Common mistakes when choosing a hosting service and how to avoid them

Mistake №1. Focusing on lower prices.

Cheaper isn't always better. Often, lower prices mean minimal resources and overloaded servers, where your website will have to share capacity with hundreds of others. As a result, pages load slowly, and search engines rank your website lower.

How to avoid

Find a balance between price and quality. Check that the hosting provider offers:

• modern SSD drives (they are 5-10 times faster than HDDs);
• a guaranteed 99.9% uptime — an indicator of server stability;
• sufficient memory (RAM) and processing power (CPU) for your website type:
• −  256-512 MB RAM and 1 CPU core — for a simple static website;
• −  1-2 GB RAM and 1-2 CPU cores — for a small corporate website or blog;
• −  4-8 GB RAM and 2-4 CPU cores — for an online store with 1,000–5,000 products;
• −  8-16 GB RAM and 4-8 CPU cores — for a large news portal;
• −  16–64+ GB RAM and 8-32 CPU cores (or more) — for a high-load project or marketplace.

Mistake №2. Buying the most expensive service package.

There's also a common misconception that the more expensive the plan, the better. Many users believe that a more expensive package guarantees maximum hosting speed, security, and stability, so they immediately opt for the "top" plan. However, in practice, this often leads to overpayments and unnecessary complexity.

Як уникнути

• Assess your website's actual needs: for example, if your blog gets around 300 visitors per day, there's no point in paying for a VPS — standard shared hosting will be more than sufficient.
• Start with a basic plan: this allows you to scale gradually without overpaying upfront.
• Read the terms and conditions for upgrading plans: make sure your chosen hosting provider allows you to change packages without data loss or website downtime.
• Consult with technical support: most providers will help you choose a plan that suits your goals and website type.

Mistake №3. Limiting website expansion.

As your website grows, resources run out. If your provider doesn't allow you to quickly upgrade to a more powerful plan, you'll lose visitors and sales.

How to avoid

• Choose a hosting service that allows you to increase RAM or CPU without downtime.
• Make sure you can upgrade to a VPS or cloud service in just a few clicks.
• For large projects, it's important to have an automatic scaling system.

Mistake №4: Underestimating the role of technical support.

Even the best server isn't immune to failures. If technical support is slow or indifferent, every problem will result in lost time and customers.

How to avoid

• Choose hosting with 24/7 support.
• It's important to have multiple communication channels — chat, email, phone.
• Check real user reviews to see if support responds quickly and competently.

Mistake №5. Lack of backups.

Backups are your «life insurance». Without them, any crash, virus, or error can wipe out years of work.

How to avoid

• Your hosting provider should create automatic backups (daily or weekly).
• Find out how long they are stored.
• Check whether you can create backups manually or store them in the cloud.

Mistake №6. Ignoring security.

Without proper protection, a website easily becomes a target for hackers or DDoS attacks. This can lead to data loss, reputation damage, and even fines.

How to avoid

• SSL certificate (free or paid).
• DDoS protection.
• Regular system updates.
• Isolated environment for each account.

Mistake №7. Low or unstable uptime.

Uptime is the time a website remains up and running. If it's below 99.9%, the site may be unavailable for several hours a month.

How to avoid

• Choose a hosting service with a guaranteed uptime of 99.9% or higher.
• Review the SLA (Service Level Agreement) for guarantees.
• It's good if the hosting service has publicly available server stability statistics.

Mistake №8. Ignoring server geolocation.

Loading speed depends on the distance to the server. If your users are in Ukraine and the server is located in the US, your website will load more slowly.

How to avoid

• Choose servers located closer to your target audience.
• For international projects, use a CDN (Content Delivery Network).
• Check if the hosting provider has multiple data centers in different countries.

Mistake №9. An inconvenient or outdated control panel.

If the interface is complex, even creating an email account or installing a CMS can be a challenge, especially if you're a beginner.

How to avoid

• Give preference to user-friendly control panels (cPanel, ISPmanager, DirectAdmin).
• Look for Ukrainian localization, which will simplify the process.
• Ask if there's a knowledge base, video tutorials, and quick access to support.

Mistake №10. Hidden Additional Fees.

Sometimes an attractive plan price is just a façade. After purchasing, you discover that SSL, backup, or migration require additional charges.

How to avoid

• Carefully read the plan terms before paying.
• Find out whether the price includes:
• −  SSL certificate;
• −  backup;
• −  website migration;
• −  technical support.
• Choose transparent providers that display the full price upfront, without any «asterisks».

Mistake №11. Choosing a provider without checking their reputation.

New or unknown companies often attract customers with low prices, but lack experience or reliable infrastructure. In the worst case, they simply disappear from the market.

How to avoid

• Find out how long the hosting company has been operating and whether it has its own data center.
• Reliable companies always have:
• −  public contact information;
• −  real customer case studies;
• −  a clear legal address.

Maxnet Hosting – a stable foundation for your website

Maxnet SSD hosting combines reliability, performance, and professional support.

We offer:

• SSD hosting in data centers in Ukraine and Europe;
• automatic backups;
• the ability to upgrade to a different plan in just a few clicks;
• a full security suite – from basic SSL to antivirus monitoring;
• 24/7 server stability monitoring and technical support;
• a user-friendly control panel and quick setup;
• transparent pricing.

Choose a hosting plan for your website from Maxnet, and your project will always be online, without interruptions or delays.