With literally thousands of web hosting companies in the industry all vieing for your business, carefully consider these key points to ensure you make the most well informed decision possible.
1. Server Space
First, think about how much space your site will take up on a server. Unless you are planning on running a software repository or an image gallery, the files that make up your website will probably only use between 1 and 5 megabytes of disk space. Many companies will offer several hundreds of megabytes of webspace for a very reasonable price in attempt to out perform their competitors, but ask yourself "Do I really need that much space?". Though it's true that you should allow your site "room to grow", don't opt for what seems like a great deal on a massively sized account if you'll never use all of the space offered. Chances are you'll find an even better deal on an amount of space more suitable for your site size.
2. Data Transfer Allowance
This decision should be based on the same principal as above. Though you may be convinced that your site will be the next Amazon or Yahoo and receive a gazillion visitors a day, you really shouldn't need an extremely high data transfer allowance unless, as stated above, you're running a software download site or a large image gallery. Even heavily trafficked normal HTML sites usually only use a few gigabytes per month in bandwidth allowance. Don't go overboard just because it seems like an awesome deal. You may also want to be wary of companies who offer "unlimited" data transfer as there are usually some fine-print stipulations that make this claim not entirely true. Be sure to read their terms and conditions very carefully before opting for this type of account. A five or ten gigabyte bandwidth allowance is usually plenty enough for a small to medium sized business or personal site.
3. Technical Support
A very important point to consider when choosing a web host is the types of technical support offered by the company and how easy they are to contact when you need them. Ideally, a company should offer 24/7 toll-free telephone support and email. I have seen companies that do not even offer a telephone number on their website. You should look for a company that is very easily accessible in your time of need. Nothing is more frustrating than being in the middle of working on your site and needing an important piece of information to finish the job and not being able to contact your hosting company to find it out.
4. CGI-Bin Access
No matter what type of site you are planning on running, chances are you will eventually need to install some type of CGI script. Whether it be a mailing list management script, contact form processor, or maybe even a fancy credit card processing script, your hosting account will need to allow you to install and run them. This requires access to a special folder on your server called "CGI-Bin". Some hosting accounts will only allow you to use "pre-installed" scripts as a security measure. These are scripts that the owners of the company have installed and configured so that they know that they will work properly and not adversely affect their server's performance. That may be all you need, but if you have the knowledge, it's always nice to have the ability to install your own scripts and configure them to suit your individual needs. You should also be sure that the account you choose supports the language in which your scripts are written, such as PHP, Perl, etc.
5. Up-Time Guarantee
Another very important issue in determining the value of a hosting company is how often and for how long their servers "go down". No matter how good a deal you get on server space or bandwidht allowance, or how wonderfully the company's tech support takes care of you, your site can't receive visitors or produce revenue if the machine on which it is hosted is not up and running. Naturally you want a company who can guarantee the highest up-time percentage possible. Servers are taken down briefly from time to time for maintenance or upgrading, so no company can ensure 100% up-time, but you want your site to be hosted on dependable, well managed machines that are not constantly having problems which require them to be down for long periods of time.
6. Email Accounts
Again, like data transfer allowance and server space, some companies will offer you loads more email accounts than you will ever use. Some offer hundreds or even unlimited email accounts as a selling point. This is an important factor if you are Bill Gates and have thousands of employees, each who need their own email box, but not such a big deal if you're just one person or a small company. You should be okay with 10 or 15.
7. Reputation
This is probably the most important factor to consider when choosing a web host. Do your homework. Pay attention to any negative feedback you may hear or read about a particular hosting company. There are several sites arount the Web that feature discussion forums that allow people to discuss and critique various hosting companies. Ask specific questions about any company you might be interested in using to see if anyone else has had any negative experiences with them. As a beginning webmaster, I had initially contracted the services of a particular web hosting company to host my first site, who promised very good, dependable service for a very cheap price. Then one day, for no apparent reason, decided to delete my entire site without warning or explanation. Only then did I visit some hosting forums and find that many others had similar negative experiences with that company. Don't make the same mistake I did, find out for sure from the start that your hosting company is not going to let you down.
About The Author
Author: Kyle Dusang
Webmaster of http://www.verybesthosting.com
Looking for a web host? Compare plans, features, and pricing from several of the Web's most reputable hosting companies all in one place at http://www.verybesthosting.com.
http://www.verybesthosting.com
Lincoln Stretch rentals Alsip ..Any website comprises the following ? Domain name, Webspace, Webpages.Lets... Read More
The first thing that you must realize when looking for... Read More
With hundreds of web hosting companies to choose from today... Read More
Yesterday I received a nice email in my inbox, I... Read More
All the good ones are taken. The really good ones,... Read More
A domain name and paid hosting are considered essential for... Read More
If you are anything like me, you'd probably like to... Read More
When building your first site the main things that you... Read More
There are literally thousands of hosting solutions on the internet... Read More
Once you have considered the design for your website and... Read More
Before we talk about what it takes to... Read More
Reseller webhosting can be a great way to earn some... Read More
For those in the Internet business the availability of their... Read More
John is very happy today, for the first time in... Read More
What is Dedicated Web Hosting? Dedicated web hosting can alleviate... Read More
Anyone who has ever shopped for web hosting knows that... Read More
Many online entrepreneurs these days are faced with the problem... Read More
Every individual when it starts surfing the net for choosing... Read More
These days, web hosting companies are popping up faster than... Read More
1. The reliability of the service and their offers.A brand... Read More
What sort of web hosting options should you go for... Read More
This article is meant to all who already have a... Read More
Choosing to make a web site is a very big... Read More
In this article you'll be provided with helpful information about... Read More
One of the most difficult choices you have to make... Read More
Western Springs shuttle limo ..It may seem simple yet it is often times overlooked.... Read More
There is no concept of free lunch in the world,... Read More
For those of you who don't really understand where or... Read More
A web host reseller account is a web hosting account... Read More
In this article you'll be provided with helpful information about... Read More
With so many web hosting companies competing for your web... Read More
Choosing a budget web hosting company can be overwhelming. In... Read More
In my opinion, free web hosting is one of the... Read More
Promoting a new company in the crowded industry of web... Read More
Before you begin your search for a web host you... Read More
Ever heard the saying "Penny-wise and Dollar-foolish"?Well bargain priced website... Read More
Deciding how to host your ecommerce Web site and what... Read More
Every website needs a great web host, however when you... Read More
Choosing a host or switching hosts can be an agonizing... Read More
The price of dedicated hosting services has really come down... Read More
Linux web hosting is so named, based on the operating... Read More
All the good ones are taken. The really good ones,... Read More
Many businesses, from one-man-bands to multi-national corporations, have a web-presence... Read More
1. The reliability of the service and their offers.A brand... Read More
If you're about to set up your first web site... Read More
Whether you are disgruntled with the level of service your... Read More
Indeed, choosing a right web hosting service for your website... Read More
These searchers are looking for a hosting company in a... Read More
Every individual when it starts surfing the net for choosing... Read More
If you're looking for a professionally designed web site at... Read More
Web Hosting |