· Hosting Mastery Hub · Listicles · 1 min read
7 Things to Check Before You Buy Web Hosting
A quick checklist to avoid the most common web hosting mistakes: renewal prices, backups, SSL, support, limits and more.
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Before you enter your card details, run through this checklist. It takes five minutes and can save you a lot of money and frustration.
1. The renewal price
The headline price usually applies only to the first term. Look for the regular (renewal) price in the small print.
2. Free SSL certificate
SSL puts the padlock in the browser bar. Every decent host should include it for free.
3. Automatic backups
Find out how often backups run, how long they are kept and whether restoring one costs extra.
4. Support options
Is there 24/7 live chat? Phone support? Check before you need it.
5. Resource limits
“Unlimited” plans still have limits. Look for the fair-use policy on storage, bandwidth and CPU.
6. Data center location
A server close to your visitors usually means a faster site.
7. Money-back guarantee
A 30-day (or longer) refund window lets you try the host risk-free.
