What 'Unlimited Hosting' Means for You
Unlimited hosting sounds like the answer to all your prayers if you are looking to invest in building an online business. It would appear that "unlimited hosting" means web hosting with zero restrictions whether bandwidth, disk space, database set-ups and what have you. It is almost like this oasis in the desert for someone who is an aspiring webmaster. But, as all things that are too good to be true, there is always a fine print.
This does not mean that all webhosts are lying scammers. There are many web hosting companies that are ethical, honest and reliable service providers. However, there are scammers out there who are willing to promise you the moon just to get more money. What you need to do is to put some serious effort into choosing the right web hosting company, and the right web hosting plan for you and your business.
'Unlimited' can have many different definitions.
You should always bear in mind that there is nothing wrong with being cautious and meticulous. Should you be truly searching for unlimited hosting, then do some research. Have them clarify what they mean by 'unlimited hosting' because the definitions may surprise you. Try calling the web hosting companies - their phone number should be listed in their website. If not, avoid that company like the plague because it might be some clandestine garage operation.
Let us say that you are looking for 'unlimited' bandwidth because every online business anticipates growth. You need to ensure that the web hosting company can provide your business with capability of handling increasing amounts of traffic. But, yes there is a 'but', this is one of the areas where your definition of 'unlimited' and the web hosting company's may differ substantially.
'Unlimited' bandwidth usually means that you are allowed a specific amount of bandwidth at the start of your contract with the hosting company. This may be increased as time goes on and you need the additional bandwidth. In a sense, this does mean 'unlimited' because you can keep adding bandwidth an unlimited number of times. However, this may not be what your definition of 'unlimited' is.
Do not allow yourself to be pushed into accepting an unlimited hosting plan because most companies use the "available for a limited time only" offer as a sales gimmick. Never fall for this tactic as there are always great deals out there that sprout up almost every day.
'Unlimited' host? How can that be?
The reason why there are so called 'unlimited' hosts is the akin to airlines always overselling their tickets - they know that there will be a certain percentage of ticket-holders that will not show up. Web hosting companies oversell their hard disk space because they know that a majority of websites will only use a small fraction of the bandwidth and disk space allotted to them. There is an advantage to this as the costs are then spread out over a larger number of users and this allows them to keep their rates low.
However, there is the risk that your site may crash once one of the users start using up the full capacity of their 'unlimited' allowance. You need to make sure that you find out what are the guarantees the web hosting company is offering against such risk and what are their contingency plans should crashes happen unexpectedly.
About the Author:
Shane Stafford works with WhoIsHostingThis, the place to find all the web hosting reviews you need, as well as a really nifty hosting search feature.
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