All about Web Hosting

Here are a few tips to help you in your quest to find a good web hosting provider.

1- Look at how long they’ve been in business. I’m not saying that you should avoid new web hosting businesses like the plague but in this day and age, it is really easy to become a web host. So easy in fact that many people jump into the business only to find out that they’ve gotten in way over their heads and six months later they are closing their doors. What you are looking for is stability; someone who has been around for at least a year and who shows signs of sticking around. Read their about page and their blog. If you get the impression that they got in the business as a way of making a quick buck, move on.

2- Pricing and Value. Cheaper is not always better. The axiom ‘You get what you pay for’ is certainly true when it comes to web hosting. I’m sure you have seen these advertisements around the internet. Unlimited Disk Space and Unlimited Bandwidth for some redonkulous price of $4.99 per month. It sounds enticing but this is actually a red flag. This signifies that the web host is overselling their web servers and banking on the fact that very few of their customers will actually try to use all that space they are offering. Sometimes this translates into slow website loading times. However some web hosting companies will suspend your account and try to force you to upgrade to a more expensive hosting package if your websites actually begin to use some of that space they are offering. It is best to go with a web host whose hosting packages clearly define how much space you get. Other things you want to look at are the number of domains you can host on your package, how many databases you get and what software comes preinstalled.

3- Tech Support. Do they have it and when is it available? If the server hosting your website crashes at 3 a.m. will there be anybody in the office to fix it or will you have to wait several hours for the office to open. I encourage you to choose a web host that has tech support available 24/7, especially if you are new to the whole idea of web hosting. You’ll save yourself a whole lot of unnecessary frustration.

4- Professionalism. This is a personal pet peeve of mine. Having worked in customer service for over seventeen years I have a very low tolerance for rude people. Especially rude people who expect me to hand my hard earned cash over to them. If a business can’t be bothered to do something as simple as behave in a professional manner towards me as their customer then I won’t bother to give them my time or money. If the business provides a telephone number, call it. Even better, call their tech support and see how they handle your questions. Of course sales people are going to be nice to you, they want your money. What you want to find out is does that courtesy and professionalism extends beyond the veil to the back office. If it doesn’t, keep looking. Life is just too short to spend dealing with jerks. Part of operating a successful website involves having a good web host; one that will support your goals for your website. Take the time to find that perfect one.Thank the editor. Buy me a Coffee! Category: Blogging Tools and Services , Webmastery Tags: Blog Hosting , Web Hosting One Comment