The first year was a small introductory number. Now the renewal notice shows something much higher, and a line item or two you do not remember agreeing to. You are not imagining it. Introductory pricing is common in hosting and the real price arrives at renewal. The useful question is not whether it is annoying but whether what you get is worth what you pay.
Read the renewal bill line by line
Hosting invoices often bundle several things that were separate when you signed up: the hosting plan itself, the domain registration, a security certificate, an email add-on and a backup service. Pull out your last invoice and list each charge with its yearly cost, so you can see what is really behind the total.
Then check the renewal term. Some plans only show the low price if you pay for two or three years upfront, and the monthly price is quite different. Compare one year with one year.
The numbers to put side by side
- ✓Hosting itself — the actual monthly or yearly price for keeping the files online
- ✓Domain renewal — usually a separate yearly fee, and fine to keep wherever it is
- ✓Extras you did not ask for — site scanners, premium email, backup add-ons that were switched on by default
- ✓What is missing — who updates the site, who restores it, and who answers when it breaks
Cheaper is not always cheaper
Dropping to the lowest plan can mean slower pages, no backups and no one to call when something goes wrong. Stay for the wrong reasons and you can pay a lot for something that quietly does very little. Both mistakes are common.
The honest comparison is the full picture: the hosting, the backups, the security certificate, the updates and the time you spend fixing things yourself or paying someone by the hour.
What Website Care replaces
Website Care is $30/month and bundles managed hosting, HTTPS, backups, uptime checks, weekly performance checks, A/B testing and up to 30 minutes of small edits per month. If your current bill is hosting plus a certificate plus a backup service plus occasional paid edits, this is worth comparing item for item.
Your domain stays registered where it is, or moves, and stays yours either way. We build or rebuild the site on our hosting; we do not host a site that was made inside another company’s builder, so a move means a rebuild of your pages.
Before you switch anything
- ✓Do not cancel yet — keep the old plan running until the new site is approved and live
- ✓Note the renewal date — so you are not charged again by surprise
- ✓Check the email — confirm whether your mailboxes are tied to the old plan
- ✓Export what you can — download a copy of files and images for safekeeping
What to expect, honestly
- ✓We do not edit inside your old host’s tools — the new site is built on our hosting
- ✓We cannot negotiate your current host’s renewal price — that is between you and them
- ✓We never promise to restore old data — we rebuild from what you supply
One example of what your site could look like
This is one sample we designed. Yours is built around your business, your photos and your words, and we have more examples if you want to compare directions.
What it costs
Websites are priced one-time by size, plus Website Care at $30/month for hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly checks and A/B testing. Every package includes a consultation, mobile-friendly design, copy we write for you, a contact form, essential search setup and 10 revision rounds. Monthly SEO is an optional add-on when you are ready for it.
Optional add-ons, billed separately
The prices above are for your website. These two are separate monthly products you can add now or later. Neither is part of the website price.
Monthly SEO, from $50/month: new pages published on your site every month. See Monthly SEO →
Business Spotlight, from $30/month: articles about your business, labeled as paid, published on The Company Chronicle. See Business Spotlight →
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
Keep reading
What a website costs monthly · My host is shutting down · Who owns your website · What a small business site costs
