Currently a business owner chooses to sign up with the associate advertising and marketing organization, he browses in an associate advertising and marketing directory site as well as he is promptly provided with a really variety of solutions as well as items, and also with numerous associate programs. The associate advertising and marketing organization is without a doubt a growing company as suggested by the countless online sellers that are supplying associate programs.
With numerous alternatives prior to him, a business owner might choose to go back as well as study extra regarding which items he ought to advertise, which associate program he ought to sign-up, and also which vendor he need to associate with. He is purchasing himself time as well as he wished to be much more ready prior to really establishing his associate advertising and marketing organization.
On the various other hand, a business owner will certainly be so ecstatic that he will certainly sign-up with the very first associate program that he discovers fascinating. The only point that the brand-new associate has to deal with is his absence of expertise regarding the items he has actually picked to advertise.
If the brand-new associate will certainly backtrack his actions, he will just be placing off the day when he will certainly be appreciating monetary success. The brand-new associate merely requires to check out.
When the brand-new associate has actually made a decision to check out up on his items, he needs to initially position concerns that he desired to understand concerning the items. If the items are ceramic things, possibly he desired to understand very first exactly how the ceramic sector came around.
The solutions to these concerns will certainly give great web content for the brand-new associate’s web site. The info that the associate has actually gathered, in order to address his concerns will certainly be the emphasis of the posts that will certainly be published in the site.
One more perk to checking out the items is the gotten capacity of the associate to authoritatively and also instantly respond to the concerns that the site visitors will certainly upload in the web site. When the target customer is pleased with the speed as well as efficiency of the responses, he will certainly probably patronize as well as acquire the items that are suggested by the associate.
The only point that the brand-new associate has to deal with is his absence of understanding regarding the items he has actually picked to advertise. The brand-new associate merely requires to review.
When the brand-new associate has actually made a decision to review up on his items, he must initially present inquiries that he desired to recognize concerning the items. The solutions to these inquiries will certainly supply excellent material for the brand-new associate’s site.
Search engine optimization (SEO) used to be defined by the number of keywords and keyword synonyms across your website’s content.
When Google launched its knowledge graph, SEO shifted away from simply relying on keywords, and search engine crawlers began prioritizing rich snippets and entities on search engine results pages (SERPs).
These days, Google has more systems to identify the true meaning of keyword searches and queries. By categorizing ideas into “entities,” Google revolutionized its search proficiency.
While keywords are still important, SEO experts now also use entity-based SEO to further their ranking efforts. Context and relevance are becoming increasingly important in search engine results, and entities can help improve these factors.
In this article, we’ll explain what entities are, how to use them, and what the future of SEO might look like.
What Is Entity-Based SEO?
Entity-based SEO uses context, not just keywords, to help users find the information they seek.
While keywords are an essential part of your SEO strategy, they don’t fully reflect how humans search for information. For example, a person who searches for “Paris” may be looking for Paris Jackson, the city of Paris (in France or Texas), the movie Paris Is Burning, or innumerable other options.
Google offers suggestions for searchers regarding additional context, which serves the dual purpose of speeding up their searches by showing popular options and reminding them to add more context if none of those are what they need.
Entity-based SEO is helpful for searchers but slightly has made things a bit more complicated for content creators. Three ways entity-based SEO has changed the landscape include:
Better mobile capabilities: Entities allowed SEO to improve mobile results. Entities also improved mobile-first indexing, which is more prevalent than desktop searches.
Translation improvements: Entities can be found regardless of homonyms, synonyms, and foreign language use thanks to context clues. For instance, a search for “red” will include results for “rouge” or “rojo,” if the searcher’s settings allow for this.
Rich snippets: Rich snippets, which include things like photos and customer ratings as part of their results, generally outperform even number one search results.
Keywords Vs. Entities: What’s the Difference?
Entities might sound similar to keywords. In fact, they are quite different. Here’s how they differ and why those differences are so important.
Keywords
Keywords are words or phrases used in searches. They’re often the focal points of terms users search for and can be questions, sentences, or single words.
For example, users looking for makeup tutorials may search for makeup, tutorial, smokey eye, how to do a smokey eye, and so on.
Keywords still matter because they connect your content to queries. Your goal is to drive organic traffic to your site by ranking for keywords that help customers find your brand on search engines.
Keywords have long been the backbone of SEO, mainly because search engine algorithms needed clear, concise direction to populate relevant search results.
In the early days of SEO, keyword stuffing, which involves adding your chosen keyword far too many times or including largely irrelevant, popular keywords, was used constantly. At the time, search algorithms needed to see specific keywords repeatedly to rank content properly.
These days, algorithms have evolved significantly, and many old SEO tactics are, at best, frowned upon.
As defined by Google, an entity is “A thing or concept that is singular, unique, well-defined and distinguishable.” This doesn’t need to be a physical object and can include colors, dates, ideas, and so on.
Entities can be people, places, products, companies, or abstract concepts. They should always be distinct and independent of other entities or keywords.
Emphasizing entities over keywords has allowed search engines to be more accurate in their results. However, search engines aren’t psychic—they need more information to figure out which entity you’re searching for.
For example, a search for the word “apple” could result in pages about the fruit or pages about the company. As interesting as both topics are, if you’re searching for information about whether apple seeds are indeed poisonous, reading about iPhones probably won’t be too helpful. You need to add some keywords to tell the search engine which entity you mean.
We can think of entities as large topics keywords live within. For entities to be legitimate, they need to link to a search engine knowledge graph representing linked information and data across the internet. Knowledge graphs allow search engines to scan your website effectively.
Google’s Knowledge Graph used Wikipedia as its primary trusted seed set. An easy way to think about entities is that they are anything that could have a specific Wikipedia page assigned to it.
It’s important to note that not every entity has a Wikipedia page. This could just be a helpful way to think of the concept.
How Do Entities and Keywords Work Together?
Keywords with context help entities become defined, but you need to know precisely what your entity is all about before you can create your keyword-rich and well-written content. An SEO strategy recognizing both factors is your best bet for success.
On-page, you can create entities for an internal knowledge graph that uses keywords to link to different pages on your site. You can also connect your content to high E-A-T knowledge graphs such as Wikipedia or LinkedIn. While this won’t directly affect your page rank, it can improve your page authority in search.
Benefits of Entity-Based SEO
Entity-based SEO is more relevant, refined, and granular than keyword SEO alone.
Over time, improvements in automated natural language processing and new search methods like chatbots and digital assistants have made search queries longer and more complicated.
Yet, most search queries still relate to an entity. For example, “Things to do in Brussels” or “What to do in Brussels today” relates to Brussels, Belgium. Even without the quantifier of Belgium, search engines can tailor their results based on previous entity knowledge and context.
For marketers, entity-based SEO offers more concrete discoverability. Ensuring your brand is a concrete entity could help you include a large number of keywords that may not have been previously available. Nike, for example, can be searched through running shoes, tennis shoes, workout clothes, Air Jordans, and more, without users getting lost along the way.
In e-commerce, entity-based SEO can connect your products under a single entity. For example, if you sell windows in Paris, France, you may be able to contribute keywords to the Paris, France entity, opening up your business to potential new clients. Also, connecting your window selling business to Paris, France, helps ensure customers living in Paris, Texas, won’t see your content and mistakenly order from you.
How to Shift Your Strategy to Entity-Based SEO
Adding an entity focus to your existing SEO strategies could help you prepare for future algorithm updates.
Understanding which entities your business connects to and establishing your business as an entity in itself will become increasingly important in coming years.
How do you move on from previous, often keyword-focused strategies to an entity-based strategy?
List Your Business on Relevant Directories
One way to leverage entity-based SEO is to list your business on directories across the internet. Google My Business, for example, is used as a data source for the Google Knowledge Graph.
Other listing services, such as Yelp, can also help create strong, domain-rich backlinks for your brand and help you create a known entity. Yelp appears in the top five search results in 92 percent of Google web searches.
Listing sites may change from location to location, so do your research when deciding where to list. Additionally, be sure to choose sites with high domain authority to improve your search engine standing.
Using this strategy, businesses listed here can form entities and begin connecting unique keywords.
Prioritize Brand Building
Brand building is another essential tactic in entity-based SEO. Any offline brand presence measures need to be brought online, and you should always be considering new ways to create a well-defined and unique identity for your brand.
Managing your reputation is also increasingly important, as your reputation may factor into entity creation. Be conscious of the keywords you currently rank for and note—and correct for—any possible PR problems that could arise.
Consider Your Use of Interface Management Tools
Interface management is becoming a factor in entity-based SEO, as a silo approach to collaboration may negatively impact search engine visibility. This may happen despite keyword rankings, which could significantly affect some businesses.
Ultimately, focusing on keywords is not going to be enough going forward. Businesses and marketers need to shift their focus to entity-based SEO and start implementing tactics to ensure their content connects to their entities.
Conclusion
Entity-based SEO can be a great way to communicate the context and relevance of your brand online.
By targeting ideas and context rather than words or phrases alone, entities build a bigger picture of your content, potentially allowing it to out-perform traditional keyword research methods.
We can expect to see more opportunities for marketers to create more depth in their branding strategies by focusing on entity-based SEO.
In what ways have you experimented with entity-based SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) used to be defined by the number of keywords and keyword synonyms across your website’s content. When Google launched its knowledge graph, SEO shifted away from simply relying on keywords, and search engine crawlers began prioritizing rich snippets and entities on search engine results pages (SERPs). These days, Google has more …
A strong business credit score does not just appear at the end of the rainbow. There are a lot of myths out there. So many so, that it can be difficult to separate reality from fiction. Don’t fall for these 5 credit score myths.
Don’t Believe These 5 Credit Score Myths When it Comes to Your Business
Most of the confusion comes from a lack of understanding about business credit scores. Many do not even know what it is, how you build it, or even that it exists. Let’s take a look at each of these common 5 myths about credit scores and clear up a few things.
5 Credit Score Myths: If You Have Business Debt, You Have a Business Credit Score
This may well be the most common of these 5 myths about credit score. A lot of business owners have some vague idea that a credit score for their business is a thing, but they totally miss the boat on how it actually works. They know they have a personal credit score because they have personal debt. They know that their credit score depends on how well they handle that personal debt, and how much they have. As a result, most believe business credit builds the same way. This could not be further from the truth.
Building Business Credit
You do not automatically have a business credit profile. You have to intentionally set up your business properly to establish a business credit profile. Then, your business credit accounts do not automatically report your payments to the business credit reporting agencies. That means, you do not necessarily have accounts reporting positive payment history, even if you are handling your business credit responsibly. You have to seek out accounts that will report.
This makes building a strong business credit score a little trickier than building a strong personal credit score. A business credit expert is a great resource to help you make sure your business is set up properly, establish your business credit profile, and find accounts that will report your on-time, consistent payments. Don’t leave it to luck. It won’t happen.
5 Credit Score Myths: If Your Personal Credit Score is Good, You Do Not Need a Business Credit Score
Because you can get a business loan with a good personal credit score, a lot of business owners think they don’t need to worry about their business credit score. However, there are a number of reasons to work on building a strong business credit profile regardless of your personal credit report. For example:
Having separate business credit keeps some business accounts from affecting your personal credit report. This can keep you from running into trouble buying a home or car if your business struggles.
Separate business credit opens more funding opportunities so that you can access more money for your business.
Even when lenders rely on your personal credit score, a strong business credit score can help you get better rates and terms than you would otherwise.
While it is possible to fund a business totally on the merits of a good personal credit history, it is not efficient or wise, and it will lower your personal credit score.
5 Credit Score Myths: Personal Credit Score Doesn’t Affect Business Credit Score
Your business credit profile, if set up properly, is all together separate from your personal credit profile. Handled the right way, business accounts do not show up on or affect your personal credit report. However, the reverse is not necessarily true.
5 Credit Score Myths: You Can Monitor Business Credit for Free
It makes sense. I mean, you can get a free copy of your business credit report. There are a ton of free apps that let you peek at your personal score throughout the year. Why wouldn’t you be able to do this with business credit?
5 Credit Score Myths: You Don’t Need Anyone to Help You Build Your Business Credit Score
Credit repair companies are abundant when it comes to personal credit. Many of them are simply trying to make a buck. It’s almost always a scam. The only sure fire way to fix your personal credit score without ending up worse off in the long run is to pay your bills consistently on-time.
This is not necessarily true when it comes to your business credit score. A business credit expert can help you in a number of ways. They have relationships with vendors, lenders, and other knowledge that can be extremely valuable as you work to establish and build a strong business credit profile.
Analyze Fundability
A business credit expert can help you analyze and assess the overall fundability of your business. While it may technically be possible to do this yourself, it is a huge job. It takes a lot of time, and there are so many factors to consider it can be easy to miss something. Furthermore, it can be difficult to access some of the information. A business credit expert will have the contacts and expertise necessary to talk to the right people at the right place to get things done.
As mentioned earlier, your business has to be set up properly before you can even establish a business credit profile, let alone build a business credit score. A business credit expert can work with you to determine if your business foundation is set up as it needs to be. If not, they can help you fix that.
Get Accounts Reporting
Even with a business credit profile, there is no credit score until you have accounts reporting. The thing is, not all business accounts report payments to the business credit reporting agencies. In fact, very few of them do. What’s worse, is most companies do not make it clear to customers whether or not they report payments.
A business credit expert has relationships with specific vendors that they know report payments. You don’t have to rely on trial and error. Doing that, you could go months thinking you are building your credit score and really, nothing at all is happening. Working with an expert ensures you get on the right track and head down it as quickly as possible.
Your Business Credit Score is Not Found at the End of the Rainbow
When it comes to building strong fundability with the best business credit profile and highest business credit score possible, strategy trumps luck every time. You have to be intentional and follow the process. Once business owners know this, most are willing. The problem is, it is difficult to navigate these waters alone. Lenders and vendors do not always offer up the information needed easily. Also, few average Joe business owners know where to look or what to look for to evaluate fundability. This is where a business credit expert is priceless. They have the knowledge and skills needed to speed up the process exponentially. This not only saves time, but in the long term it also saves money. Get your free consultation with a Credit Suite business credit expert today.
Alternative business lending rose from the ashes of the 2008 crash. This was a time when lenders were giving almost no one money. It was virtually impossible to get a loan of any sort for any reason. Business loans were extremely hard to come by, and when you could get one, rates were terrible.
Alternative Business Lending: Your Questions Answered
Find out why so many companies use our proven methods to get business loans.
As a result, alternative lenders began to pop up. Funding Circle is credited with being the first, but others soon followed. That means this is a fairly new game. It can be hard to figure out if it is one you should play. This should help.
What is alternative business lending?
This type of lending is offered through private companies, not traditional financial institutions like banks and credit unions. They can be an option for those who do not qualify or who do not have the time to wait for a bank loan. These lenders explore other ways of verifying creditworthiness and other forms of collateral.
Collateral may include credit card transactions, open invoices, equipment, real estate and more.
How much is alternative business lending?
This is a question asked by many when they first start considering alternative lending options. The truth is, it depends. That’s the case with any loan. There are fees, and interest is a factor. Typically interest is higher with alternative lending. But if you can’t get anything else, you can’t really compare.
What are the pros of alternative business lending?
So, why choose alternative lending? Well, if you can’t get a traditional business loan you may need to consider this option. However, there are other reasons as well. For example, alternative lenders typically fund much faster. So, if you need fast cash, this could be the way to go.
Also, the application process is usually faster and easier. Often you can apply online in a matter of minutes. Repayment terms are usually more flexible as well.
What are the cons of alternative lending?
As already mentioned, interest rates with alternative loans are usually higher. There is also a breeding ground for scammers in this industry. It’s important to know how to recognize predatory lending practices to avoid being taken advantage of.
Is alternative business lending right for you?
If something is blocking you from being approved for a loan through a bank or credit union, then the answer to this question is probably yes. It is highly likely that this is a type of lending that can work well for your business. This is especially true if you have invoices, accept credit card payments, or need to finance equipment. Common types of alternative loans include:
Merchant cash advances
Invoice financing
Equipment financing
And real estate financing
There are other options as well, and they vary between lenders. These are some of the most
common however.
A credit expert can help you find the best alternative business funding for your business.
Now you need to figure out which lender and which products from that lender will work best for your specific business needs and goals. The best choice is to work with a business credit expert. This is someone that can help your maneuver through the process in the most effective and efficient way. That will help immediately. Beyond that, into the long-term, an expert in business credit can help you figure out why you are being denied funding, and help you fix the problem.
Where should you start when looking for alternative lenders? Here are some options to consider.
Find out why so many companies use our proven methods to get business loans.
Fundbox
Fundbox offers a line of credit rather than a loan. Still, it is a great funding option because there is no minimum credit score requirement.
They offer an automated process that is super-fast. Repayments are automatic, meaning they draft them electronically, and they occur on a weekly basis. One thing to remember is that you could have a repayment as high as 5 to 7% of the amount you have drawn currently, as the repayment period is comparatively short. This means you need to be sure you have enough funds in whatever account you connect them to so that it can cover your payment to Fundbox each week.
BlueVine
You will find with most any online lender, they often offer options more similar to invoice factoring and lines of credit. This is because those options present fewer risks than straight term loans. BlueVine is no different.
Upstart
Upstart is an online lender that uses a completely innovative platform for loans. The company itself questions the ability of financial information and FICO on their own to truly determine the risk of lending to a specific borrower. Instead, they choose to use a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to gather alternative data for use in making credit decisions.
This may include such things as mobile phone bills, rent, deposits, withdrawals, and even other information less directly tied to finances. The software they use learns and improves on its own. You can use their online quote tool to play with different amounts and terms to see the various interest rate possibilities.
Upstart’s innovative platform makes them one to research for sure.
Fora Financial
Founded in 2008 by college roommates, online lender Fora Financial now funds more than $1.3 million in working capital around the United States. There is no minimum credit score, and there is an early repayment discount if you qualify.
OnDeck
Obtaining financing from OnDeck is quick and easy. First, you apply the OnDeck website and receive your decision once application processing is complete. If you receive approval, your loan funds will go directly to your bank account. The loan amounts range up to $500,000.
Lending Club
Popular online lenderLending Club offers term loans. You can get a quote in less than 5 minutes. Funds are available in as little as 48 hours if approved. There are no prepayment penalties.
Kiva
Kiva is an online lender that is a little different. For example, the interest rate is 0%. That means even though you have to pay it back, it is absolutely free money. They don’t even check your credit. However, there is one catch. You have to get at least 5 family members or friends to throw some money in the pot as well. In addition, you have to pitch in a $25 loan to another business on the platform.
Find out why so many companies use our proven methods to get business loans.
Accion
If your personal credit is okay, Accion may be a good fit for small business startup loans. It is a microlender, a nonprofit, that offers installment loans to both startups and already existing businesses.
Credibly
Credibly is also a good option for business loans if you are already generating some revenue. They offer short term loans for both business expansion and working capital. You must be in business for at least 6 months to qualify, and Credibly will approve loans to those with credit scores as low as 500.
Alternative Business Lending Is a Great Tool, but Not a Forever Answer
I mean, it could be a forever answer, but there is a better way. If you work to build up your fundability, you can get a lot of perks offered by alternative business lending with the interest rates offered by traditional loans. You could have the best of both worlds. It takes time to get there however, and alternative loans are the best option for many in the meantime.
If you are thinking about starting a business, there is a lot you need to know. Our business experts can walk you through the entire process to ensure you have the fundability you need to succeed. From how to set up your business as a fundable entity to making sure you have what lenders are looking for when it comes to approving start up business loans, here is what you need to know.
How to Get Start Up Business Loans and Other Funding
If your business isn’t fundable, you will not get startup business loans, plain and simple. Of course, if you are a start up you aren’t going to have a ton or revenue or business credit history. So, what can you do to ensure you have a fundable business that can get the money needed to get up and running?
Fundability starts in the very beginning. How you set your business up can make or break your ability to get business start up loans. Here’s why. Lenders want to see that your business is a stand alone entity, fundable on its own apart from you as the owner. It lends credibility to your business as one that is strong and able to survive on its own merits.
To start this process, you need to make sure your business has its own name and contact information. Do not use your own phone number, address, or email address. You also need to apply for an EIN. It’s free on the IRS website. This is an identifying number for your business that’s similar to an SSN for an individual.
After that, it is vital that you incorporate. Choose whichever options works best for your budget and liability needs, S-corp, LLC, or corporation. But, you must do it. It makes all the difference when applying for business start up loans.
Then, you need to have a separate, dedicated business bank account. It further lends credibility to your business as one that is legit, and there are a number of other benefits that will serve your business well in the future. For now, just know it is preferred by lenders.
Business Plan
If your business is properly set up, you will need a business plan. Most business loan applications have a place where you can just fill in the blanks for this part, but that is not what you want to do. You need a professional, well put together business plan that shows you know what you are doing with the money you are asking for.
You can find templates online, including at SBA.gov. However, it’s even better if you can hire a professional business plan writer. You will also likely have to hire other professionals to help you complete each part of the business plan.
For example, you will need a marketing specialist to help you with the market research and an accountant to help with the forecast and other financial sections. The better your business plan presentation is, the better off you will be.
Business Start Up Loans and Other Funding
Ok, so now for the nuts and bolts. You cannot start a business without money. If your business is properly set up and you have a solid, professional business plan, you have given yourself a great start. It’s time to find the money.
There are a few different options when it comes to business start up loans. Traditional loans are the most common and typically the first on the list with new business owners. It’s just what everyone knows. If you want to start a business you go to the bank and get a loan. That works for a lot of people.
Generally these are all secured loans. That means you put up collateral. However, if you have fabulous personal credit, you might be able to get an unsecured business start up loan. The thing is, you may not want to. You are almost always going to get better rates and terms if you use collateral.
SBA Loans
For most, SBA loans are going to be the way to go. These are business loans that have a government guarantee. Because of this, lenders are able to offer them to business owners with lower credit scores than they would otherwise, and the interest rates tend to be better as well.
Credit Line Hybrid
This is a great option for those needing business start up loans for a number of reasons. First, if security is an issue, this is totally unsecured business financing. You do not put up any collateral, and you can get up to $150,000. It is also no-doc financing, meaning you do not have to provide banks statements or financials of any kind.
All you need is to have a personal credit score of at least 680 and meet a few other requirements. However, if you do not meet those requirements, you can take on a credit partner that does. You can use the credit of a friend or family member to apply for the credit line hybrid, and the payments will still report to your business credit report, thus building your business credit score.
Investors and Crowdfunding
Even though business start up loans are where most new business owners head first for funding, they are far from being the only way. Of course corporate investors are an option. Similar to a business plan, you need a pitch. Angel investors are an option as well. While debt free and effective, neither of these are particularly easy to come by.
Another option when it comes to looking for investors is Crowdfunding. It’s not a huge success rate, but there are some businesses that are able to get all they need from this form of funding. You’ll never know if you don’t try.
Help Through the Weeds
The biggest issue when it comes to business start up loans, and really any other part of starting a business, is getting through the weeds. It can be overwhelming to try and figure out what you need to do to qualify for the funding you need, and then figure out what funding will actually work best for you. A business credit expert is vital to this process. While it is possible to do it alone, it is well worth any expense to get things done not only faster, but the right way to ensure nothing is missed.
The truth is, fundability matters regardless of the type of start up funding you use. The reason is, you are likely going to need to access funding of some type throughout the life of your business. If your business is not fundable, you will not be able to get it. So, the best option is to work with a business credit expert now, to get you on the path to fundability while helping you find business start up loans and other types of start up funding to get you up and running. Building fundability and business credit takes knowledge and intentionality. Don’t try to do it alone. You don’t have to.
But there’s such a wide range of web hosting costs out there. It’s overwhelming for beginners and experienced website owners alike. How much should you pay for web hosting? Are you overpaying for web hosting? How much does web hosting really cost?
Some plans start below $1 per month. Others start at over $2,000 per month!
To make matters even more complicated, there are 330,000+ web hosting providers on the market today. Trying to find the best web hosting plan for your site without overpaying can feel like an impossible task.
Fortunately, I’m going to let you in on a little secret—you don’t need to overpay for web hosting.
This guide will teach you the truth about web hosting costs. I’ve identified the top costs associated with web hosting and how to evaluate those costs as you’re shopping around. You’ll learn more about how much you should pay for certain web hosting benefits and whether or not you even need specific features in your hosting plan.
My Favorite Tool for Keeping Web Hosting Costs Low
Bluehost is my favorite tool for keeping web hosting costs low.
As an industry leader in the web hosting space, more than two million sites worldwide rely on Bluehost for hosting. They have packages for everyone. Whether you’re starting a small personal blog or looking for a new provider to host your business site with millions of monthly visits, Bluehost can accommodate your needs.
To be clear, Bluehost is not necessarily the cheapest web hosting provider on the market. Some providers offer free web hosting or web hosting for less than a dollar. But you should avoid free web hosting at all costs—there is always a catch.
But Bluehost really delivers in terms of value. They offer low entry-level pricing for new websites, and their web hosting services help keep other costs low over time.
Continue below to learn more about general web hosting costs. I’ll even explain how Bluehost can help save you some money in some of these categories.
Cost #1: Web Hosting Type
The type of web hosting plan you select will have the most significant impact on the price. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but generally speaking, here’s the order listed from cheapest to most expensive:
Shared web hosting
Cloud web hosting
VPS (virtual private server) web hosting
Dedicated server web hosting
Depending on the hosting provider, cloud hosting and VPS hosting might be switched. But the list above is a good rule of thumb.
Check out this pricing page from Bluehost as an example:
As you can see, there’s a significant price gap between each type of web hosting. The starting price of a dedicated server is roughly 20 times higher than the shared starting rate.
Unless you’re expecting huge traffic surges out of the gate, the vast majority of new websites should stick to a shared plan. That’s the best way to save some money, and you can always upgrade down the road as your site grows.
Most shared plans can accommodate anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 monthly visits. Once you start getting into the 50,000 monthly visit range, you should consider upgrading to a VPS or cloud package. I wouldn’t consider a dedicated server until you eclipse 100,000 monthly visits, and even at that point, it’s not 100% necessary.
Cost #2: Contract Length
Generally speaking, you’ll need to commit to a longer-term contract to get the lowest possible rate. This is one of the best ways to save money on web hosting costs, especially as a new customer.
Depending on the provider, plans are typically offered in 12, 24, 36, and up to 48-month contract terms. Month-to-month web hosting isn’t very common. So expect to commit to a year, at a minimum.
Here’s an example of the different prices offered by Bluehost based on contract length:
As you can see, there’s a $2 per month difference in price between the 36-month contract and the 12-month contract. This isn’t life-changing money or anything like that. But it will save you $72 over the course of three years.
Just understand that you’ll need to pay upfront for your contract in full when you sign up. In this case, $3.95 per month for 36 months actually means $142.20 today.
Cost #3: Renewal Rates
Locking in a long-term contract also helps you avoid renewal rates. It’s standard practice in the web hosting industry for providers to offer low promotional rates and then jack up the prices when your contract renews.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like they aren’t upfront about it. But most people don’t think about the costs they’re going to incur three or four years down the road. Some providers double, triple, or even quadruple your rate upon renewal.
Let’s take a closer look at the shared hosting packages from Bluehost. You can clearly see the renewal rates below each introductory price.
In this case, the renewal rate is more than double the introductory price. Believe it or not, this is actually fairly reasonable compared to some of the other web hosting providers on the market today.
There’s not a whole lot that you can do to avoid this increase. Your best bet is to just lock in a long-term introductory contact. That’s the best way to save the most money.
Once your website has been up and running for a few years, the extra costs upon renewal shouldn’t feel like too much of a burden.
Cost #4: Hosting Resources
Every web hosting plan allocates a certain number of resources to your website. While this might vary slightly from one provider to another, here’s a basic overview of what to expect:
Bandwidth — How quickly your server can transfer data.
CPUs — Central processing units to handle all the requests on your site.
RAM — Short-term memory for processing multiple requests simultaneously.
SSD Storage — The maximum allowed size of your website.
Generally speaking, the more resources you have, the higher your hosting costs will be.
Here’s a screenshot from Bluehost’s VPS pricing table to illustrate my point:
As you can see, the SSD storage, RAM, and bandwidth increase at each tier. The number of CPU cores remains the same from the Standard to Enhanced plan but doubles at the Ultimate package level.
Some providers offer “unlimited” or “unmetered” bandwidth. Just be forewarned that you’re not actually getting unlimited bandwidth. Unlimited bandwidth doesn’t really exist. Even the best servers have limits. Unlimited bandwidth just means that you can use as much bandwidth within a particular range offered by the provider.
So, how much bandwidth do you need? This isn’t an exact science, but generally, 5 GB of bandwidth can accommodate up to 15,000 or 20,000 visitors per month browsing pages with an average size of 50 KB.
Consider a cloud hosting plan if your traffic varies significantly from month to month. These packages typically allow you to scale resources on-demand to accommodate traffic spikes.
Cost #5: Setup Fees and Site Migrations
Most web hosting providers offer free setups. This is especially true with entry-level packages, like shared hosting plans. However, if the provider actually needs to take in-depth steps to get you started, you might incur some setup fees.
Setup fees are more common at the dedicated server level, where providers need to physically add hardware components based on your plan requests.
If you’re transferring your website from one hosting provider to another, you might incur a site migration fee as well.
Bluehost charges $149.99 for site transfers. Other providers offer this service for free, but it shouldn’t make or break your decision to use one web host over another.
You can justify the cost by having a professional handle this for you. I don’t recommend trying to migrate a website on your own. Too much can go wrong, so pay the fee and don’t think twice about it.
Cost #6: Domain Registration
Normally, I wouldn’t mix domain registration and web hosting. It’s usually in your best interest to get your domain name from a domain registrar and your hosting package from a web hosting provider.
That said, new websites can bundle the two, especially through Bluehost. All new Bluehost customers get a free domain for one year with a web hosting subscription.
It’s cheaper long-term to get your domain directly from a registrar. Bluehost’s domain renewal rates will be a bit higher. But overall, the added cost is pretty marginal.
Most new website owners will just find it easier to bundle everything under one roof, as opposed to using different platforms for a domain name and hosting plan.
Cost #7: Security
I don’t care what type of website you have; security needs to be a top priority for everyone.
There are a handful of different security measures that should be added to your site. I’m referring to things like network protocols, spam filtering, malware scans, firewalls, and more. But you can get additional security directly from your web hosting provider.
At a minimum, every web host should be offering you a free SSL certificate. That’s become an industry standard, and I wouldn’t recommend any host that charges an extra SSL fee.
The exact security options vary from provider to provider, but here’s an example from Bluehost.
For $2.99 per month, SiteLock Security Essential gives you automated malware detection, unlimited page scans, blacklist monitoring, file-level scanning, automatic malware removal, plugin scanning, weekly reports, and more.
Alternatively, you could always skip this and beef up security on your own. If you’re using WordPress, there are plenty of great WordPress security plugins to consider.
Cost #8: Managed Support and Server Maintenance
Managed web hosting has become increasingly popular over the years. The term has different meanings depending on the plan and provider you’re using, but in short, a managed web host will take care of all the server operations behind the scenes. This typically includes setup, maintenance, server monitoring, support, updates, and more.
Alternatively, high-traffic websites could consider a managed WordPress plan.
The entry-level managed plan from Bluehost starts at $19.95 per month and can accommodate up to 50,000 visitors per month. These plans scale all the way up to sites with 500,000 monthly visitors.
If you’re using a dedicated server, you definitely need to think about the maintenance costs. Dedicated servers are typically offered with managed or unmanaged options.
The unmanaged plans will be cheaper if you’re just comparing rates side-by-side. But you’ll be responsible for the cost of maintaining and updating the server on your own. Unless you’re really technical or have a dedicated IT team, it’s generally better to just get a managed plan from your hosting provider. Long-term, it’s cheaper than managing a server on your own.
Cost #9: Package Extras
Every web hosting provider makes an effort to sign you up for as many different services as possible. Navigating through upsells is just part of shopping around for web hosting.
With that said, you can skip the vast majority of add-ons and upsells offered by web hosts, especially the ones that aren’t directly tied to web hosting.
Here’s an example to show you what I mean:
The web hosting costs highlighted above come to $142.20. But if you add-on all of the package extras to your plan, your total becomes $277.83. That’s a big jump from an advertised price of $3.95 per month.
Believe it or not, Bluehost actually doesn’t even offer that many extras compared to other hosting providers. Some will offer double or even triple this amount.
The key here is knowing what to select and what not to select.
A single domain SSL isn’t necessary, as you’re already getting a free Let’s Encrypt SSL with your plan. You don’t need the marketing or SEO tools. SiteLock Security Essential is something we discussed earlier.
If you’re not going to get security features elsewhere, adding it on now is a good choice.
Codeguard Basic is another 50/50 option. It includes daily backups, one-click restores, and other helpful tools. But you could always get this later on from other plugins or services.
Cost #10: Downtime
Downtime is an indirect cost of web hosting. It’s not something that you’ll see on your bill.
But every time your site goes down due to a server crash or network error, it costs you money. The type of website you have and your monetization strategy will dictate exactly how much money you’re losing.
Don’t just look at an uptime guarantee from a hosting provider and assume you’re in good shape. Those guarantees typically come with all types of contingencies. In the event that they fail to meet the uptime agreement, you’ll just get credit off of a future bill.
But that $0.50 or $1.25 credit two years from now isn’t worth the cost of losing customers today.
Always look at reviews to see what real people have to say about the uptime reliability of different web hosting providers. Frequent downtime can be costly long-term.
Conclusion
What’s the truth about web hosting costs? You don’t need to pay a fortune.
Your total cost to host a website will depend on several different factors. I’ve identified the top ten costs associated with web hosting above. As you can see from this list, it’s actually fairly easy to keep hosting costs low if you understand what to look for.
Bluehost is my favorite way to save money on web hosting. So if you sign up with them, you’re on the right track. You’ll even get a free SSL certificate and free domain name.
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