The Real Price of Cheap Hosting (AND Why I Recommend Spending More on Website Hosting)

There is a Hidden Cost to Super Cheap Website Hosting

One thing that boggles my mind is super cheap website hosting.

Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of websites. Dozens of hosting companies. I’ve cleaned up my share of hacked websites. They can be devastating. (And costly!)

That’s why I find it heartbreaking when people aren’t prepared to spend anything on hosting websites, when they’ve spent thousands of dollars creating them.

All this web-based awesomeness you’ve launched… and all the hopes and goals you’ve tied to it… and you’re bartering it for $4 a month hosting? For real?

Consider it this way:

• Is your website supposed to generate sales or income for you?
• Do you invest time or money into your site (or blog)?
• How would you feel if that all went up in smoke one day? (It happens more often than you might realize.)
• Is it worth missing out on possible sales and followers because your cheaper hosting is slow?

Better quality hosting plans pay off in site speed, reliability and security. It’s worth spending a little more to get that.

And it probably only costs a little more each month than you already pay.

WPEngine: My Host Crush

My host of choice for the past 2 years has been WPEngine. (My affiliate link is at the bottom of this post if you’re interested in supporting me.)

I’m still amazed every time I work with them. Instead of cutting services from their plans, they keep improving (and adding to) their services.

WPEngine has set up a smart system for website owners and developers. It’s not difficult to move a website over to their platform, and it’s a pleasure to work with them.

Even if you don’t want to move your website right now (I understand!), there’s a lot you can learn by comparing WPEngine to other options on the market.

My 8 Favourite things About WPEngine’s Website Hosting

NOTE: WPEngine offers managed WordPress Hosting — they do not host other types of websites. Sorry, guys! Even if you don’t have a WordPress site, I’m convinced you can still learn from what they offer.

1 – Never worry when you update your site again

WPEngine has changed the game for me with its Automated Daily Backups + one-click Restore. Your site becomes virtually unbreakable with this type of system.

Having a website backup is important — but if it takes you time to get that backup & restore it, then you’re still taking a big chance. WPEngine has such a smart backup & restore system that I never worry about breaking a site anymore. And I think the ability to “restore” your site back to a previous (working) version should be non-negotiable for everyone’s website.

2 – Automatic WordPress Updates!

WPEngine takes care of the WordPress Core Updates if you don’t do them on time. They can also alert if your plugins have security updates that need to be installed. You still have to do updates, but they’re streamlined because you have the backups in hand.

3 – Stay Safe from Hackers and Malicious Code

It’s possible to get things back to “normal” after a hack or virus… but there’s always a cost. Sometimes there is downtime while your host tries to find a full backup and restore it for you. Sometimes there’s downtime and lots of money involved, when your site is badly hacked and the backup is hacked, too.

WPEngine has a partnership with Sucuri.net — the leading WordPress security company. If your site gets hacked, they will clean it for you. Normally, this can be a very costly and stressful process. This alone is worth the cost of a year’s hosting on WPEngine.

4 – Try New Ideas Safely on a One-Click Staging Site

You can quickly copy your entire site to a “staging” area, then you can test out changes and play with it as much as you want.

5 – Speed Up Your Site with Fast Hosting

This is another non-negotiable for business websites. WPEngine uses cutting-edge technology and prioritizes website speed.

6 – Take Advantage of CloudFare’s CDN Cloud Delivery Network

Combine WPEngine’s “secret sauce” for speed with the caching and minifying available from their recommended partner, CloudFare, and you’ll pass speed tests with flying colors. CloudFare is free cloud-based technology that offers a high-level speed boost.

Let me know in the comments below if you want more info about setting your website up with CloudFare and WPEngine… maybe I’ll do a blog post about it. In the meantime, find out more about CloudFare’s CDN here.

7 – Easily add an SSL Certificate

WPEngine makes it easy to add SSL, which can sometimes be a big hassle. With Google favoring sites with SSL Certificates (only slightly), this is a real advantage. WPEngine also offers easy access to free SSL Certificates — I haven’t personally checked this out yet.

Another reason to add SSL would be for processing payments directly on your own website (without sending customers to Paypal’s site). You would use this SSL Certificate along with PayPal Pro.

8 – Amazing Customer Service

What can I say? I feel spoiled as a WPEngine customer. I’d rate almost every interaction I’ve had with them as a 9 or a 10 (out of 10). Their response time is super fast & they regularly provide hands-on help to make things even easier.

I have an affiliate link for WPEngine because I enjoy using it so much. If you’re interested in WPEngine, send me an email on my Contact Page & I’ll send you info about their latest sale.

I include WPEngine hosting in all my new website packages. Truth be told, I’d hate for one of my freshly-made websites to be hosted somewhere less. Check out my website packages here.

Your website strategist,

– Lindsay