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Choosing
the Best Web Hosting Companies |
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Part
2
What to look for
You may want to choose a host that you can grow with,
one that you can afford now, can handle all your site
requirements, and one that can handle any growth you
may experience. This includes e-commerce, databases,
and keeping abreast of Internet technologies. Having
a plan for your growth and how to accommodate you
is certainly a desirable feature and indicative of
a host looking towards the future and betterment of
your company.
Many will promise that, so you will want a hosting
company that is the opposite of the ones to avoid,
one that does not make false claims and does not promise
you any more than they are prepared to deliver, one
that gives you access to your site and files even
if they perform all design work for you, one that
cares about its existing customer base and proves
it through its actions, one that can furnish references
of customers you can communicate with directly, and
one that you can communicate with and not be ignored.
Choose wisely. Whatever amount of time you spend in
selecting a proper host will be well worth it.
Your needs
You might start by making a list of your needs. Keep
in mind that the great majority of sites use substantially
less than 1 gb of transfer per month and less than
5 mb of hard disk space. Disk space is cheap enough
that offering as much as most sites may need is not
a problem. Many hosts offer far more than you may
need and it can be less confusing if you know what
your requirements are.
While additional disk space is cheap and can be included
at no additional cost, bandwidth must be paid for.
Please see our information on bandwidth for a greater
understanding of it. You should know which method
you host uses as it will affect you.
Price
Don't expect to get reliable or prompt service from
a free or too cheap host. You might, but the odds
are against it. Many hosting companies make their
money from a constant influx of new customers and
are not at all concerned with providing proper service
to their existing customer base. On the other hand,
you could pay too much. There are companies that charge
an exorbitant amount for hosting a simple web site.
This may be due in part to offering more services
than you need, especially programs that require a
license fee every year. You may be subsidizing the
cost of these services for others. Regardless, you
might simply be paying too much. There are many companies
that set their prices high and take advantage of the
ignorance of customers.
Support
All too often, this is one of the last things many
people consider, if they think of it at all, yet it
is one of the most important factors. Typically, a
lack of support is a precipitating factor in finding
a new host and is a more important factor the second
or third time around.
It is not the job of hosting companies to teach basic
web design elements, assist in installing scripts,
and other services. Some will have information and
links on their sites for the convenience of their
customers. Nevertheless, there are some smaller hosting
companies that offer personalized service and will
assist you with any needs. If you are a novice at
web and hosting related matters (as most small business
people are likely to be), you may prefer such a host.
Can you talk to a real person when you need to? If
you need help, an answering machine or e-mail may
not be up to the task, either of solving your problem
or solving it with expediency. Sometimes, there is
no substitute to speaking to a person, yet this is
not possible at many companies, even if the problem
could be solved in a minute or two.
Reliability
This is a multi faceted issue and deals with the reliability
of the company as well as their hardware and Internet
connections. Just as a preponderance of HTML editing
tools has allowed most anyone to label themselves
as web site designers, though they may have little
knowledge and skills, so too do many people call themselves
hosting companies. Some are children, teenagers, and
host from their bedroom or basement using DSL or cable
modems as their connection. Others may have marginally
better connections. Some will host on a shared server
and are resellers for the actual hosting company.
A more professional company will have their own dedicated
or collocated servers at a network operations center
(NOC).
You should be aware of the hardware and connections
to the Internet a host has, even if you aren't very
familiar with what they mean. In the course of your
investigation, you can ask others who do know. As
far as connections, you should expect multiple T3
or OC3 (or above) connections.
Guarantee/Warranty
Any guarantee is only as good as the company behind
it. Don't be fooled by the presence of a guarantee.
It cannot compensate for an inferior company. A reputable
company will seek a reasonable solution regardless
of guarantees. You should base your decision on other
factors and not rely on a guarantee. If the company
is not trustworthy, a guarantee won't change that.
It is nothing more than a promise from a liar. If
a company cares about giving good customer service,
it will do it regardless of the presence or absence
of any guarantees.
Statistical Reporting
You may wish to select a host that offers statistical
reporting, as many do. This will allow you to track
many things, from how visitors are finding your site,
to where they come from and what keywords they use
in search engines. Programs such as Webtrends and
usage report on this information and much more.
There are other, minor factors that might be taken
into consideration, though the information above should
prove useful to the majority of people
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