How to Choose A Web Host
How do you choose a hosting provider when there are thousands of hosting companies? Important factors in selecting a web host include:
1. Reliability
You want your website to be seen, so you need a web hosting service that offers a high percentage of server uptime. This means that people seeking your website will get to see your pages nearly all the time. 99% uptime is the standard for server uptime, 65% is unacceptable. The more downtime of a server, the less time your web site will be available to see.
2 Disk Space
You need to ensure that there is enough disk space available on the web hosting server for you to do what you need. Most sites require very little space when they fist start, so this is not usually an issue to begin with. However, you will continue to add content over time. Make sure that your hosting provider can offer the space to grow, either within your existing plan, or by upgrading to a higher plan.
3 Bandwith
Bandwith is the measure of data transfers your site generates. The more page views and visitors you get, the more bandwith you will need. When you start, your traffic will be low. But you should not plan to stay that way. Ensure that your host is able to provide with you with sufficient bandwith at a reasonable price when you need it. Some hosts will actually shut your site if it exceeds your plan allowance. This is not good if you are a business site as you will lose potential visitors. Some hosts charge you extra fees for additional bandwith. Check to make sure these fees are reasonable. If your web site becomes more popular, you can use a lot of bandwith.
4. Price
Price should not be your determining factor. Certainly look in a budget range that you can afford, and then pick the most reliable provider. Free services are okay for personal pages, but you will find them limiting for a business website. Lifetime hosting plans are also not sustainable (you will not use the same computer for the rest of your life - neither should your web site). Best to pay a reasonable price for a reliable service.
5. Support
At some point, you may need some help to resolve an issue. Make sure that your web hosting provider is able to answer your query and resolve any problem you have with their service. When a provider is looking after thousands of sites, this can be a challenge. Most providers will not give any assistance if the problem is within your site. If you are new to running a website, you will likely benefit from being with a provider who is able to offer set up and assistance services.
6 Features
With most hosting accounts, you are able to add the scripts you need to run your site. The more that your hosting provider has put in place, the easier it is for you. It is important when purchasing business web hosting that CGI access is provided; along with features such as MySQL, Audio, and Video. A crucial feature necessary for doing ecommerce is SSL, or Secure Socket Layer. This encrypts all order and credit card information until it reaches the payment server. An SSL certificate can be purchased from most web hosting providers. Displaying it on your ecommerce web site verifies that your site transactions are safe and secure.
You will also need a domain name that reflects the nature of your business. To get your own unique domain name, you must first check the availability of the name. You can do this at our domain name shop You can also find reliable and reasonably priced hosting packages.
See Our Recommended Hosts if you would like some help in choosing your web host. You’ll find some good deals that will fit your budget.
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