How to choose a web host
With thousands of web hosting companies on the market it is sometimes hard if not impossible to know which hosting company will provide a hosting solution at an affordable price. Having a domain with a good web hosting company, you can get reports on your site visitors and know which of your web pages your visitors are visiting most often, as well as being able to check out many other statistics.
Your host will charge you a fee for each month of services that ranges anywhere from $4.99 or $10.99. You will probably pay between $75 and $150 for each year of your hosting. There is always the option of free web hosting services, but you may experience bouts of server problems and you’re likely to have short comings in storage, number of email addresses, FTP upload and so forth. You should just take a look at HostingTopList.com where there are current web host rankings of the top web hosts.
Be sure the web host will allow e-commerce, storefronts, blogs, forums, chats and anything else you may want to add to your site. Estimate what your growth needs are and check that this web host can serve you as you grow unless you absolutely have to do it. Check your bandwidth capacity to be sure that, if your website grows rapidly, your customers won’t have to wait to download or view info.
Here are a few things you need to look for in a hosting company:
1. First-class Customer Support: Your web hosting provider ought to be at any hour and give you fast access to the techs you need to help with your problems. Find out how long it takes for them to help with your problems. An effective test is to call them in the middle of the night to check if you get a real live person.
2. A Sound Infrastructure: Check to make sure they do offer a multi-homed network that is powered by multiple bandwidth suppliers to make sure there is redundancy. Some offer a 100% warranty that covers its network availability or network uptime.
3. Financial Stability: If you are running very critical operations, you can not afford to be with a web hosting company that has only been in business for a little while.
If you are are confused by the jungle of web hosts, look at the current HostMonster ratings. They are my personal favorite at the moment. Good luck with your search for the perfect web hosting company.