A mistake often made by new businesses is to chose a low-cost web host because they are trying to keep their own start-up costs as low as possible. The truth is that in time, you may end up paying more for fees or downtime than you would have with a better company. The following tips will help any small business find the right web host.
Before signing up for a hosting account, peruse the host’s website. A good website should be filled with resources on the different features you will have to learn to use to optimize your site. See what tutorials are offered. If their are services only viewable to clients, ask customer service about them.
If you are thinking about a particular web hosting provider, check and see how long they have been doing business. The longer they’ve been in business, the more likely they are to be a good company. When issues pop up, these companies have generally dealt with them before. The more common the problem is, the better the chance is that a standard procedure is available to resolve it. This can save you having to put up with customer service that’s inexperienced, generally found in newer companies.
What security precautions does the hosting company provide? Websites are constantly being hacked these days, and countless potential threats exist. Choose a host with procedures efficient enough against DDoS attacks. Ask about risks involved if your web hosting provider is a victim of hacking or another type of attack.
First, check out the hosts history. Look for companies with a long history and a good background. Avoid companies that have been in existence less than a year. Brand-new companies are more prone to closing up shop, which would obviously be detrimental for your site.
Take note especially of the company’s record of downtime. A web hosting company will post their maintenance down times. Look at these postings and analyze them. If they fall during times you will need to use the service, or if there is too much down time, take note of this. If they’re down peak hours over over a month or multiple days in the course of a short amount of time, find another host.
Check your web host’s website. Beware of any hosting company with an unprofessional, poorly designed website. Will yours likely be any better? A professional, well-designed website demonstrates a company’s competence with HTML and tells you that they take care of even the smallest details.
Read reviews about each web host you’re considering before committing to anything. If there are notably good or bad aspects to a hosting service, customers are likely to weigh in online with their opinion. Once you have read reviews of various hosting companies, choose one with a long and dependable record of providing service.
Do not let low prices dictate your choice of a web host. It’s great to find a good deal, but don’t just choose a host based on them being inexpensive. There’s a good chance that if you do this, your site will suffer, whether through uptime issues or in your need for support. The bargain price that you were offered by the host ends up not being much of a bargain after all.
If you need more than one email address, talk to the host service about their email formats. Generally, you should choose a host that uses POP 3. POP 3 e-mails will be linked to your domain name, allowing them to be accessed online from anywhere.
Lump-sum payments can save you money at a web host, but monthly payments give you more flexibility. You never know what could come up in the next 12 months, and you do not want to be locked in with one company. If your business grows too big for the host or your business closes, you may lose the money you paid, unless the host states otherwise.
If you have the ability to cancel at anytime, you are probably using a good web hosting company. Whether you sign contracts or not, you want the ability to cancel service if it is not up to par, and to receive refunds, when appropriate. No web host should make you feel like you are trapped.
Read the forums on a web hosting company’s site. If their forums are active, it is a good sign that the company is strong and healthy. If you see a forum that is empty, or if it contains a lot of treads related to complaints, then it may not be who you want to use for your business.
Choose a web hosting service with the features you are planning on using. You definitely need the basics available to you like Microsoft FrontPage, SSL certificates, email spam filtering, and whatever else you know you will need.
What type and level of server access does your web server offer? Some web hosting companies offer complex FTP-based server access while others rely on a simple web-based control panel. More complex sites need better access. Small, simple sites are better served with a control panel that requires less know-how.
Check to see what kind of bandwidth you require. This depends on your site’s setup, number of pages being hosted and the volume of business that will take place. Some hosting companies sell packages that provide unlimited storage and bandwidth. If you have insufficient disk space or data transfer, your website will have lots of downtime.
The guaranteed uptime statistics that web hosting companies offer may not be as good as you think. They may offer refunds as a guarantee. In most cases, the amount of the refund will be negligible; however, the amount that you could have earned through lost sales can be significant. Downtime can be quite damaging to your business. Don’t trade good uptimes for small refunds.
As you can now see, it is not the best idea to keep costs low in the area of web hosting. Anyone needing to maintain an online presence must be able to depend on their web hosting service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Apply the tips laid out here to prevent mistakes that many owners of small businesses can make when they set out to choose a web host.