Who Pays for Web Hosting in the Philippines? SOLVED (2024)

Web hosting refers to the service of providing storage space and bandwidth for a website on a web server. It is an essential requirement for any website or blog to be accessible online.

For blogging beginners in the Philippines, determining who will pay for web hosting is an important early decision.

Here is a guide to understanding web hosting costs and options for new bloggers in the Philippines.

Web Hosting Costs in the Philippines

The costs for web hosting can range from free to hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the features and resources required. Here are some typical price points:

Shared hosting – PHP 100-500/month. This is the most common starter option, where your site shares a server with other sites. Popular hosts include Hostinger, SiteGround, Bluehost.
VPS hosting – PHP 1000-5000/month. With a Virtual Private Server, you have dedicated resources for better performance.
Dedicated hosting – PHP 10,000+/month. For large sites, a dedicated physical server may be required.
Managed WordPress hosting – PHP 250-1000/month. Optimized WordPress hosting from providers like WP Engine.
Free hosting – PHP 0/month. Limited options like free blogger/WordPress.com, GitHub Pages, Google Sites.

So in summary, basic shared hosting typically starts around PHP 100/month for new bloggers.

More advanced features raise costs to thousands per month.

But free options also exist for getting started.

Who Pays for Web Hosting?

When starting a new blog in the Philippines, you have three main options on who pays for web hosting:

1. Self-Hosted and Self-Paid

With this option, the blogger handles all the hosting logistics and pays the hosting costs directly.

The major advantage is full control – you choose your hosting provider, domain, and can customize your site.

The downside is the time/effort to setup and higher monthly costs.

Popular self-hosted blogging platforms like WordPress.org give you full flexibility over plugins, design, and features.

Web hosts like SiteGround provide server space for self-hosted sites.

This is the best long-term option as your blog grows, but may have a steeper learning curve at the start.

2. Free Hosted Options

Instead of paying for hosting, bloggers can use various free hosted platforms like:

Blogger – Free blogs from Google with blogger.com subdomain.
WordPress.com – Limited free WordPress hosting with wordpress.com subdomain.
GitHub Pages – Host static sites for free on GitHub.
Google Sites – Basic free hosting from Google for simple sites.

The benefit is zero costs, but these options restrict branding, plugins, monetization, and customization. They work well for testing ideas before committing to self-hosting.

3. Turnkey Paid Hosting

Solutions like Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly make self-publishing easy for non-techies.

You pay their hosting fees monthly, and they handle the setup/maintenance behind the scenes.

This “turnkey” approach streamlines launching a blog, but ongoing fees can add up, and you rely on their proprietary platforms.

Recommendations for New Bloggers in the Philippines

When starting a new blog in the Philippines, we recommend:

Try free hosting first to test blogging and build an audience with no risk. WordPress.com or Blogger are good options.
Invest in self-hosting in the long run for full control and ownership. Start with shared hosting from a Filipino provider like Truehost.
Use turnkey platforms cautiously as they can lock you into their ecosystem. They simplify launching blogs but constrain flexibility.
Research hosting costs thoroughly and budget annually. Lower startup costs help but don’t sacrifice quality hosting.
Register your own domain for branding – even if hosted for free on subdomains initially.

With the right hosting strategy, Filipino bloggers can build their online presence while managing costs effectively especially when starting out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I resell web hosting?

Yes, it is possible to resell web hosting. Some popular methods include:

Reseller hosting: Become a web host reseller by purchasing hosting packages wholesale from a provider and reselling them at a markup to your own customers.
White label hosting: Private label web hosting from another provider under your own brand. You control the branding while they handle the hosting backend.
Multi-tenant hosting: Segment resources on your own servers to host multiple customers. Requires more hands-on server management.
Dropshipping hosting: Register as an affiliate to earn commissions for referrals to established hosts like SiteGround, HostGator, etc. No hosting overhead for you.

Reselling hosting can certainly be done by bloggers and entrepreneurs, but requires significant effort to attract customers and provide support.

It may also require a large upfront investment to acquire the hosting infrastructure.

Does Google Sites charge for hosting?

No, Google Sites does not charge anything for hosting your content. It is a free web hosting service from Google. Some key things to know:

Storage and bandwidth are unlimited. No fees for traffic or visitor usage.
Custom Google subdomain is provided (e.g. yoursite.sites.google.com)
Ability to use a custom domain connecting to Google servers. But you must pay for your own domain registration/renewal.
Limited selection of themes and no ability to install plugins or custom code.
Max file upload size of 250MB per file.
No SSL certificate is included.

So in summary, Google Sites is a very basic but completely free hosting option.

The lack of customization makes it best for personal sites or testing ideas before migrating to advanced paid hosting.

But it can be useful for new bloggers without a web hosting budget.

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Who Pays for Web Hosting in the Philippines? SOLVED