Website Hosting? Am I Getting Taken for a Ride

Purepwnage2 on 01/07/2023 - 09:35

So I paid this company to develop my website so i signed up and was told at the end of it i get the source code and choose a hosting server ect ect
Now that the website is done they want me to have them do the hosting under there dedicated server which is going to cost $2000 for 3 years or something like that.
Anyways from what I was told the website was built on Wordpress.
He said I need to choose a dedicated server cause the website was built for a dedicated server- when looking at dedicated servers it’s like $300 a month! (So their offer is the cheapest) . If Basically this is a basic 5 page website, no videos or moving animations. The most high tech thing I have is a contact form which goes to my email and a map.

So my question is, does this website have to be hosted on a dedicated server (he said it was made for a dedicated server but it’s also just made on Wordpress)
Or can I just host this on a shared server.

Btw the website is not going to be high traffic (barely a few visits a month) . It’s mainly just to provide a website presence.

Thanks, my knowledge is very limited lol

Internet Web Hosting

Comments

  • deme on 01/07/2023 - 09:57
    +13

    i get the source code

    Did you get it

    If Basically this is a basic 5 page website, no videos or moving animations. The most high tech thing I have is a contact form which goes to my email and a map.

    Doesn't matter

    Btw the website is not going to be high traffic (barely a few visits a month) . It’s mainly just to provide a website presence.

    Honestly just pay for https://ventraip.com.au/web-hosting/wordpress-hosting/ ask them for help installing it and be done with your mob.

    If you have so much traffic you need a dedicated server then you also need multiple dedicated servers because you have so much traffic you don't want your site being down. But you have barely any traffic.

    • LVlahov on 01/07/2023 - 13:16
      +12

      I work in marketing (although not a web developer personally) and host a number of sites with Ventra (who are local which is also a plus). Have found their team really supportive of people with little knowledge, their speed and stability is great, and their pricing is competitive.. much cheaper than the OP is paying. Would eat my hat if their shared hosting wouldn't be sufficient. I have much larger/higher traffic sites (ex. 6000+ visits per month, with local hosted video & pdf downloads etc) paying less than or around $300pa.

      • BartholemewH on 04/07/2023 - 22:00
        +1

        Agreed re: Ventura IP. I have set numerous domains/sites up with them. Their support have always been fast and helpful.

    • Purepwnage2 on 01/07/2023 - 13:41

      Agreed! When I did the basic research I already bought my domain name from ventralIP so I wanted to with them.
      I was told “you need a dedicated one cause the website that was created on Wordpress for a dedicated hosting plan” <- that’s what through me off

      • whiskeyjack89 on 02/07/2023 - 19:13
        +16

        Yeah thats BS, wordpress doesnt care how its hosted (Ive made about 50 sites in it) Talk to ventra or other provider, hopefully they'll sort you out, if you have any issues shoot me a message, always happy to help out a n00b work out thier micro ;)

    • numloxx on 02/07/2023 - 12:44

      Yes for ventraip. They are great. I host a few sites with them as well. $10/month

  • Elegant Giant on 01/07/2023 - 09:59
    +6

    Without familiarity with WordPress and shared vs dedicated (beyond a 2 minute skim of the first Google result) it sounds like resource-wise a shared server will be sufficient. However, the tradeoff is potentially lower security as you're sharing a server with other sites, so any potential security risks they introduce could lead to compromise of the server, which includes your site.

    Real world scenario, if you're just hosting a couple of static-text sites and not storing any information or personal data (yours or client) then a shared site should be fine. $300/month seems high for what you need - hosting something simple on Azure, for < 100 visits a month, would be drastically cheaper. The tradeoff here is knowledge - you're relying on someone else's implementation, so you're paying for their experience & a higher cost monthly for a simpler implementation & hosting solution.

    As for the monthly cost, I'd query how it's getting to $300 a month for a simple site with minimal traffic - from the WordPress site (https://wordpress.com/pricing/), even for the "business" tier you're looking at $33 / month (paying yearly) or $55/month paying monthly. For your needs, the Personal ($60/year) would probably be just fine. Note that you'd need to pay domain costs on top of this, which varies but would be $x per year, based on domain (eg .com / .com.au / .net etc)

    I assume a lot of the overhead is coming from a "managed service" you're paying for, where they potentially upkeep the website, make x amount of changes per month as desired, etc.

    If you want peace of mind, stick with the managed service but see what the shared server costing is. If this dev is also going to provide ongoing costs see if that's what you're after or what you're happy with. If you want to save some cash you'll probably need to pick up a crash course in web management (DNS registration, WordPress requirements, basic editing).

    TL:DR;
    You don't need a dedicated server for a basic site hosting 5x plain text pages and a contact form.

    • [Deactivated] on 03/07/2023 - 10:11
      +4

      I disagree - if you host it with ventraip who have a team of people managing servers to best practice and running cagefs (all users (sites) run in their owned caged environment) the you'll be MORE secure than the one guy managing his dedicated server most likely

    • thisusernameistaken on 03/07/2023 - 11:22
      +3

      I agree with jomojomo, shared hosting from a major provider (e.g VentraIP, DreamIT Host, Clickhost) is likely to be more secure than a web developer who hosting it on a dedicated server and manages the updates for cPanel or DirectAdmin, CloudLinux themselves.

    • AJW on 04/07/2023 - 09:18
      +1

      Geez bro, don't tell people to go to wordpress.com - they go to install a plugin and realise they have to upgrade their account to be able to do anything!
      Avoid wordpress.com if you can, especially for hosting.
      Wordpress.com is just a separate commercial entity and not related to wordpress.org

  • boomramada on 01/07/2023 - 10:00
    -1

    What kind of server are we talking about?
    What was the estimated traffic were you predicted?

    • deme on 01/07/2023 - 10:04
      +5

      What was the estimated traffic were you predicted?

      Read the post

      Btw the website is not going to be high traffic (barely a few visits a month) . It’s mainly just to provide a website presence.

  • Yoo on 01/07/2023 - 10:24
    +3

    You don't need a dedicated server for a wordpress website. Check out siteground WP hosting, for $300 you get 2 years of hosting. https://au.siteground.com/wordpress-hosting.htm

    The startup plan is more than enough. Even the 10,000 visits per month is not a limit. It can handle way more than that.

  • AndyC1 on 01/07/2023 - 10:36
    +8

    Sounds like you need to read the contract you signed and then give us an update on what you actually agreed to.

    • [Deactivated] on 01/07/2023 - 10:59

      This.

    • Purepwnage2 on 01/07/2023 - 13:44

      No contract, it was just one of those online companies that make a website however they said they can manage it or I can choose a host and they will upload it. Now we are at the stage where it’s ready to go and I told them a hosting site but they said I need a dedicated one with unlimited everything which I believe is overkill for me.
      The impression I got is they created the website as a “dedicated server” website which is limiting me in selecting a host but I didn’t think website creation under Wordpress is made to be limited to only hosting on dedicated servers. I thought that was completely seperate to the making of the website

      • AndyC1 on 01/07/2023 - 17:20
        -2

        You would have entered details and clicked on some agreement button and therefore agreed to some contract.

        Who cares about impressions, and if you agreed verbally over the phone then you are SOL.

  • legend30836 on 01/07/2023 - 10:44
    +4

    I think Wordpress.com is definitely your best option. The $300/month hosting is a total ripoff for what you want.

    • Marrk on 03/07/2023 - 09:12

      WordPress (code and database that can be used anywhere) and WordPress.com are different - OP is definitely being taken for a ride though, can get shared hosting for $60 per year which would suffice.

      • legend30836 on 05/07/2023 - 11:19

        Where can you get shared hosting for $60 per year these days? Every time I have looked recently, I've found very cheap deals for the first year, and then regular prices usually over $100 for each following year.

        • Marrk on 05/07/2023 - 12:34

          I am paying $34.75 per year from one of these Obble deals - lifetime discount:
          https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/771826

          Was previously with Zuver for around $60, VentraIP’s budget brand - looks like they have gotten rid of it now.

  • Alexander420 on 01/07/2023 - 11:24

    Do you mind to tell me how much you spent to create the website?

    • AustriaBargain on 01/07/2023 - 12:40

      Likely a few thousand if it's a basic small business site made with a visual page builder.

      • Alexander420 on 01/07/2023 - 20:01
        +5

        Thank you, maybe I should start a site gig making website. Money sounds good.

        • AustriaBargain on 01/07/2023 - 20:28
          +3

          Takes longer than you'd think, even with visual tools. Learning Wordpress itself is a huge PITA, not as bad as learning static HTML/JS/CSS though, but you will want to learn all them anyway even if you only use Wordpress and visual builders. Plus you need to be good at sales, or work for someone who is good at sales.

          • Alexander420 on 01/07/2023 - 21:40

            @AustriaBargain: I work in Sales since high school selling motorcycle parts, currently working as sales in real estate industry. I have made lots of website using CSS for friends and family but never really charge them apart from a case of beer and hosting fee. Apart from Airtasker, do you know where people find a website company? Thank you for your insight.

            • AustriaBargain on 01/07/2023 - 21:53

              @Alexander420: Ranking high on Google searches is probably the way to do it. You'd be surprised how easy it can be, if you know how. Some of the shittiest businesses in your city will do good business just because they paid someone who knows how to rank them in Google. Of course for a business selling websites it's kind of a crowded market, even the shittiest website maker knows a little something about SEO..

    • Purepwnage2 on 01/07/2023 - 13:45
      +1

      $800 for website but it’s now up to like $1500

      • Alexander420 on 01/07/2023 - 20:01
        +1

        Thanks mate.

      • Slippery Fish on 02/07/2023 - 09:00
        +1

        Ouch

      • Kangal on 02/07/2023 - 21:38

        These days you can ask ChatGPT and it will build it for you.

        • diss on 04/07/2023 - 09:19
          +3

          And it’ll (profanity) up in several places that you can only fix if you know how to code anyway

          • Kangal on 04/07/2023 - 19:55

            @diss: It's so smart, that it'll make you think it's dumb. Skynet is just waiting for NeuroLink to happen…

  • Gravy on 01/07/2023 - 11:55
    +9

    As a web designer in a previous life I would say yes you are being taken for a ride, especially if its basically just a brochure style website and you aren't directly selling anything on it. As ElegantGiant mentioned, there are potentially some security issues on a shared server (including potential for some email blacklisting problems if you use the server's email services) but not a major concern by the sounds of things.

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 01/07/2023 - 12:05

    What are the specs of this "dedicated server"? Sounds like a pretty fancy web development company to host their own dedicated machines. Will they manage updates or do you pay extra?

    • Purepwnage2 on 01/07/2023 - 13:47

      Unlimited everything is what I was told lol
      I don’t need it to be managed. It’s solely for a web presence to build credibility of the company. Targeted population is not end user consumers.

      • peterpeterpumpkin on 01/07/2023 - 14:17

        Sorry, by specs is was referring to the machine, since that's what dedicated means. So the machine would have 64 GB RAM, for example. Having unlimited bandwidth or hard drive space is obviously meaningless in your case.

        By managed, I was referring to WordPress core and plugin updates (which often include page builders these days). You might be fine but it has historically been common for a less popular plugin to have security vulnerabilities eventually discovered (e.g. a contact plugin). Most hacks these days aren't that bad for popular plugins (normally only an "editor" could do something beyond their privileges), but coders make mistakes. If you're not too worried about being hacked (or having stored contact form entries seen) then it's up to you to take the risk. My smaller clients don't care and pay to fix the damage when it happens (privacy of clients being the main issue).

  • AustriaBargain on 01/07/2023 - 12:39
    +1

    Managing Wordpress and keeping it secure and fast loading is a PITA, for $666 a year I'd consider taking them up on it, if I didn't already do it myself cheaper. If it's a low traffic site then it would basically just cost like 60 cents a month on a VPS. But if you don't keep the plugins up to date then your site could get hacked. In any case you were promised source code, so you should get them to make a backup of the site for you, something like this will make a file that you can easily restore your site onto any host you want https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-wp-migration/ But if you have no experience with Wordpress or hosting then you won't know how to point the DNS at the new host, and it'll be a bit of a headache for you. You really want to learn how to do it all just for one website? If you were having a wedding would you spend weeks learning how to make a wedding cake vs just buying one?

    Maybe you could talk them into lowering their price or including like six basic website changes, like text or images, per year or something? And get them to guarantee a certain average score on Google PageSpeed.

    Don't underestimate Wordpress either, half the internet is built on Wordpress, I know OZB isn't but it easily could be made on Wordpress. Half the websites I visited yesterday are on Wordpress, like The New Yorker and Hisense website.

  • [Deactivated] on 01/07/2023 - 12:57
    +19

    Mate this is absolutely outrageous. I build websites for clients and that too on WP. Even help setup hosting and stuff. How the heck would you even need a dedicated server for a 5 page basic as website? My clients I put on with a local host whom often posts here and that too with my discount. It comes down to like $110 per year. From the sound of traffic and such that you've said, dedicated seems absolute overhaul for no reason unless if there is an actual something we're missing here like if theres other stuff like changes/maintenance/updates involved. If you want, shoot me a pm and I can take a look for you but goodness me $2k for hosting for a basic 5 page website with minimal traffic? bonkers

    • Purepwnage2 on 01/07/2023 - 13:52

      Hey man,
      Nah nothing is being missed from your post. Pretty much hit the nail on the head. Basic 5 page (5 navigation pages up the top e.g welcome, about is, services, contact us)
      The most complex thing I have is a form for people to contact me.
      Legend! I might take you up on that if that’s okay.
      I was expecting to pay like $110 on VentralIP for the freedom plan, bit shocked to be told I need to pick a dedicated server.
      Unless I misunderstood I believed I was told that the website was built on custom WP and I need a dedicated server or it wont work? That didn’t make sense to me but I have no experience soooo yeah lol

      • AustriaBargain on 01/07/2023 - 13:57

        Is the site set up so you can log into Wordpress yourself? And can you make changes to the pages yourself? You can code Wordpress pages from scratch but they likely used a visual builder that you yourself could use, as long as you clean the cache after edits anyway. What is your website, you can run the address through builtwith.com and it'll give you some insights into what's running under the hood.

      • [Deactivated] on 01/07/2023 - 15:19

        @Purepwnage2 ye no problem, just send a pm thru and i can take a look and get u in the right direction

    • AustriaBargain on 01/07/2023 - 13:55

      Perhaps their caching solution relies on their specific server, like light speed, but caching solutions can be changed. I doubt the average person could work it out easily, but anyone experienced with Wordpress could do it no problem. That's the rub though, experience with servers and Wordpress can't just the instantly downloaded into your brain like Matrix training programs.

      • Benno007 on 02/07/2023 - 08:54

        Yeah, that or they may have set up some config in nginx/Apache/PHP or something for a plug-in, but that doesn’t usually need dedicated server to configure(maybe just the way they did it and they didn’t want to reconfigure lol). Always a workaround/trade off for things like that.

      • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2023 - 11:20

        Even then a normal website would work without the specific crawler (like the litespeed crawler if your referrng too) on shared hosting providers and most hosts, come with the server anyway. i make sure to use hosts on litespeed server, email relay (incase clients use email), free ssl, uptime, good speed, location, security, cloudlinux caged and isolated, backups and good support. 99% of the time, this issue wouldn't even be an issue iykwim.

      • kiitos on 02/07/2023 - 13:16

        Does a 5 page website need caching?

        • AustriaBargain on 02/07/2023 - 13:27

          If you want the highest possible score on Google PageSpeed Insights then sometimes, yeah. Especially if you don't use a CDN.

        • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2023 - 16:46

          Not necessarry. But good for speed and seo. Most hosts come with some sort of caching server like Litespeed so might aswell download the free WP litespeed plugin and use that. Good boost in speed when setup right.

  • pr0o on 01/07/2023 - 16:33
    +3

    Hey mate, me and my wife develop websites and charge $300 for three years shared hosting for all the basic websites (text based, security + SEO addons etc) and requires basic bandwidth (upto 50k visits per year).
    You need dedicated server for your website, when your website is basically like a web app that needs high-end security, database, continuous loads, dedicated IP etc so yes, you are being taken for ride.

  • Loot N Plunder on 01/07/2023 - 20:36
    -7

    If you are on a good nbn connection just buy a cheap secondhand pc for $100-$200 and host it yourself, it isn't that hard at all
    With that amount of traffic you expect you would be mad to pay someone else plus you will get to learn
    All you will need is a dedicated ip from your provider

    • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2023 - 16:48
      +2

      Not hard but not ideal at all. Mainly because OP doesn't seem like they may have the time/knowledge/skill to setup something of that sort which functions well and is secure. And even with some knowledge, there is Many many potential risks and threats compared to buying from a provider.

    • Marrk on 03/07/2023 - 09:22
      +1

      A good, shared hosting provider can cost less than $100 per year. Well worth the cost for the support/security and not having to pay for your computer to be on 24/7/365 with most ISP's charging for a dedicated IP address.

  • Dave Bowman on 01/07/2023 - 22:14
    +1

    If you have WordPress admin access, you can export your site using a plugin called "All-in-one WP Migration". Then set up your own hosting and import the site. Some hosts have their own easy import tool as well. If you do move, just make sure to remove the other people as admins so they can't log in.

  • TilacVIP on 02/07/2023 - 08:02
    +3

    Basic 5 page WordPress for $1500 - stitched up there alone. Unless you're strapped for time, there are some excellent YouTube tutorials, you probably could have wipped that site up yourself & had probably had some fun along the way.

    $2000 for hosting also seems a rip….

  • H4nd0 on 02/07/2023 - 08:27
    +6

    For all that is holy - you do not need WordPress. No one does. It's a blogging platform. It's one of the biggest cons going. Riddled with vulnerability and security flaws in itself and also by virtue of the plethora of terrible plugins.

    https://www.cvedetails.com/product/4096/Wordpress-Wordpress.…

    Just don't. Ever. So many better CMS out there if you wanted to host a website.If you are not technically adept, then even more reason to avoid as WP requires continuous management from a security perspective.

    You don't need a dedicated server for basic WP hosting. Especially for a site that sounds like its static pages and then only 5 of those. If you have to go that route consider WP Engine or similar. Other hosting options here: https://themeisle.com/blog/best-wordpress-hosting/.

    If you absolutely have to self-host get a Linux Droplet from DigitalOcean for $US4/month. But now you have manage/patch Linux. That doesn't include Droplet backup costs.

    For your basic hosting and page requirements just sign up with Squarespace or Wix. Do it all yourself. $US150 for two years.

    If you are really on a shoestring build it via a nocode HTML generator (e.g. nicepage) and host on CloudFlare Pages for free. Create your graphics in Canva.

    Cancel your subscription. Ask for your money back. As for "source code". There isn't any. They would have modified a baseline WP template or bought a template off Theme Forest or equivalent. The theme is useless outside of WP.

    Sorry but you have got mislead and oversold.

    • mjwills on 03/07/2023 - 11:40
      +5

      I thoroughly suggest using CloudFlare Pages if the pages are just brochureware with email links (i.e. a static site would be fine).

      I do this for https://www.janewillsspeechpathology.com.au/ and the cost is $0. And quite fast.

      So if the wordpress has no real server-side capability, use some form of spider / web downloader to download all of the content. Push to Cloudflare Pages and away you go.

  • Joey2scoops on 02/07/2023 - 09:27

    Yes, you are being robbed. Recently set up a site, having not done it for 20 years. $20 for a domain, $55 for shared hosting (siteground) for 3 years. Access to tons of WordPress templates and plugins. DIY is just your time or plenty of other low cost options. Could also try finding a developer on Fiverr.

    • [Deactivated] on 02/07/2023 - 11:21

      55$ for 3 yrs?

  • Waltervp on 02/07/2023 - 09:33
    +2

    Absolutely zero need for dedicated hosting!!! You are being taken for a ride. Use any website host you like that supports WordPress, almost all of them, and bob's your uncle. Sounds like you need to take up one of the offers from the comments and count your losses with this crowd unless they are willing to cut down the hosting cost to be more reasonable, and on a shared server. I bet they won't even give you a dedicated server if you did pay them for it. A five page business presence website on say WP should be cheap as chips! $500 to make and $500pa to host would be a comfortable budget i would imagine. Ask them for a shared server space and offer $500pa or you'll start again with someone else.

    • trapper on 03/07/2023 - 10:42
      +1

      $500pa is still way too much, even $100pa is probably too much.

  • alxr0101 on 02/07/2023 - 09:52

    Budget for maintenance….plugin updates. Security review/updates. WordPress is not set and forget.

    • AustriaBargain on 02/07/2023 - 13:30
      +1

      And backups you can revert to if you do forget to update some plugin that later has a flaw that gets hacked. Wordpress is a wonderful thing, but you need to watch it. People talk about it like it's still some goofy blogging platform but there's so many amazing looking and fast loading sites out there that have no hallmarks of Wordpress that are built on Wordpress. Some people even use it just as a CMS and hand code all the pages.

  • Bluto Mindpretzel on 02/07/2023 - 19:26
    +1

    Yes you are absolutely being taken for a ride and they are charging you the petrol for your trouble. Sounds like a few static pages which can be coded by hand and be very lean/light on bandwidth and resources.

  • SpicyStew on 02/07/2023 - 19:42

    Get yourself a VPS and tell them to upload there
    then restrict access so they can't log back in to your VPS

    dedicated servers are for high traffic which you state you don't need
    you can always switch to dedicated if you ever need to later in time

  • Zondor on 02/07/2023 - 20:49

    If you get the files from em, you can give em to Ventraip.com.au with their hosting plans and they will put it up for you.

    When you get the files from em, make sure it includes:

    A Zip of all the site files
    An export of the database

    These are the two key bits of a website.
    Source: Have built, deployed and relocated many WordPress sites.

  • Save Medicare on 02/07/2023 - 21:57

    Honestly hostkoala will do you a year for like $60 shared ssd wp hosting

  • OzFrugie on 02/07/2023 - 21:59

    Cant give much input to OP, but I am looking to have someone/company to help me build a website.
    My requirements are similar to OP.

    So that I dont get taken for a ride, what do I need to look for / to ask the developer?
    How much is reasonable?

    I have domain and hosting already with Clickhost, which I think compatible with WP

    • [Deactivated] on 03/07/2023 - 12:14
      +1

      I run a web agency so speaking from clients POV. Ensure that they are generous with revisions or atleast the price they charge would be generous for that. Basic SEO setup should also be something considered. If they build your site with premium plugins and themes, even better. If you will be editing the website yourself, ask them if they use a cms/builder/platform that can be easy to use/modify and edit. For example, depending on the client and their needs, I use a range of different page builders for clients, from easy to use ones for client's whom make changes for themselves, to other based on Speed, pricing, etc. Also check portfolio, experience, reviews, cms they use, responsiveness, support and timeline. Costs can vary depending on design and number of pages, extra features etc.

    • thisusernameistaken on 03/07/2023 - 12:31
      +1

      If it's just an information website, I'd recommend avoiding WordPress as you will save a lot of money in maintenance. If you don't need to change the website content, you could get a static website.

      • OzFrugie on 04/07/2023 - 01:24

        What is WP suitable/good for ?

        • diss on 04/07/2023 - 09:24

          Mainly blogs which is what it was made for, but it’s a CMS so broadly any website where the content changes enough to justify dealing with Wordpress

        • thisusernameistaken on 04/07/2023 - 10:21

          WordPress can be used for anything but it's very easy to install 20+ plugins with dubious quality so unless you're prepared to keep it up to date, I'd suggest looking at other options. It can be a great content management system if you build the site well by sticking to reputable plugin developers, removing unused plugins/themes and using as minimal plugins as necessary.

      • Zondor on 04/07/2023 - 21:39

        My problem is that most wix/squarespace templates look like garbage.

  • capslock janitor on 02/07/2023 - 22:42

    Your cute n funny

  • AusNugz on 02/07/2023 - 22:48

    If it’s literally just:

    If Basically this is a basic 5 page website, no videos or moving animations. The most high tech thing I have is a contact form which goes to my email and a map

    You should have used Google Sites and then follow this guide https://support.google.com/sites/answer/9068867?hl=en-AU

  • stampella on 02/07/2023 - 23:13

    Absolutely being taken for a ride through scenic route.
    I still have my hosting server up (full bare metal server that I rent in Sydney, virtualize and manage for a handful of old customers) and the total cost is less than what they asked you for your 5 pages only.
    Your website would probably be ok in any hosting setup.
    Still in a bind? Pay me 10$/month and I'll host it. Decent money for me and great hosting for you. As long as they provide files and db dump we'll get it going.

  • Geryatric on 02/07/2023 - 23:25

    Yes, they are scamming you.

  • leiiv on 03/07/2023 - 01:20

    I think there is a confusion on the term "dedicated". Normally it is used as in "dedicated server", which means that you get one physical server/machine just for yourself.
    But I think in your case, the company might use the term dedicated as in the "VPS hosting" (you got a virtualised OS in a shared machine) as opposed to shared web hosting.
    There isn't any low-traffic websites that need to be on a dedicated server.
    If they made a modification to the core WordPress code (which is a very bad thing to do), then yes, they can't use a shared web hosting.
    VPS hosting can be cheap too eg lowendboxes, but it certainly needs some technical skills to manage.

  • dharmesht on 03/07/2023 - 07:08

    In past have used One.com to host my wordpress site. Wordpress does not need dedicated hosting. I was paying around $80 yearly. Get the source code from them, and I'll help you host your website it's few clicks and you are set.

  • AEKaBeer on 03/07/2023 - 08:24

    Former domain name and web hosting product manager here. If you're mostly paying for the hosting and the site is as basic as you say, then that level of hosting is unnecessary. However if it's mostly covering management costs with the hosting, SSL certificate thrown in as an afterthought then it's not too bad, as WordPress is pretty shocking in terms of security, it's not just about updating the plugins.

    Lookup WordPress vulnerabilities for some fun reading.

  • Brendoo on 03/07/2023 - 08:36

    You’re getting ripped off. Move it over to shared hosting. And just make sure you have SSL for the main website and the various admin tools (wordpress and other admin). Assuming you know how to do this.

    Keep in mind on-going maintenance, like software updates, SSL certificate renewal, monitoring. And domain renewal (usually automatic if you set it like that). Not sure if that company was doing that stuff for you as well.

    • Marrk on 03/07/2023 - 09:20

      Good point about the domain, OP should make sure under their name and not on a reseller plan with the developer/preferably with someone like Ventra. Ventra is also good in terms of their free Comodo SSL Certificate, may be no need to pay for one if not doing on-site transactions etc.

  • slashor on 03/07/2023 - 09:13
    +1

    I host websites for myself and a few mate's businesses. If I charged my time, I might charge $300 for 3 years, not $300 for a month. I can understand why a proper business might charge more but as everyone has said, you are getting ripped off. Feel free to message if you want some help or hosting.

  • Marrk on 03/07/2023 - 09:15

    Ask for the files and database, go with reputable shared Linux hosting (VentraIP is a good option and they may assist with the initial setup). If a WordPress installation double check the users and make sure there is only an account for yourself/make sure the developer can't log into the website. Try and avoid the developer going forwards as this is scummy behaviour.

  • d39833 on 03/07/2023 - 10:15

    I host multiple website and web apps on AWS for free! You are being taken for a ride. PM if you need any advice regarding how to set it up for free. I am a software-dev

    • tikeyike on 03/07/2023 - 11:03

      I wouldn't say AWS is free, unless you're excluding the domain name cost (~$15 to $90+ a year, depending on the TLD), and about ~$1 for the hosted zone. Either way, it's close to dirt cheap hosting with cloud providers like AWS/Azure/Google.

      • d39833 on 03/07/2023 - 12:07
        +2

        Yes, excluding the domain name. If you use S3 + AWS cloudfront for hosting, you will always be in the free tier for low traffic websittes.

  • RolandWaites on 03/07/2023 - 10:24

    Tell him he's dreamin'

  • trapper on 03/07/2023 - 10:45

    If Basically this is a basic 5 page website, no videos or moving animations. The most high tech thing I have is a contact form which goes to my email and a map.

    This is nothing honestly, the hosting should be a few dollars a month… if that.

  • fry001 on 03/07/2023 - 11:13

    It's expensive compared to if you are happy to do it yourself. Really you should only be paying around $10 per month doing it yourself if you know how to and will need to manage. They need to markup the cost to make a profit and provide a value add service. At the end of the day the hosting will cost roughly $1.80 per day at their price, so your business should be able to absorb it regardless, you should spend the time focused on your core business.

    Similarly, I'm currently needing to replace a fence and was quoted $7000, so I started looking into the idea of doing it myself and the wood and materials from Bunnings would cost me $650 so they are charging $6350 in in labour which also seems like being taken for a ride.

  • vshek on 03/07/2023 - 11:45
    +1

    wow.. I cam host your website for 300 a year on a dedicated server not kidding, DM me.:)

  • thisusernameistaken on 03/07/2023 - 11:57

    I'd say the web developer might be making up a story when it comes to the amount of resources needed. It's also odd that you're expected to pay three years of web hosting up-front.

    There are two types of web hosting service, managed and unmanaged. Managed in your case would mean that WordPress and its plugins & themes are updated for you by the web developer. Unmanaged leaves the maintenance up to you or someone you pay to do it for you. Unfortunately WordPress is not a set and forget system, you have responsibility in keeping the software up to date otherwise automated bots crawling the web for websites with vulnerabilities will find it and hack your website.

    From my understanding, the fee you have been quoted is for unmanaged web hosting? Right now I'd be asking your developer exactly what that $2k gets you. How much bandwidth, storage, email addresses, CPU, RAM etc and if it includes regular WordPress maintenance. If no WordPress maintenance is included, you should definitely look elsewhere. $55 a month just to keep a basic WordPress website online without maintenance included is expensive.

    You certainly don't need "unlimited" everything. First of all, "unlimited" is not true, there would be some hard limit on the resources (although a basic website like yours would probably never hit those limits). As tempting as "unlimited" sounds, you will save a ton of money if you pay for a limited amount of resources. You will likely also get a better server when you pay for less. For example, you could get 100 GB or "unlimited" of storage for your website but you might be hosted on a server that uses Hard Drives instead of SSDs. SSDs / NVMe are faster and always recommended for web applications like WordPress. SSD storage is more expensive compared to Hard Drives so most budget plans only include 5 GB which for a basic website like yours, that's probably enough. Usually a 5 GB SSD web hosting plan would cost somewhere between $5 - $10 per month.

    I'd be happy to take a look at your WordPress setup if you have access. Feel free to PM me.

    You don't need a dedicated server for a basic WordPress website. Shared hosting is more than sufficient.

  • shutupandtakemymoney on 03/07/2023 - 13:28

    Built websites for last 15 years, you're being lied to about the dedicated server requirement. Being quoted $800 and then having $700 worth of add ons is a common tactic, it's your first website so you couldn't know.

    As many have said find a decent host, shared hosting is fine too. About $3.80 a month for example with hostinger (I'm not affiliated, just a quick google search). Just advise the developers that you have your own hosting. You just need to provide them with the cpanel logon details and they'll be able to upload the website for you. Change your passwords (to cpanel and also delete the wordpress admins accounts you don't need) after the work is done and wash your hands of these devs.

    • OzFrugie on 04/07/2023 - 01:21

      Doesnt your cpanel usually contain your email account config? Not safe giving cpanel passwd to 3rd party then?

      • thisusernameistaken on 04/07/2023 - 10:25
        +1

        Yes, that's true. Anyone who has access to your cPanel can read your emails without resetting the password. OP likely won't have an email account setup yet as it's a new website and once the website has been transferred, they can just reset the cPanel password through the client area of their web hosting provider.

  • CowFrogHorse on 03/07/2023 - 14:17

    Going to guess you paid them by credit card. Goto your bank and cancel payment.

  • cbastien on 03/07/2023 - 17:36

    It will be only 3.50 usd.month on AWS light sail… OS and WP always up to date. Can scale up if needed.

    At least could confirm you tested the website ?! It sounds like they have done nothing and they are just asking for more money….

  • Willy Beamish on 03/07/2023 - 18:06

    they are taking you for a ride, so they just created a basic wordpress site which any child can do, if it doesnt need any shop functionality and just a basic web page you can do that yourself, buy your domain and hosting for less than 50 a year.

  • Cly on 03/07/2023 - 22:30
    +2

    Running a web agency here - yeh you've been definitely taken for a ride.

    WordPress websites are very popular and most hosting companies will accommodate them. From the cheap end of the scale (Crazy Domains) to high end (WP Engine), you wont find a shortage of options. Somewhere in the middle like Cloudway could be a great option for you. A dedicated server does have its benefits, but it's absolute BS that your website needs it.

    Like some have already said, use a migration plugin and transfer to a new host. DM me if you need any assistance - happy to help out a fellow Ozbargainer free of charge :)

  • jeeg on 03/07/2023 - 23:19
    +1

    Would hosting on notion and then using a custom domain name that point to that particular page on notion be a worthwhile contender for a small'ish website?

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