If you are considering using a particular web hosting site, read reviews about it. Specifically, check for reviews written by users of the site’s hosting services. Just as you wouldn’t make a major electronics purchase without first checking out product reviews, nor should you bypass looking at reviews for web hosting sites you’re considering using. Doing this now can save you frustration further down the road.
Look into how long a web hosting company has been in business. The online business is tough, and while a new company is not necessarily a bad choice, it can be a risky one. There is nothing worse than going to log into your site, only to find it no longer exists. A company that is experienced and has been around for a few years is a much more reliable choice.
Find a host that offers customers a lot of web space, especially if you have a blog or a site that you are constantly adding information to. Every time you post something new to your site, it takes up some of your web space. If you have limited web space, you will only be able to post a limited amount of information.
A lot of people don’t know this, but you can actually host a website from your own room without spending a dime. Using “www” server programs are great for getting involved with web development and learning how things work on a higher level. Of course, unlike actual web hosts, you most likely won’t be able to offer the constant up-time, strict security, or updating customer service.
With some web hosting companies, you can actually get rewarded for referring other people to them. You may get a small check, or a bigger discount, but every little bit helps. If you are happy with the service, you will probably refer people anyways, so why not get a little bonus from that?
Make sure any offers of “unlimited” data transfer are actually unlimited. Many web hosts advertise unlimited data transfer in their offers, but tuck exceptions in the terms and conditions for the package. Common exceptions include video or non-HTML file downloads being limited, limits on CPU utilization, and general prohibitions on using “too many resources.”
Investigate the legal terms of your host. At a minimum, a web hosting company should provide a Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, and a Privacy Policy. These documents are vital because they let you know what limits you may face, from payment plans to bandwidth and CPU usage. Be wary of any company which makes these documents unavailable or difficult to find.
After you have your site up and going, it is important that you gather statistics about your site. These statistics tell you many things including how many customers and their actions. Find a great web hosting service that provides these types of statistics for you to make business decisions about.
When doing your research on potential web hosts, beware of any hints that the host is overselling their bandwidth. In this case, the web host has too many people drawing from their limited bandwidth pool. This means your website would suffer from speed drops, limited functionality, and maybe even down time. It’s best to look elsewhere if the company you are looking at appears to have an overselling track record.
Look for the best hosting site for your domain name. Most free sites require you to put their name either before or after your site name in the URL. If you do not want this, you will have to search carefully for a host that suits your needs, even if it means paying for a quality host.
If possible, pay for your web hosting with a credit card. Every year, several web hosts go out of business and just disappear without a trace. When a host disappears, its customers are typically left out of pocket. The customers that paid for their hosting with a credit card, however, are able to get a full refund of their annual hosting costs from their credit card provider.
Avoid free web hosting. While a free site may be an acceptable choice for a small hobby website, if you want to make money, there are simply too many restrictions. Not only will you be limited to using their domain name, you will also have restrictions on space, advertising, and little to no support. These features are well worth the minimal costs of an affordable web host.
Before choosing a web host provider, check to see how fast files can be uploaded or downloaded from their server. If this information is not readily available from them directly, use a “website speed test” service who can run a test for you. Realize, however, that accuracy varies and can be different depending on the time of day.
Learn about the spam policies of a web host before signing on with them. If the web host that you choose has a bad reputation as far as spam is concerned, it can tarnish the reputation of your site before you even get started. Save your reputation by choosing a web host that has a great reputation and strict spamming rules.
Before deciding on a web host make sure you have read all the reviews. Don’t rely on just a couple good words about it to make your decision. Make sure you have looked all over and found a variety of reviews from different sources. Make sure you are familiar with what the negative aspects of the host are as well.
Now that you know what to expect from a web host, you should be ready to go forward and find the company for your site. As long as you put what you’ve learned here into use, you’ll have exactly what you need in no time. Good luck with your website!