If you’ve already started your doing your research into a web hosting plan for your new website, you can’t help but have noticed that most of the big name providers offer discounted rates for their first term. 

On the face of it, this looks like an absolute bargain; providing you with a top quality hosting account at a rock bottom price.

That said, once you delve a little deeper into things, things aren’t always quite what they seem.

After all, that low cost first-term rate is going to run out eventually, and when it does, you’ll end up paying the regular hosting rate from there on in. 

So, with most hosting companies offering flexible options when it comes to choosing how long your first term runs for (usually anywhere between six months and over two years), doesn’t it make sense that you choose a plan that runs for as long as possible just to hold off paying the regular fee for as long as possible. 

It might, but as with most things in life, there are two sides to this particular story.

If you’re at the phase that you’re ready to sign up to a hosting company but aren’t sure how long you should commit to, here’s a few pointers to help you make that all-important decision. 

Why are first term hosting plans cheaper? 

To put it bluntly, this is all a clever sales tactic used by web hosts to lure customers like you and me away from the competition.

After all, if you see an offer of $1.99 per month when all the others are running at over $5, wouldn’t you sign up to? 

So, one company got the ball rolling by cutting the cost of first term hosting. Not to be outdone, most of the others soon followed, so that these days, paying less for your first term is pretty much an industry standard. 

A good web hosting comparrison site can you help you explore the cheapest offers currently available if you haven’t already found a site that suits your needs. 

Why choose a long-term hosting plan?

As we’ve already mentioned above, the longer you make your first term, the longer you’ll enjoy a cheaper rate on your hosting account. This is ideal if you’re on a tight budget and likely to be so for a long time to come, as it basically pushes the renewal date back. 

In most cases, top hosting providers offer even cheaper rates the longer you sign up, so you could be saving even more money by signing up for a full two or three year deal than you could if you only took out a yearly deal with your provider. 

Still, opting for a long-term deal does have its drawbacks, especially if your hosting provider turns out not to be quite as good as you first thought. When that happens, you’re essentially stuck with a plan that isn’t working for you right through until the end of your term.

Why choose a short-term hosting plan?

What that being said then, it may seem like the ideal option is to take out as short a first term as possible, just to be on the safe side.

Indeed, going for a plan that only runs say six months is a much better idea if you want to to give your hosting plan something of a ‘trial run.’ If things don’t quite go as well as expected, you’ll have less time to wait before you can pack up your site and take it elsewhere. 

Still, this does come with the downside that you’ll be switching over to a regular hosting fee much sooner. 

Do you have burning questions about web hosting that you’d love our experts to answer? Get in touch on Facebook or Twitter @WebDesignDIY and we may answer your key questions in an upcoming post.