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There are many options for dedicated hosting but it can be time consuming to visit every dedicated hosting provider to look for the best deal; not to mention the countless hours looking for reviews about the hosting provider. In this article, we'll show you five easy ways to save on dedicated hosting without having to spend hours on research.

Look for dedicated server specials

This is the best way to save the most money on dedicated hosting. Most of the time, web hosting providers will always have dedicated server specials; reduced prices on leftover servers. Going for dedicated server specials instead of a normal server can usually save you around $50/month or more for a $200/month dedicated server. The key to finding server specials is to ask the hosting provider or look at forums:

• Asking the hosting company for specials is a must before purchasing any dedicated servers. Go to the live chat or submit a ticket asking if there are any specials. Typically, these server specials are not shown on the website and the only way to find out if there are any specials is to ask.
• Looking at web hosting forums can reveal many specials not advertised on the hosting company's website. This is a great way to check for specials without having to ask every company what their specials are. A good forum that's always filled with server specials is WebHostingTalk's Dedicated Hosting Offers. The Dedicated Hosting Offers forum is updated daily with new specials and is one of the best ways to find the best dedicated server deals.

Take the long-term discounts

Sometimes a hosting company will offer a discount if you pay for the full 12 month or 24 month up front. This may seem risky, but if you choose a reliable web hosting company with good reviews and history and you plan on having a dedicated server for that amount of time, then it is sometimes a good idea to take the long-term discounts. Here's why:

• The long-term discounts are usually 10% off or more if you pay 24 months up front. Even if you don't have that money, get a loan from the bank or use your line of credit because the interest you pay for the loan or line of credit is usually less than the discount. That means that even if you have to get a loan or take money out of your line of credit to pay for the 12 or 24 month lump sum payment, you will still save money.
  

• When you pay up front, you may have more negotiation power meaning greater chance of getting free add-ons such as more IP addresses or extra RAM.

When paying a lump sum, make sure that the web hosting provider reimburse you when you want to leave the plan early or if you want to switch to another plan. Do not go for a plan that locks you in on a specific server.

Remove features you don't need

Sometimes the special will give you features you don't need such as extra bandwidth or a control panel software. If you don't need those, ask if you can remove those features for a lower monthly bill. A common feature I remove is bandwidth. For example, I need extra RAM and CPU power but I don't need the extra bandwidth that they give on the higher end servers. With low end servers, you usually get around 1000GB of bandwidth but once you go higher, they usually set the bandwidth to 2000GB and include it in the price. I also don't need the premium 100mbps connection and my website will run the same on a 10mbps connection. By removing the extra bandwidth allocation and premium connection, I will be able to save money. Even if it only saves $20/month, it is better than paying $20/month extra for features you won't use.

Ask for free upgrades

Did you know that many web hosting companies are open to negotiation? Many times, you are able to ask for free upgrades. Asking for free upgrades is much easier than asking for a discount. Instead of choosing a server with your exact needs, choose one with a component or two that are lower and ask if they can upgrade those components to the ones you want. For example, instead of choosing a server with 2GB of RAM, tell them you are interested in the server with 1GB but ask if they can include an additional 1GB of RAM for a total of 2GB for free.

Ask for a sponsorship deal

If you have a popular website that drives a lot of traffic, you may be able to negotiate a sponsorship deal with the web hosting company. Many popular websites have a sponsorship deal with MediaTemple web hosting and the website has a small button saying that the website is hosted by MediaTemple and links to MediaTemple. This is a win-win situation because the web hosting company gets cheap advertising by simply offering a discounted rate off their servers and the website owners can save money by adding just a tiny button to their website.