Every few months a client forwards me a renewal invoice with a subject line that's basically a scream emoji. It's a web hosting bill for $438. For one small website. And when I actually read the invoice, the hosting — the thing that keeps their site online — costs about $90. The other $348 is a pile of add-ons nobody remembers choosing. That's the whole trick, and once you see it you can't unsee it.
The short version
- Hosting is cheap. Your bill is big because the checkout pre-checks add-ons you didn't ask for.
- A domain + solid hosting for a small business should be ~$100–200 CAD/year, not $400–500.
- SSL is free. Domain privacy is usually free. "Premium security" and "SEO boosters" are mostly air.
- At checkout, uncheck everything, buy only the domain and hosting, and ignore the guilt-trip screens.
- Or hand it to me and never look at that cart again — I set up hosting and maintenance so it's one clear price.
Why is my hosting bill $400 when my neighbour pays $120?
Because you didn't overpay for hosting — you overpaid for the add-ons the checkout pre-selected for you. The actual hosting is usually $5–12 a month. The rest is "premium security," an "SEO booster," domain privacy, backups and business email you either don't need or already have. Nobody sat down and chose those. The cart chose them, and you clicked "next."
I'm not saying GoDaddy and the rest are a scam — they're not, and this article isn't a conspiracy theory. They're real companies selling real hosting. It's just that their checkout was clearly designed by the same people who design airport gate pop-ups: every toggle is pre-flipped to "yes, charge me," and every "no thanks" button is written to make you feel like you're personally endangering your business by clicking it. You're not.
What the checkout quietly slips into your cart
Here's the usual line-up. None of these are evil on their own — a couple are even useful — but they're switched on by default and priced like they're rare. This is what turns a $90 renewal into a $400 one.
| Add-on | How it's pitched | Do you actually need it? | Typical charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain privacy | "Protect your identity from spammers" | Useful — but should be free | $12–20/yr |
| SSL certificate | "Secure your site with a padlock" | Yes, but it's free (Let's Encrypt) | $70–100/yr |
| "Premium website security" | "Protect against hackers & malware" | Rarely, for a small site | $100–200/yr |
| Website backup | "Never lose your site" | Often already included in hosting | $30–80/yr |
| Business email | "Look professional with you@yourdomain" | Nice-to-have, optional | $50–90/yr |
| "SEO / marketing booster" | "Get found on Google instantly" | No — this one's just air | $60–120/yr |
That "SEO booster" one deserves special mention, because it's my favourite. It's usually a dashboard that tells you to "add keywords" and pats you on the head. Real SEO is actual work on your website and Google Business Profile, not a $9/month toggle. If getting found is the goal, I wrote the honest version in how to get found on Google.
What you actually need — and what it should cost
Strip it back to the essentials and the picture gets a lot calmer. For a normal small business website, this is the whole shopping list — and the total lands around $100–200 CAD a year, all in.
| Item | Need it? | Fair price (CAD/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name (yourbusiness.com) | Yes — and own it yourself | $15–25 |
| Hosting (small business site) | Yes | $60–150 |
| SSL certificate | Yes | $0 (free) |
| Domain privacy | Nice to have | $0 (many registrars include it) |
| Business email | Optional | $0–90 |
Owning the domain yourself is the non-negotiable part, and it matters more than the money — I explain why in who really owns your website. If your designer or hosting company controls your domain, they control your business's front door.
If you're paying $400+ a year for one small website, you're not buying better hosting. You're buying five toggles you'd switch off in two seconds if anyone showed them to you.
How to buy hosting without getting fleeced
Next time you're at that checkout, run this six-step gauntlet. It takes about ninety seconds and saves you a few hundred dollars a year, every year.
- Buy only two things: the domain and the base hosting plan. That's it.
- Uncheck every pre-ticked add-on. All of them. You can add anything back later in thirty seconds.
- Ignore the "are you SURE?" screen. Yes, you're sure. Your business will survive without "Premium Protection Plus."
- Check the renewal price, not the intro price. "$1.99/month!" becomes $18/month next year. The renewal number is the real number.
- Skip the 3-year lock-in unless you genuinely love them. Pay yearly until you trust the host.
- Confirm SSL is included (it should be). If they try to sell it to you separately, that tells you what kind of host they are.
The stuff you're already paying for that's free
This is the part that stings. Some of the most expensive add-ons are things the wider web made free years ago:
- SSL certificates are free and automated through Let's Encrypt, a non-profit that issues hundreds of millions of them. Any decent host sets it up for you at no cost.
- Domain privacy is bundled free by plenty of modern registrars now — charging for it is increasingly a legacy habit.
- Backups are frequently already part of your hosting plan. Paying a second time for "backup protection" is buying the same umbrella twice.
When paying more is actually fine
I'm not telling you cheapest-always-wins — that's its own trap. Managed hosting that handles updates, security and backups for you is worth real money if you'd rather never think about it. Proper business email is worth it. A busy store doing real traffic needs more than a $5 plan. The rule isn't "pay nothing." It's pay for things you understand and chose — not things a checkbox chose for you at 11pm.
So what should you do right now?
Pull up your last hosting invoice and actually read the line items. Circle anything you can't explain. That circle is your refund waiting to happen. If it's a jungle in there and you'd rather just have it handled, that's literally my job — I set up fast, secure hosting for the sites I build, SSL and backups included, one clear price, and a human (me) to call when something breaks. See website care & hosting, check the plans, or tell me what you're paying now and I'll tell you if you're being had.
Quick gut check: add up your yearly domain + hosting bill. Under ~$200 CAD for a small site, you're fine. $400+ and you're funding toggles. Forward me the invoice and I'll mark up exactly what to cancel.
FAQ
Is GoDaddy a scam?+
No — it's a real, legitimate hosting company. The issue isn't fraud, it's the checkout: it pre-checks paid add-ons like premium security, SEO tools and domain privacy, so people walk out paying $300–500 a year for extras they never chose and often don't need.
Do I need to pay for domain privacy?+
Usually not. Many good registrars now include WHOIS privacy for free. It's genuinely useful — it hides your personal details from public domain records — but you shouldn't pay a yearly fee for it when free options exist.
Do I need to pay for an SSL certificate?+
No. A standard SSL certificate (the padlock and https) is free through Let's Encrypt and included by most decent hosts automatically. Paying $70–100/year for a basic SSL on a small site is money you can keep.
What should hosting cost for a small business website?+
About $100–200 CAD a year all in for a domain plus solid hosting. If you're paying $400–500, you're almost certainly funding add-ons rather than better hosting. See my plans for what I charge.
Can you just handle hosting for me?+
Yes. I set up and manage hosting for the sites I build, so you never see that upsell cart — fast, secure hosting with SSL and backups handled, one clear price, and someone to call when something breaks. That's website care & support.
120+ sites for GTA businesses — and a lot of hosting invoices decoded. Read my full bio · Get in touch
