Be careful of Flash and Black Friday promo sales.
We like to think that one of the reasons customers choose Web Host Pro is that we don’t have hidden fees and never try to trick people into something they have to pay more for later. Since day one, transparency has always been a top priority and a mantra in ways. One of the reasons this is so important is because so many web hosts and domain registers set traps. These typically are called introductory prices or sometimes flash sales. They might seem like great deals, but actually cost you much more in the long run because the price goes even higher than normal after a certain amount of time. For example; we got a .shop flash sale email this morning (hence the inspiration for this post) the email said we can register a .shop domain for only 49 cents. That seems less than the transaction fee, or maybe it is the transaction fee. Anyhoo, I’m thinking what a great deal, but I also feel like something is a little funny. A too good to be true type of feeling. So I read the fine print and the domain renews at $79 a year and can’t be transferred. We sell .shop domains for $59 and if they lower in price for us, we will lower it for you. We sell our domains at our cost plus a small transaction fee (Less than a dollar) and offer free privacy. It’s a courtesy for our web host customers. In the end, you will be saving a year but paying another $20 a year over normal cost. If you kept this domain for 10 years per se. That would be an additional $200. Unless you like betting on your failure then this is a terrible deal and quite shocking how normal it has become to have people register a super cheap domain and after a year drastically raise the price with no choice but to pay it if they want to keep using the domain.
If you plan on using a domain for more than a year, don’t do an entry discount. Find a host and register that has a low price that you feel comfortable with and stick with them.
Saving a couple bucks up front will cost you hundreds down the road if you end up using the domains long term. In most cases, if not 80% you will use the domain much longer than a year. Another example is Host Gator’s penny for hosting sale. Read the small print! After the free period, you are paying $14 a month for what we charge $3 a month for. No other reputable host will charge that much for a tiny, low-powered plan. Is that one penny for the first month really worth it? Then consider how much faster our web hosting and several other web hosts are. With more experience and personal support. I think the answer is a HUGE no. But I am a little biased to Web Host Pro 😉
Another example is Godaddy’s free domain with hosting. In my experience, Godaddy is the worst. We get 4 times more customers from them than any other host, who is just livid with being stuck with hidden fees and trapped. Especially if they used their web builder. Executives in companies like Godaddy and HostGator literally sit around and think of ways to trick people. It’s really sad for the industry, people get scared of doing things on the Internet because these companies have tricked them. Don’t worry, there are a ton of trustworthy companies on the Internet, and not just Web Host Pro.
Anyway, we just wanted to remind you to be careful this Black Friday and make sure and read the fine print when buying web hosting or domain registration. In most cases, these free or penny initial prices are going to cost a lot more in the long run!
