Couponing has been around for decades now. Today, we have online coupons that can be used for virtually everything. Most people associate coupons with groceries or clothing but do you know you can even get web hosting coupons?
Budding businesses can use coupons to get discounts on domain and website hosting plans. However, not many are aware of this. One good reason is that no one really talks about it as often as they do when getting discounts on apparel and shoes.
If you are curious, here is everything you need to know about finding and using coupon codes for domains and web hosting plans:
The Basics of Coupons for Domain and Web Hosting
In essence, these coupons are not that different from other types of coupons. It is a code that you need to apply during checkout.
However, the offer that the coupon has may vary.
Most coupons usually get you a certain percentage off the plan. Other coupons get you a free domain.
These codes may be applicable to a particular plan or all plans. You can get up to 50% off for the entire plan of hosting, including a domain.
There are several types of hosting with several classes of plans. Whichever plan may suit your business needs, chances are there will be a discount code for that plan.
See Also: How to Choose a Web Host for Your Website
Where to Find the Coupons?
The million dollar question:
Where to find coupons for web hosting and domains?
It is rather easy these days, thanks to coupon websites. Did you think these websites only have codes for clothing or electronic stores? They have coupons for everything on the internet — including web services!
The best places to find coupons are websites that are specifically dedicated to coupons. They have the latest and valid codes. You can also find the codes at the hosting store sometimes.
Alternately, you can subscribe to email and newsletters, too. These often contain promo codes as well.
How to Read a Coupon Code?
When you are searching for a coupon, you will not see the code right away.
The code is usually hidden and will be displayed once you click it. Usually, you’ll see the code in a pop-up. This code is usually alphanumeric and may have random alphabets as well.
How to Apply a Promo Code
Applying the code is simple and will only take a few seconds. Once you have found the code, you can select it in its entirety and copy it.
Then, go to the web hosting store’s checkout page where you would have already selected the plan of your choice. Find the text box where you can paste this code. This box is usually located where your cart total is stated. Paste the code there and click apply. If the code is valid, your discount will be applied.
In some cases, you might not even need to copy the code. Some coupons just need to be clicked and they are automatically applied.
Once you click for the code, you will be directed to the store’s page where you can select the plan at a discounted price. This is usually the case when the coupon is for a specific kind of hosting plan.
How to Tell if The Coupon Was Successfully Applied
It is quite easy.
Once you hit apply after pasting the code, the page will be refreshed. If the code was successful, you will see that the total cost will reflect the discount. Many times, you can also see how much discount was applied right there in the payment information.
In case the code was invalid, you will see a notification stating that.
When your discount has been successfully applied, you can go ahead and finish the payment process.
How Often Are Discount Codes Released for Web Hosting Stores?
This depends on the web hosting store itself.
The most popular ones with millions of customers, like GoDaddy or Bluehost, release new coupon codes every week. The number of coupons is also high as they get a lot of new customers every day. Small web hosting providers, on the other hand, may release new codes every month.
You do not really have to worry about codes expiring. Most of the time, these codes are valid for a few months.
However, there are some coupons that are limited. For example, they may be valid for a certain amount of time and there may be a limited number of them. Such codes are released on a special occasion (think Labor Day) and run out pretty quickly.
How to Get the Best Discount
Finding coupons is easy but finding the best discount is not.
If you really want the best discount on your hosting plan, you will have to search a bit more. Instead of comparing plans first, compare discounts.
Find the coupon with the biggest discount for the kind of plan you want. See if the plan meets all your business requirements, such as bandwidth, hard disk space, RAM, and email. If everything checks out, go for that plan and make a big saving.
Another way you can save more is by signing up for the longest term possible. The coupon code applies to the entire term. By selecting the longest offered term, you end up saving more.
Conclusion
Using web hosting coupons is much easier today.
Remember those days when your mom used to cut out coupons from the newspaper for groceries? You can do the same with just a click and copy-paste.
It is simple, quick, and saves you money. Small online businesses have a limited budget and they can really use a discount on something as vital as web hosting.
Whether you want a basic shared hosting program or an all-out dedicated server, you can easily get a discount if you spend some time looking for a code. When the plan is in hundreds of dollars, imagine how much you can eventually save.
You can use this money on other important things for growing your business.