Do not underestimate the value of choosing the best web hosting service. Just as companies who perform other types of services can be good or bad, there are some negative attributes to different web hosts. What are the mistakes to avoid when selecting a company?
Consider some free web hosts. You might be wary of free web hosts because most of them place banner ads on top of your websites, making your site look unprofessional. However, some free hosts don’t use banner ads, so it’s worth looking into free hosting services that interest you rather than ruling them out automatically. Don’t forget, a free web host could potentially save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every year.
You can use the domain service of one company and the hosting service of another. Most of the sites that are out there will let you only use what you like, though if you do this, you may not be able to fix any problems that you have easily.
Before you choose a web host and plan, carefully examine the provider’s website. You can recognize a good website by the resources available on different features. Figure out if the host will give you more resources and tutorials as soon as you become their client.
If you need more than one email address, ask for it from your web host. The most common option is POP 3, so choose a host which offers that. You can access this type of email from anywhere online and it’s linked to your domain name.
As an online business owner, you should find a hosting service that corresponds to your website. When it comes to pricing, a web host usually costs between $2 to $60 a month. Just be aware that the higher the price does not necessarily mean the better site. If you need extra bandwidth, you will have to pay more for it. However, spending more money doesn’t guarantee that your site will have less outages.
Think twice about going with a free web hosting provider. It may sound like a great deal, but you may regret it in the future. Do not let yourself become tied down to free or cheap web hosting services that do not leave you enough room to grow. It can be tough to switch hosts, so a free web host might not be best in the long term horizon.
If you are considering a particular web host company, have a look at their own website. A poorly done site could mean a “red flag” for the hosting company. Such a website may indicate an inexperienced, incompetent or illegitimate provider. A professional, well-designed website demonstrates a company’s competence with HTML and tells you that they take care of even the smallest details.
Find out what kind of sites a service hosts. Some of the free sites may merely offer static pages. This would mean that you could not add your own scripts. If the nature of your website requires dynamic scripting capabilities, it may be in your best interest to opt for hosting on a paid server.
Do not be overwhelmed by the number of choices you have in terms of web hosting companies. There are currently a lot of fly-by-night hosting services that offer unbelievably low rates. So check into every web host you like, and see what they have to offer. Don’t try to consider all the companies available at once, select a few that are reputable, and then evaluate them.
Check for hidden fees for events such as cancellation in your contract. After trying out a web hosting provider for a few days or weeks, you might find that it isn’t working for you. You should not choose a service with cancellation fees. This is pretty common, especially for the web hosting companies that are on the cheaper side. You want to have a good understanding how to get out if the service isn’t what you expected.
Does the company offer the ability to terminate service at any time? If so, this is a good indication of a reputable company. Whether you sign a term contract or not, you should have the ability to cancel when you wish and get your money back for the unused time. You shouldn’t feel trapped by a company, and need to pay more to leave them.
Some web hosts rely on another major server. The larger host buys server space in bulk and rents it to smaller hosts. This allows the larger host to make extra money without directly hosting websites. Find out if your web host is renting space from another host. If so, contact the larger host and get a quote for hosting services so that you can determine which hosting service will give you the best deal.
If you plan to do business with a single host for several years, find out if you qualify for a discount if you sign a multi-year contract. You may find that you can save considerable amounts of money this way.
You may be able to get a refund from your web host for any downtime your site has suffered. Usually, you won’t receive but a few cents, but potential sales lost could harm your business. Stick with companies that have either no or very infrequent down time.
Read the forums of your desired web host website. The web host company is probably successful if the forum contains active members who are posting and chatting. If you happen to find a quietplace and no visitors to the forum, or even worse, if it has multiple negative comments, then go somewhere else for your service.
Choose a web hosting service that has redundancy, or multiple ways to connect to the Internet. If a web host has only a single connection, your site will go down when their connection fails, so you need a host that has backups in place. Make sure the company has redundant connections and that every one of those connections is capable of supporting your site.
As you have seen, choosing a host for your website can be a treacherous process. If you take the time to educate yourself about web hosting basics, you’ll be able to avoid some of the common pitfalls that center around choosing a provider. Use the advice from this article to complete a successful host search.