Prepared for Nancy Bergeron and Mark Bergeron
How to host the Steamroller network reliably, securely, and cost-effectively — without paying $20/month per site.
March 2026 • Prepared by Paul Walhus
Most realtors pay for traditional web hosting — $10-30/month per site on platforms like GoDaddy, Squarespace, or Wix. For a single website, that's manageable. But when you're running the full network, traditional hosting would cost:
Traditional hosting for the full network
$6,000 - $18,000/yearAt $10-30/month per site × 50 sites
That's money going straight to hosting companies instead of into your business. There's a much better way.
Your websites are built with clean, fast HTML/CSS/JS — no WordPress, no databases, no server maintenance. This means we can use modern static hosting platforms that are faster, more secure, and dramatically cheaper than traditional hosting.
| Feature | Cloudflare Pages | GitHub Pages | Netlify | GoDaddy / Wix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost (50 sites) | $0 | $0 | $0 - $19 | $500 - $1,500 |
| Custom Domains | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free SSL/HTTPS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Extra cost |
| Global CDN | ✓ (fastest) | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Page Load Speed | Fastest | Fast | Fast | Slow |
| Uptime SLA | 100% SLA | 99.9% | 99.99% | 99.9% |
| Sites Limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | 500 | 1 per plan |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | 100GB/mo | 100GB/mo | Limited |
| DDoS Protection | ✓ Enterprise-grade | Basic | Basic | Basic |
| Annual Cost (50 sites) | $0 | $0 | $0 - $228 | $6,000 - $18,000 |
We already have server infrastructure ready to go, and team members with deep hosting and web development expertise.
| Feature | LiquidWeb (We already have this) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
|---|---|---|
| What It Is | Managed VPS & dedicated hosting | Cloud virtual servers (VPS) |
| Status | Already set up — can host 30+ sites now | Available for future expansion |
| Best For | WordPress, managed hosting, reliable performance with 24/7 support | Custom apps, APIs, AI tools, dev environments |
| Starting Price | $15-59/mo per VPS | $4/mo per Droplet |
| Support | ✓ 24/7 human support (phone, chat) — LiquidWeb is known for this | Community + docs |
| Backups | ✓ Included | $1/mo automatic |
| Scalability | ✓ Upgrade anytime | ✓ Resize in seconds |
| Team Resource | Paul Walhus — already manages the LiquidWeb account | Chris Sabato (Oregon) — runs production apps on Droplets |
This isn't a one-person operation. We have experienced professionals ready to support the network:
| Team Member | Location | Expertise | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Walhus | Hot Springs, AR | AI, web development, hosting (LiquidWeb) | Project lead, site builds, AI integration |
| B2 Web Studios | Appleton, WI | CTO & Partner at B2 Web Studios. 25 years in web dev, WordPress, e-commerce, SEO, mobile apps | Senior web development, WordPress, technical consulting |
| Chris Sabato | Oregon | DigitalOcean Droplets, server infrastructure, custom applications | Server infrastructure, dynamic apps, API development |
| Pedro | Office Hours | Hardware setup, studio configuration | Podcast studio build (on-site) |
| Mark Britton | Office Hours | Content production | Podcast production (remote) |
| Ian Morrish | Office Hours | Content production | Podcast production (remote) |
Why this matters: You're not hiring a freelancer — you're getting a team. B2 Web Studios alone brings 25 years and a full agency (B2 Web Studios) behind him. Chris Sabato runs production server infrastructure daily. Combined with Paul's AI expertise and LiquidWeb hosting already in place, your Steamroller network has enterprise-level support at a fraction of what an agency would charge.
Primary recommendation: Cloudflare Pages
Cloudflare is the world's largest web performance and security company. Their Pages product hosts unlimited sites with unlimited bandwidth, the fastest CDN on the planet, enterprise-grade security, and it's completely free. This is what the pros use.
Backup: GitHub Pages + Cloudflare DNS as a fallback if we need version-controlled deployments for any specific site.
Growth path: We already have a LiquidWeb account that can host 30+ sites today. When you're ready for dynamic features (AI lead tools, listing feeds, the letsmaketheoffer.com app), we scale up using LiquidWeb or DigitalOcean Droplets (Chris Sabato, Oregon) — starting at just $4-15/month. Plus B2 Web Studios (B2 Web Studios, Appleton WI — 25 years in web dev) is on the team for senior development support.
Your annual hosting savings
$6,000 - $18,000vs. traditional hosting at $10-30/site/month
Your domains are currently spread across GoDaddy and Netfirms. This split makes management harder and more expensive. Here's what I recommend:
Either way, step one is the same: Export your complete domain list from GoDaddy as a CSV file. This gives us the full picture — every domain, every expiration date, every DNS setting — so we can build a migration plan with zero downtime.
| Registrar | .com Renewal | 50 Domains / Year | DNS Management |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy | $20.17/yr | $1,009/yr | Basic |
| Netfirms | $17.99/yr | $900/yr | Basic |
| Cloudflare Registrar | $9.77/yr | $489/yr | Advanced + Free CDN |
Annual domain savings with Cloudflare
$500+/yearPlus free CDN, DDoS protection, and analytics on every domain
Every site in the network needs a contact form that sends leads directly to your email. Here's how we handle this across the full network:
| Service | Free Tier | Paid Tier | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formspree | 50 submissions/mo | $8/mo (1,000 subs) | Simple, reliable, easy setup |
| Netlify Forms | 100 submissions/mo | Included in Pro plan | If using Netlify hosting |
| Web3Forms | 250 submissions/mo | $6/mo (unlimited) | Best free tier, no backend needed |
Recommendation: Start with Web3Forms (250 free submissions/month). Each form is tagged with the source site so you know exactly which domain generated each lead. If volume grows beyond 250/month, upgrade to Formspree Pro at $8/month for all the full network combined.
Every contact form includes a hidden field identifying the source website. When a lead comes in, you'll see:
This tells you instantly which niche attracted the lead, so you can tailor your response. Over time, this data shows you which sites are your top lead generators.
Each month you'll receive a summary showing:
| Item | Monthly | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting (Cloudflare Pages) | $0 | $0 | Free for all the full network |
| SSL Certificates | $0 | $0 | Free with Cloudflare |
| CDN / Performance | $0 | $0 | Free with Cloudflare |
| DDoS Protection | $0 | $0 | Free with Cloudflare |
| Contact Forms (Web3Forms) | $0 | $0 | Free tier (250 subs/mo) |
| Domain Renewals (Cloudflare) | ~$41 | ~$489 | 50 domains at cost ($9.77 each) |
| Google Analytics | $0 | $0 | Free |
| Google Search Console | $0 | $0 | Free |
| Total Infrastructure | ~$41/mo | ~$489/yr | Domain renewals only |
Total annual savings vs. traditional hosting + registrar
$6,500 - $18,500/yearYour only real cost is ~$10/year per domain renewal. Everything else is free.
Bottom line: By using modern infrastructure instead of traditional hosting, we save Nancy thousands of dollars per year while delivering faster, more secure, more reliable websites than any competitor running WordPress on shared hosting.
Those savings can be reinvested into more sites, more content, and more marketing — widening the competitive moat even further.
Zero downtime guarantee: No existing website or email will go down during migration. We set up the new hosting first, verify everything works, then flip the DNS switch. It's seamless.