuitive control panel (such as cPanel, DirectAdmin or Spanel), one-click installers, and website builders, can make managing your site much easier.
• Performance:
A hosting provider's performance—how quickly your website loads and how well it can handle multiple visitors—directly impacts your users’ experience. Look for hosts with good CPU allocation, fast I/O limits, and plenty of memory to handle your site as it grows.
• Renewal Prices:
Many hosting companies offer discounted rates for the first term (usually 1–3 years), but once the initial term ends, they hike up the renewal rates significantly, so check the renewal rates before making a purchase.
• Location:
Ideally, you want your website to be hosted in locations that are geographically close to you and your visitors. For instance, if you're based in Asia, you may want to choose providers that offer Singapore as a hosting location.
• Features:
Check if the host provides the features you want, such as Node.js.
• Scalability:
As your site grows, your hosting needs will change. Choose a provider that offers easy upgrades to handle more traffic and resource demands without major disruptions.
Conclusion
Choosing the right hosting provider is a decision that can significantly impact your website's performance, growth, and long-term costs. While popular hosts like Hostinger and NameCheap may look tempting with their low initial prices, it's important to look beyond the surface. These providers often have hidden catches—like high renewal prices, restrictive resource limits, and limitations on CPU and I/O performance—that can hurt your website's growth and user experience in the long run. We have listed some of the alternatives you can consider, which have proven themselves over the years.
