Unlimited domain hosting looks attractive to anyone who is in search of web hosting. For someone who really does not understand the business and promotion techniques of web hosting, the word unlimited certainly provides an opportunity not to be missed. Just imagine the possibilities with an unlimited hosting package… You can run as many websites, create as many email accounts, and host database that is only limited by the size of your imagination!!! Well, you may be in for a surprise. That “unlimited” really comes with strings attached!

Before I proceed, here is an excerpt from an article on Hostgator Blog…

“…It’s really that simple.
We change an unlimited plan to say “unlimited” and bam — sales increase 30%, if not more. Many people will argue that “overselling” is evil and that it’s the cause of poor hosting service….”

source: http://blog.hostgator.com/2008/10/20/all-you-can-eat-hosting/

What Brent Oxley (Hostgator Web hosting Administrator and Owner) is pointing out is that simply changing a package name to unlimited increases sales by a massive 30%! He further goes on to say that overselling is not a bad idea.. It is how other web hosts implement it that makes it evil. Now we can clearly see a very ingenious business technique being employed in this context. Simply change a product description to something that sounds “attractive” and you instantly increase sales. Something amiss here? The product is the same, specification wise. Its only the name (or description) that has changed!

OK, your web hosting package is unlimited. In other words, you can host any number of domains or websites. Your need for a VPS or dedicated server just got eliminated. Now you can move all your massive traffic websites on this “unlimited” package. Get a top notch web space for a fraction of the cost of a dedicated server. Upload millions of videos and start your own YouTube clone. In fact, invite Mark Zuckerberg to host Facebook on your space since you have “unlimited” resources to spare. All this on the wonderful, God-given and ridiculously cheap UNLIMITED PACKAGE.

Think again. Is the above possible?… The answer is a NO….

Just a sec; wasn’t the web hosting package unlimited? Unlimited means having no restrictions or controls… infinite, right! All the world’s dictionaries and encyclopedia’s define it as so.  Who are you then to give a contradictory NO?

The definition above is right…in the correct English syntax. However, in web hosting terminology, this word takes up a totally different meaning. Unlimited here means “use it AND loose it”!!! Realistically, you can host up to 5 domains with reasonable traffic before you hit the CPU and memory restrictions.  The unlimited, is therefore, nothing more than a very clever tactic to further the business amongst novice or unsuspecting customers. Then looking it from a different perspective, the unlimited may have a meaning after all.

It may come from the context that purchasing an unlimited domain hosting package offers you unlimited ways to get suspended or terminated. As I mentioned earlier, these deals come with various restrictions attached. There are CPU and memory usage limits, limited number of inodes (number of files on your web space), restriction on individual file sizes, FTP upload restrictions and so on. Violate these, and you are at the mercy of the web host. If you are very lucky, you may get a backup of your website before being sent packing home.

You have seen the reasons why businesses advertise their packages as “unlimited”. This is simply to promote the product to someone who does not know deeply how web hosting works. But why do people with vast experience in this business still fall for this tactic? And when would people rise up against these misleading promotion techniques and force the web host providers to take the path of truth rather than deception? I need your comments and opinions in order promote this awarness to the largest audience possible. Please digg, stumble, hugg or tag this post;… not for the benefit of Domain Marvelous; but to let the masses know about the unethical techniques employed by businesses to increase their revenue. I will greatly appreciate your participation

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