Lets begin by looking at running costs, the basic overhead of owning a website...
When the large ISP groups are advertising "log in and start up" packagers for just a few pounds, dollars, euro, (choose your currency) it's easy to assume the price of a new website is not only easy to quantify but, probably affordable with pocket-money, petty cash maybe?
Well it's true there are many vendors offering great deals although the cost of starting isn't the cost of ownership. As a website develops one can often find more services are required, typically one then needs to upgrade the hosting 'package', a cost you may not have been expecting. Also, over time you may find the cost of pre-packed website design and hosting escalates when the introductory offers end. Renewal may be much higher. In marketing parlance this is known as a 'loss leader', that company intend to recover their money later when it's difficult for you to change hosts.
This is just one reason why when deciding where to host your website and how to handle the construction one should look ahead two to five years. Try to estimate how much your website will cost over that length of time and you may find there are more economical alternatives even though at the outset it may appear more expensive.
A an example, we helped a client develop a site with a well known hosting company and required two new databases added to meet the necessary requirements. The initial project was not demanding on the server so the 'package' was adequate and cost effective but as soon as it began to grow and develop to meet the business needs it was no longer viable to remain at that ISP. There were in fact many alternatives, none offered such a good introductory deal but were more cost effective when the website needed a higher level of service.
So then what looks like a simple matter of finding an affordable host can have complications. We advise all clients to discuss service providers with us prior to committing to a contract. Many clients prefer to use our hosting although this is not a requirement and we help many clients who use third party services too.