I would like to gauge people's opinion on what a fair price a starter package on a good quality shared hosting service should be. What amount of disk-space would a server package have, and how many daily page views would you expect it to be able to sustain?
It depends what resources are included in the shared hosting plan. For instance, starting from EUR 1/mo. per 1GB space and 10-30GB traffic is fine, plus additional features such as email accounts, php, mysql support etc.
There are Starter shared hosting plans available from few MB's of space to Unlimited disk space. The cost would vary from $1 to $20 a month. The page views would depend on the type of website and the content/images published on the web page. It will not be easy or right to state the definition of a Starter package as it would be different for every individual/company.
There's no such definition as "Unlimited" for the Web Space I believe, but a method to attract customer(s).
Exactly but still many visitors get attracted towards the term "Unlimited". Many hosting providers still offer unrealistic hosting service like Unlimited Disk Space & Bandwidth.
It really depends on the person and what type of site they are looking to host. If I'm starting a personal blog that's fresh then I say I would be looking for anything like: 5GB disk , 15gb bandwidth at least $5 - $8 if I want it reliable and expect good uptime. But if you go with a dollar plan then don't expect good uptime and reliable services and support because you won't get any of it.
This is what I am getting at. I don't believe the unlimited route is ever good, as a single "Unlimited" Reseller could max out a server on their own. But equally, if I were to sell small plans of 200MB, enough for a small blog, say, but had a server "full" of such customers, that server would also probably be maxed out. I was thinking about what the "sweet spot" should be. So you don't need to cram too many customers onto a box to make it profitable, but at the same time, not being so expensive that it becomes too expensive for the genuine customer who wants good uptime, good performance at a value for money (not cheap) cost point. So these are the numbers I would like to gauge people opinions on. Also, at what number of page views a day, or visitors a day, do you think it would be responsible for a host to say to a customer, that they should possibly upgrade to a VPS? Obviously you can't purchase shared hosting and expect the whole server at your disposal, but neither should a host be too hasty to approach a customer regarding this.
You can get really good shared host for about $6-$8 a mo. You can buy cheaper but you can run into lots of problems. Cheap hosting is a waste of time IMO, my time is worth more then saving .99 cents a mo. "Unlimited" is a fairy tale marketing term, I have know people who tested this and got shut down when they loaded too much stuff on there.
If the Web hosting service provider is helping you with 24/7 support services, good amount of addons along with fast, secured and reliable hosting services then around £15 GBP would be good to start with. WebhostUK LTD would be a right choice to go with. I have hosting accounts with them since last 3 years and seeing kind of services they provide, I'm really satisfied with them. New customers can check their plans.
High quality and reliable shared web hosting plans can range from $4-8$ and that factor of difference is usually based on the level of time for which you purchase the plan. Many host also offer money back guarantee's so even you sign up for a 3 year term to get a lower cost if you don't find it to your satisfaction then you can take advantage of the refund policy.
There is a large range or prices for hosting, but expect to pay around 100 a year. Hosts that are too cheap tend to have poor technical support
disk space shouldn't be a problem for starters so I think what matters is bandwidth... 10-20GB of it should be enough if its a normal (more text less image) site... but if its a image hosting or video streaming site, then I doubt if you really do get STARTER packages for those...
A question so good that there isn't any possible answer to it As you can see from the previous replies, there are too many "if's" and "but's" that are taken into account - type of website, application and plugins used, expected number of visitors and bandwidth needed, the list goes on... Being a Sales and Customer Service rep for a number of years, I often enjoyed this argument with our customers. I have to tell you that a few years ago it was a completely different picture - everyone was comparing Unlimited plans, checking all kinds of promotions and demanding the Sun and Stars for about a $1/month. This is why I always referred to the price-product relation - you need to determine the best pricing for your exact project. Of course many hosts will still try to mislead clients, offering Shared plans for projects they cannot accommodate, but fact of the matter is that at this point the Shared Packages in most hosts are pretty leveled in terms of resources so you are now seeking for other factors on the list - quick 24/7 support on a high level of knowledgeability, extra features that might push your project further etc. In your perfect world, the good should always be able to offer some advice regarding each client's project and possible improvements on it. Price is irrelevant, with so many holidays and constant promotions you can find a good current deal even below the $3-4 mark. My advice? If you are a client - choose your host after you speak with them via chat/phone/mail and check the service and support. If you are a potential host - do a vast research of hosts similar to your target niche, see their features, prices and what are the unique services they can provide, the ones that make the difference between them. After that you can evaluate your service and choose the best pricing.