Many web hosts offer a number of different “levels” of hosting.

That is, the higher the level you choose, the more money you’ll pay each month but equally the more features you’ll have available to you.

Many new small business websites start off small and can take weeks or even months to grow to quite a sizeable, powerful website receiving hundreds if not thousands of visitors each day.

So buying a whizz-bang professional web hosting account for your small business for $50+ per month seems a bit of a waste of time until things really take off because you’ll be paying through the nose for a number of features you’re unlikely to use for some time. Why bother?

A better option - if you honestly think you’re going to end up with a huge site requiring plenty of server ability to run complicated scripts and receive thousands of visitors - is to look for a web hosting company that will let you start off small then upgrade your account over time as you reach the capacity of your existing account.

You just “bolt on” extra features as you need them - and only then - and as a result this option can often offer the best value for money whilst ensuring your small business web hosting account will be able to grow as your business does.

However — one warning before you fully investigate this type of account…

Once you *have* upgraded it is generally not possible to “downgrade” your account.

That is, if you pay for an upgrade then your small business website suddenly starts to falter and you get less visitors than before (for example if a powerful new competitor appears on the block) then you generally won’t be able to move back down to the account level you had before.

Admittedly the chances of this happening are slim - but it’s still possible - so just be aware before you upgrade your web hosting account.