Web hosting is an ever flourishing business, which brings a lot of competition to the market. This is good for us customers, since there’s a lot to choose from. However, competition also prompts companies to try to stand out and they give you promises that sound too good to be true. The question is, can you trust them and how do you know whom to trust? Let’s explore the common traps that some web hosting companies will try to lure you in with.

Bait and Switch Advertising

Free to sign up!

Unlimited bandwidth!

70% off deal if you buy now!

We’ve all seen those and they do sound tempting, but it’s always worth remembering that you get exactly what you pay for. While there are a number of reputable hosting companies that run discount programs and such, not all web hosting companies were created equal. Before signing up for anything, take a look over the agreement terms and don’t forget to read the fine print.

Know exactly what you are signing up for with the company. Not every person is tech savvy and that gets exploited by some hosting companies. You can sign up, only to find out later that you need to “upgrade” to their more expensive plan in order for your website to function properly. That happens all too often. You get lured in by the promise of affordable web hosting, only to end up paying more money just to have access to the most basic of services needed to run your website. Not to mention, oftentimes you might even be paying more than the average price for your package this way. When you’re considering signing up with a hosting company, make sure to ask them about the following:

  • HDD space
  • File types supported
  • Bandwidth allotment
  • FTP and database access
  • Tech support access

Remember that there might be a very good reason for that low price. It could be that in a few months of your contract the company will increase the price threefold. Since you will be tied to the company, there will be no way out for you without suffering losses.

The contract should indicate exactly how much you will be paying throughout it’s entire duration. You also should also find out what happens were you to decide to end the contract. Would you need to pay any cancellation fees? Will you keep the rights to your website? Everything should be laid out clearly for you.

Fake Reviews

Thanks to the Internet, it’s not as easy to get away with poor service as it used to be. Word spreads fast and there’s always a place where you can voice your dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, it has also become easier to manipulate people’s opinions by faking positive reviews. Some companies that know their service doesn’t come up to par, instead of focusing on improving it, resort to posting positive reviews for themselves online. Even going so far as to create whole websites dedicated to giving them positive reviews or hire bloggers to promote them.

Get your reviews from more than one source. I recommend Web Hosting Geeks. Real reviews will have in-depth information good and bad on more than just a couple of web hosting companies. Whereas, fake review website will only praise one specific company. No matter how good of a service you provide, there will always be something people will not be completely satisfied with, especially when it comes to web hosting.

Short Track Record

Since the web hosting market is filled with thousands upon thousands of companies all trying to get you as their customer, you should be aware that not all of those companies have been in business for long. Being young doesn’t necessarily make a company bad, but they might be lacking experience and manpower to operate the company effectively. This in turn might cause you a lot of issues in the long run. It’s best to go with the company that has been around for a while and have proven history of excellent service.