The Truth about Unlimited Web Hosting Plans

Nowadays that the Internet is becoming even more influential in promoting and selling products and services, more and more business owners in Singapore are realizing the need for a business website. Because of this growing need, web hosting has now become an in-demand commodity.

Disk Space and Bandwidth

Two important features of every web hosting plan are disk space and bandwidth. The space on the merlion web hosting server that is allotted to host your website is referred to as disk space. The range of frequency that allows you to transfer your web pages from your server to browsers is called the bandwidth. In other words, it means the speed of data transfer. For your website to go live on the Internet, it has to consume disk space and bandwidth. These two important features cost money.

Physical Limitations

A lot of hosting providers claim to provide “unlimited” hosting plans, including bandwidth and disk space. However, do know that disk space and bandwidth have physical limitations and therefore they have a finite capacity. The physical size of the hard drive of a shared hosting server determines the actual amount of space it can provide to the websites web hosting merlion in Singapore hosts. Likewise, network lines (i.e. cable, copper wire, optic fiber, etc.) that transmit data around the web also have physical limitations, thus the limited capacity in the amount of data transferred in a given time. Before you opt for cheap web hosting or any “unlimited” hosting plan, it pays to have a clear understanding of the limits of the “unlimited”.

“Unlimited” Plans—A Myth

Of course, who would not be attracted to something that is limitless? Getting an “unlimited” offer means you don’t have to worry about downtime and other problems concerning the operations of your website. However, most people are unaware “unlimited” web hosting plans actually still have limitations.

It is typical for a hosting company that leases out a shared hosting server, dedicated server and virtual private server to claim that the hosting plan they offer is “unlimited”. However, that actually remains as a myth for any hosting company.

Why “Unlimited” Plans Exist

The truth is that most websites only eat up a very small amount of disk space and bandwidth. Web hosting providers that claim to offer “unlimited” features bank on the fact that clients don’t normally reach their allocated space, and so the host providers virtually appear to offer unlimited space. While this may seem dishonest for some Singapore businessmen, it does not follow that the web host will not provide excellent hosting services to its customers. The key here is to read carefully the Terms of Service of your hosting plan because from there you will know what your web host means with “unlimited”.

The Best Course of Action

To maximize the value of your money, the best thing you can do is to plan ahead. With the help of an IT expert, you can estimate how much disk space and bandwidth your website will need to operate optimally at all times. One good thing about web hosting is that you can always pay for more disk space and bandwidth for expansion.

One last tip: Only consider buying “unlimited” hosting plan if your IT consultant says that your website will only require very low disk space and bandwidth. However, if your website is an e-commerce website or one that you suppose to grow in size and bandwidth eventually, avoid hosting plans with “unlimited” disk space and bandwidth.