“Unlimited.” When shopping for a shared web hosting service, it’s a popular word used frequently to describe a company’s selling points — in particular, “unlimited disk space and bandwidth.” In light of today’s web sites becoming more sophisticated, increasingly more and more businesses and individuals are turning to web hosting companies that provide unlimited disk space and bandwidth.

But what does “unlimited” really mean? Can a web hosting provider truly provide “unlimited” resources? And do you really need it? Let’s take a look at some key points, as well as a few recommended web hosting providers, to consider when shopping for unlimited disk space and bandwidth:

What does disk space and bandwidth have to do with my website?
Every website is made up of files. These files may be a collection of HTML pages, images, videos, audio, and databases. They can also contain email accounts, access logs, and installed programs or scripts. “Bandwidth” and “disk space” are terms that relate to how these files are stored and how your users access these files.

What is unlimited disk space? And why does it matter?
If you are going to be providing content — and every website does — you are going to need a place in the virtual world to store it. “Disk space” refers to the amount of hard disk space needed on a web hosting company’s server to store these files.

The amount of storage required depends on the type of site you plan to support. Unless you have huge audio video files on your website, unlimited data space may not be a necessity. Regardless, the advantage of going with a web hosting service that provides unlimited disk space is that you won’t have to worry about running out of disk space as the website grow.

What is unlimited bandwidth? And why does it matter?
“Bandwidth” refers to the amount of data that is sent back and forth from your website. Every time you access a website, you are downloading a file — it could be an HTML page, an image, an audio file, or a video file. With every file that is downloaded, data is transferred.

Bandwidth is one of the hardest factors to predict when choosing a shared hosting solution. How much data is transferred depends on the size of the file. Videos, music, and database-driven web applications are all examples of types of content that are typically large file sizes and — as your web traffic increases — require more bandwidth.

The additional costs some web hosting providers charge for exceeding your bandwidth allocation can really add up. Choosing a provider that offers unlimited bandwidth can provide you with the peace of mind to offer any kind of content you wish to as many visitors as you want.

Can a web hosting company truly provide “unlimited” resources?
While no web host can provide infinite bandwidth each month, providers who offer “unlimited” disk space and bandwidth are well-equipped to provide more than enough disk space and bandwidth for the average website. As long as your website’s disk space and bandwidth usage are similar to other small business and personal websites, you won’t have to worry about running out.

What unlimited web hosting providers do you recommend?
There are a number of plans out there who offer unlimited disk space and bandwidth, including all three of BigHosts’ top-ranked hosting companies:

1. iPage Web Hosting
2. Webhostinghub
3. JustHost Web Hosting

To learn more about these and other great web hosting providers, visit our Top 10 Web Hosting List.

iPage just announced a limited time offer which delivers a comprehensive web hosting solution to support your personal or professional website for just $1/month during the first year.

If you prefer, pay just $.99 in month 1 and then $5/month for the remainder of the year on a month-to-month basis rather than paying the entire year upfront – the choice is yours.

This is one of the best web hosting deals on the Internet and will only be available until tomorrow. To learn more, read the iPage web hosting review and visit our top 10 hosting list or expanded comparison chart.

If you’re looking for a deal on a new web hosting package, here are some of the top web hosting offers for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and beyond:

• HostGator: 50% off on all web hosting services. This includes shared hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers and Windows hosting! This is one of the biggest sales on web hosting every year but it only lasts one day.

 

• IX Hosting: 55% off the Expert Web Hosting Plan starting Friday, November 23rd and lasting through Wednesday, November 28th.

 

• FatCow: Monthly cost on its regular web hosting package has been reduced almost 15% from $3.67/month to $3.15/month until Tuesday, November 27th.

 

• iPage: One of the best deals as the monthly price has been slashed over 40% from $3.50/month to just $1.99/month from today until next Tuesday.

 

• HostMonster & BlueHost: Take $1 off the monthly price of $4.95 to $3.95 on Black Friday only.

Learn more about all these web hosting companies starting with our Top 10 Web Hosting list.

Everyone’s talking about the web hosting industry’s latest arrival, WebHostingHub – including us! Named Top New Host for 2012, we love how simple and affordable they make it to get up and running online. But how does it compare with iPage, one of the most easy-to-use and least expensive web hosting options around?

Let’s compare:

Features and services:
Both companies offer web hosting packages that come loaded with features such as a free domain, unlimited bandwidth and disk space, site building tools, a security suite, e-commerce capabilities and more. Both WebHostingHub and iPage provide quality North American-based customer service by phone and live chat, allowing you to get live help whenever needed.

Price:
When it comes to price, iPage wins with plans that cost $3.50 per month, regardless how long of a contract you choose. If you commit to a 36-month contract with WebHostingHub, you can get started for as little as 3.95 per month. However shorter contract commitments are more expensive. That being said, WebHostingHub does not charge for web migration, meaning if you are moving your website from one hosting service to another, it could prove to be less expensive.

Ease of use:
WebHostingHub provides cPanel, the industry standard in web hosting control panels, to manage and monitor your site. This program is easy-to-use and easy to learn, enabling you to do everything from check traffic statistics to add new e-mail accounts all from the same control panel. iPage uses vDeck, which is a little more complex, but equally (if not more) robust. vDeck includes a wide variety of e-commerce solutions, as well as search engine optimization and submission services that make web promotion easy.

Green technology:
One of the unique aspects of iPage is that it is a web hosting company that strives not only for low prices, but also low impact on the environment. By using wind energy and renewable energy credits, iPage is able to lay claim to entirely green energy power.

Guarantee:
WebHostingHub is backed by a 90-day full money back guarantee – it’s one of the best guarantees in the industry. If at any point during your three months of service you decide that hosting service isn’t for you, they will give you a complete refund. iPage offers an anytime money-back guarantee. This means that within 30 days, a full refund can be requested. After 30 days, a request can be made anytime for the outstanding balance of your contract term.

Conclusion
WebHostingHub and iPage are both attractive and affordable web hosting options. Great prices and easy-to-use features are at the heart of each company’s’ success. Regardless of which service you choose, we think you’ll find they both have what it takes to build a quality website for a low monthly price.