Hey there, blogger. If you want to learn how to save money on website hosting, this article has got you covered!
But this is classified info I’m sharing here today.
So don’t share this with just anybody. Save it for a rainy day, use it as your “get out of jail free” card, and only share it with the people who will truly appreciate it!
Like I said, it’s classified 😉
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WHAT IS WEBSITE HOSTING AND WHY DO I NEED IT?
Website hosting is like the virtual plot of land where your website lives.
You purchase hosting and that host company stores your website on their servers. When you purchase hosting, they provide free software, like WordPress, to help you build your blog.
Website hosting allows you to have your own website that is visible to others online.
In other words, you can’t have a blog without hosting.
Related Read: For more details on self-hosting options, check out this article that explains the difference between WordPress .com and WordPress .org.
But in summary, self-hosting allows you to own your website and have FULL CONTROL of your customization, monetization, and growth. So, it’s your best option.
If you decide that a self-hosted website is the best route for you (and in most cases, it is) you’ll need to purchase hosting.
I have accumulated quite a few blogs in my career, and I use either Namehero hosting or Siteground hosting for all but one of them (once you have high monthly page views, you’ll want to switch to a premium host like WPX or BigScoots).
In this guide, I’m going to share some top-secret info that will help you save money on website hosting through a few of my favorite hosts!
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON WEBSITE HOSTING
People always say that purchasing hosting for your blog is super affordable, right? Usually just a few bucks a month.
But what they don’t tell you, is that after that “introductory period” is over, your monthly price usually doubles, even if you don’t have ANY blog traffic yet.
That’s not a huge deal to some people, but most of us are trying to be smart spenders and make our blogging investments count.
Related Read: How to Boost Your Blog Traffic and Attract Your Dream Clients in 3 Easy Steps
So, here’s my secret weapon for saving money on website hosting:
When you buy hosting through NameHero you are locked in at that low introductory price for all the years you purchase up front.
Meaning, if you purchase one year of hosting, you’re paying that low introductory price for a year… then the price goes up. BUT if you purchase three years of hosting, you’re locking in that same low price for the entire 3-year period.
So, take advantage of that special offer, and purchase several years up front! This is going to save you a LOT of money.
QUICK MATH:
If you buy (1) year of hosting on the Starter Cloud plan, it costs under $40 for the first year. Sweet, right? Super affordable.
But when your hosting renewal comes around, that price goes up to $131.40/year. Again, not a huge deal for some people, but who wants to pay triple the price for no reason?? Not me!
If you buy (2) years of hosting on the Starter Cloud plan up front, your total will be $71.64 for those two years.
If you buy (3) years of hosting on the Starter Cloud plan up front, your total will be under $97 for those three years!
Yes, you read that right. You are saving over $225!
Purchasing (3) years of hosting in advance will cost you LESS than just one year of hosting after your introductory period is over.
That’s the kinda math >>> this girl <<< likes to do!
*Please note: while these figures might change at various times due to special offers, the principle remains the same. You can save money on website hosting by purchasing multiple years up front.
WHY SHOULD I BUY 3 YEARS OF HOSTING UP FRONT?
The bottom line is, you need website hosting if you want to blog.
Website hosting is an essential part of the process. And being self-hosted allows you to own your site and allows you to use the fully customizable WordPress.org platform FOR FREE.
When you purchase website hosting through NameHero you get to download and use WordPress for free, with their simple 1-click installation.
You can learn exactly how to Install WordPress right here (but wait until after you purchase hosting to review this step).
Unfortunately, I encounter soooo many new bloggers that are frustrated because they learned about all of this too late.
They usually outgrow those free platforms like Wix and Blogger and end up switching to self-hosted WordPress anyway.
Some of them upgrade to premium services on rented space platforms, like WordPress.com or Squarespace, and then realize that it’s ACTUALLY CHEAPER to get hosting and own your own website.
When it comes down to it, you’re going to need website hosting for your blog anyway.
It’s well worth the investment to spend the 97 bucks and get 3 years of hosting at a steep discount!
Reminder: If you buy one year at a time, your annual price goes up after the introductory period, and you end up spending more money on ONE SINGLE YEAR of hosting than you will spend on THREE YEARS of hosting if you purchase it up front.
It just saves you sooo much money! I wish every new blogger knew this little trick before purchasing hosting.
WHAT IF I HAVE MORE THAN ONE BLOG?
If you have multiple blogs, or plan to have multiple blogs in the future, then you’ll want to grab their Plus Cloud plan.
This option is a few bucks more, but you can host up to (7) blogs and it still comes with the same great deal: save extra money if you purchase three years up front!
HOW DO I PAY FOR THE RENEWAL?
You probably noticed that renewal price above.
Firstly, that price comes into play AFTER an entire three years of blogging. And that price includes three more years of hosting.
The goal is to build up a successful blog and earn enough income to be able to cover your investments (and then some).
So if you purchase hosting and then get right to work on monetizing your blog, you should have no problem covering the renewal fee in 3 years.
WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND AND DON’T NEED HOSTING?
This is a reasonable concern for many bloggers, and I get asked this question often.
Why should someone pay for three years of a service they might not even use? What if I decide I don’t like Namehero and I want to move to another host? Am I really stuck with them for all that time?
All fair questions.
If you decide that you don’t need hosting, most hosting companies offer a refund option during a certain window of time. Namehero offers a 30-day refund option.
If you change your mind within the refund window, you can get that money back, no questions asked.
Why pay for a service you *might* not use for the full three years?
Because, more than likely, you ARE going to use it!
If you’re going to blog, you’re going to use the service, so that shouldn’t be a concern (every blog needs hosting). If you blog for a while and decide that it’s not for you, then you made a worthy investment into something you wanted to try … and then decided to go another route.
And that’s okay too!
If you decide you don’t like Namehero, you can always switch hosts. That is the beauty of self-hosting – you can take your blog with you wherever you want to go.
However, if you’re outside of that refund window, you will not receive a refund for the money you’ve paid, so keep this in mind.
If you find that Namehero isn’t a good fit for you, go with Siteground. I have several sites hosted there as well. They are a bit more expensive than Namehero, but still a good host.
Siteground offers the same great secret deal: purchase multiple years up front and lock in that introductory price!
Bottom line: if you’re going to purchase hosting for your blog, you might as well save some money and go for the 3-year introductory price.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
I’m hoping my little soapbox spiel over here has convinced you to take the plunge and purchase as many years of hosting as possible up front (if you’re purchasing hosting anyway, this is a no-brainer).
This little money-saving hack is something that nobody talks about!
And I’m changing that today. I’m talking about it.
I don’t get anything out of telling you to purchase more years in advance, I just want to help you save some money on your blogging business, and this is an easy way to do that!
Use my secret weapon to save money on website hosting and sign up with Namehero today.
Please share this article with anyone you know that might be considering buying website hosting or setting up a blog – it will help them save a little extra cash in the process!
Great post and I wish I would have read this months ago lol! Lesson learned!
Me too girl, meeee too! Please share this article and spread the word for other bloggers, hopefully it helps someone else before they get started!
Thanks for the info Cate. I paid $71.4 for multiple hosting which is expiring this month and I didn’t really utilize it due to work constraints. Now, I am ready to take a full plunge into freelancing and siteground sent me a mail of $240 annual renewal. I can’t pay that for a year, the increment is way too much and by a stroke of grace I stumbled on your post today. My question is, should I just let my subscription expire and subscribe newly with the same $240 for 3 years? Your expert advice is needed, many thanks. God bless you for this insightful post.
Yes that renewal fee is painful! To be perfectly honest, I don’t know the protocol on letting services lapse and then starting them up again. I can’t say for sure if you can get the discount if you’re using the same domain name. This is really something that you’ll have to confirm with Siteground…but I feel your pain! Mine just renewed this month at $240 as well and that’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s actually the reason that I wrote this article haha. Wish you the best 🙂
Great info and it’s not a lot of money unless you have just filed bankruptcy then it turns into a mountain that it seems like you will never be able to overcome !! What do you say to those people who find themselves in that kind of situation day and and day out for the next five years? I’m one of those people.
I’m sorry to hear you’re in a rough spot. I’ve been there too and it sucks feeling like you can’t beat the next hurdle. My recommendation is always to start where you are and use what you have. If you don’t have the money right now, you don’t have the money right now. There are a lot of resources and ways to rebuild your credit and income, so just keep at it, little by little. You will hit your goal soon if you just keep your eye on the prize and keep working at it every day. Hang in there!