You ever buy something that looked really amazing on the internet—like, "too good to be true"-type amazing—and then get burned later? Yeah, me too. Web hosting deals are like that too sometimes. Flashy prices, wild feature sets, but behind the scenes? Smoke and mirrors. In today’s post, we will see how to spot a bad hosting deal?
Let's break down how you can actually know a crap hosting deal, even when it looks like the greatest thing since sliced bread.
But there's the trap: virtually all "unlimited" hosting providers have something squirrely in the terms of service. They'll provide it as unlimited, but degrade your site the moment it becomes somewhat popular. I once had one host kill the performance of my blog simply because one post received several hundred views in a day. No joke.
Watch out for:
But look down—what happens when the promo ends? Suddenly, your €1 plan jumps to €8.99 or more each month. And the punchline? You probably have to pay the full year up front once again.
Answer: a support team which answers 12 hours later with a copy-pasted response.
I once experienced an issue where my site went down because of their internal DNS screw-up. Their fix? "Clear your cache and try again." Yeah, thanks a lot.
Here’s the deal: basic stuff like SSL or backups should be included. If you’re paying separately for every little feature, that “cheap” host becomes the most expensive mistake you’ll make.
Let's break down how you can actually know a crap hosting deal, even when it looks like the greatest thing since sliced bread.
It’s “Unlimited” – But Is It Really?
We’ve all seen it. “Unlimited bandwidth! Unlimited storage!” Sounds great, right?But there's the trap: virtually all "unlimited" hosting providers have something squirrely in the terms of service. They'll provide it as unlimited, but degrade your site the moment it becomes somewhat popular. I once had one host kill the performance of my blog simply because one post received several hundred views in a day. No joke.
Watch out for:
- Fair usage policies (triggers for sneaky throttle)
- CPU or memory restrictions (not announced in advance)
- Number of files (inodes) – Yes, even that has a cap
That Price Looks Extremely Attractive… But What Happens After Year One?
A €1/month hosting? Shucks, yes!But look down—what happens when the promo ends? Suddenly, your €1 plan jumps to €8.99 or more each month. And the punchline? You probably have to pay the full year up front once again.
Always check:
- Renewal prices (they're normally hidden)
- Contract lock-ins
- Refund policies – Some of them are laughably awful
Customer Support: Hero or Headache
Here's a rhetorical question for you—what's worse than a site going down at 2 AM?Answer: a support team which answers 12 hours later with a copy-pasted response.
I once experienced an issue where my site went down because of their internal DNS screw-up. Their fix? "Clear your cache and try again." Yeah, thanks a lot.
Search for:
- Live chat availability
- Average response time (not the one they advertise—the real one in customer reviews)
- Tech savvy – Can they actually repair things or just pass tickets?
Too Many Add-Ons? That's a Red Flag
You know it's terrible when you can't even checkout without a dozen boxes already checked—SSL, backups, email, security scanner. all for extra fees.Here’s the deal: basic stuff like SSL or backups should be included. If you’re paying separately for every little feature, that “cheap” host becomes the most expensive mistake you’ll make.