How to Choose a Hosting Provider for your Website (and Avoid the Classic Price Jumps)
If you’ve ever built a website, you quickly learn there’s more to it than picking out colours and popping your logo up top. One of the sneakiest little traps is picking your website hosting—the place where your website actually “lives” online. And in 2025, it’s just as tricky as ever.
Not all hosting is created equal. And, like your mobile phone bill, what you sign up for on day one doesn’t always look like what you’re paying a couple of years down the track.
Watch Out for the Old “Price Creep” Trick
It’s unfortunately common: you find a cheap-as-chips deal, sign up with excitement, and think, “I’m only paying $4 a month—bargain!” Fast forward a year (or three), and that $4 “intro price” is now $12, $18, or more—and you’re too busy or locked-in to make a quick change.
I’ve had a client whose hosting bill started at $8 a month and, by year three, had crept up to nearly $50 a month for exactly the same service. That’s a 6x jump, mates. Nothing new, no extra support—just quietly stacking on cost, renewal by renewal.
What to Watch Out For When Choosing Hosting
Here’s a quick, real-world rundown:
- Read the renewal fees. Most budget hosts hook you with a great first-year deal then quietly ratchet up the price. Don’t be shy—ask what your bill will look like after the first 12 months.
- Look for real-world support. When stuff breaks (and at some point it will), is there an Aussie you can talk to, or are you stuck in a chat queue for hours?
- Check for “extras”. Some “cheap” hosts surprise you at renewal with add-ons you never asked for—premium backups, advanced security, SSL certificates.
- Data location matters. For local Brisbane or Aussie businesses, always make sure your website’s actually hosted in Australia for faster speed.
- Flat-fee, transparent pricing. Peace of mind comes with predictable costs.
Why We Offer Flat Fee Hosting (and Why We’ve Never Raised It)
Our philosophy’s simple: surprises are for birthday parties, not for your business bills. Since Big Bao started back in 2018, our website hosting has always been a true flat fee—no creeping charges, no “renewal shock”. We believe you shouldn’t have to squint at invoices or cross fingers every time your renewal date approaches.
You get reliable, local hosting, no weird add-ons, and a support team genuinely invested in seeing your site stay live and loading fast.
If you’re sick of the price creep or just want to know someone’s actually got your back, let’s have a chat. Whether you’re starting new or want to skip a messy migration, we’ll keep things predictable—and fair. That’s just the Big Bao way.
