Are you looking for the best web hosting services for your website? Taking your business online involves a long string of important decisions. Finding the right web host is an important part of those decisions. Choosing the wrong host can either sap your budget or keep your website from being accessed by your customers. Do your research, reach out to hosting companies and make the correct decision. You should start by reading this article for some useful tips on how to find the best web hosting services.
Establish Your Needs First
Assess your needs carefully and establish a budget. Keep in mind that web hosting is not something you should try saving on. After all, you get what you pay for. It is often best to spend as much as needed to get a quality web hosting service and save money on other things associated with the launching of your website. You should make a list of features you need such as a site-building tool, a SEO plugin, a website analytics program, unlimited bandwidth and perhaps additional security if you want to use your server to store the personal information of your customers.
Take a couple of days to do some background research on different web hosting services. Some web hosts have a bad reputation for a reason; if you find bad reviews written by webmasters who mention technical difficulties or bad customer service, you need to keep looking for the other web hosting services. If any of your friends have a website, ask them which web hosting service they use. You should not choose a web host solely based on its price. Focus on finding a host with a quality customer service, plans adapted to your needs and a solid reputation, even if this means spending more money. Take all the time you need to compare your options.
Compare the Offerings of Different Web Hosts Carefully
You should carefully read through the offerings of the hosts you are interested in, visit their official message board to see how many people are reporting problems and call their customer service so you can ask questions and get an idea of how helpful their employees are. It is important you find out for how many years the service has been around and whether it is US based (for ease of communication); avoid services that have less than three years of existence since most web hosting services do not survive for more than a few years. You also need to find out where their servers are located. If you cannot find any information on their servers, you might be dealing with a web host that rents server space from another company.
Your web host should offer plans with enough space for your site, unlimited bandwidth, an uptime of 99.9% and all the tools you need to develop a quality website. Avoid web hosting services that do not allow you to stream videos on your site or use Java Script and Flash for your content. You also need to have access to a user-friendly interface to manage your account and your bills. If possible, find a web host with several plans so you can easily upgrade to a more expensive plan if you need more space for your website instead of having to move your site to a different server.
Choosing the Right Web Host
There are so many different options out there, from small businesses to giant server farms, and it can be difficult to find the right one. Every hosting company is going to have their own variations for bandwidth, traffic, email accounts, and more. Look at what your business goals are and make sure that the choice you make will be reasonably priced but give you some room for your growth. If your website is already a bandwidth hungry site, be sure to buy enough bandwidth will help keep your site up and running. This is because “unlimited” plans typically have an unannounced limit. If higher than normal usage is expected right off the bat, it is much safer to go with a hosting plan that won’t catch you suddenly off-guard with a suspension notice.
Make sure your host supports all of the programming options you want to use. FTP, PHP, and CSS are the major options that are often offered alongside HTML. You will usually have to create any dynamic content like Flash on your own and then upload it to your site. It helps if you already have a sketch of how your site will work so you know approximately what you need. There is no reason to pay for a site that has all the extra features you will never use.
If your programming skills are below par, then looking for a host that has a point-and-click interface for easy website design is a good idea. Many web hosts provide simple site builders that get you up in a matter of minutes provided all your content is already prepared. They should also let you work on the same site using traditional HTML. This will allow you to get a simple site up and running, and you can continue to make updates in HTML as you become more comfortable working with it.
Security and Peace of Mind is the Key
If you plan on holding any client info, make sure that all the software and server setup is up-to-date and is ready to handle the level of security you will need. Paying a good host who backs up regularly is worth every penny.
Should You Take Advantage of the Discount for Longer Terms?
Most providers will give you a huge discount if you commit to one or two years of service right away. Unfortunately, you really shouldn’t take advantage of this savings. Sign up for a short service contract and then upgrade later once you know you are going to stay. If your initial findings turn out to be inaccurate, then that great savings you thought you were getting will turn out to be a large expense. It can also help you avoid having to approach the hosting company for a refund of unused months. If the web host requires a year-long contract, speak with customer service to see if you get a one or two month trial before you have to make the financial commitment. If the host is confident enough in their product, they will not feel they have anything to lose by giving you a trial.
Check the Reputation of the Hosting Service You Are Considering
Make sure you read reviews about every host you consider, looking specifically for comments about down time and tech support. The more your site is down, the less time your customers can spend shopping. Visitors will not be forgiving if your site is down consistently. Another important aspect will be competent technical support. You need to make sure that someone will be there if you have a problem and is able to help you fix it. Not everyone is big enough to have someone available 24-7, but it is not unreasonable to expect them to be around during normal business hours. The best companies will be contactable through the phone for quick help. Companies offering only email or support ticket technical support should be avoided.
The tips on how to find the best web hosting services above will help you find a reliable service to host your website. Take as much as you need to find the ideal web hosting service and do not hesitate to switch to a better host if your first choice turned out not to be a good one.
Establish Your Needs First
Assess your needs carefully and establish a budget. Keep in mind that web hosting is not something you should try saving on. After all, you get what you pay for. It is often best to spend as much as needed to get a quality web hosting service and save money on other things associated with the launching of your website. You should make a list of features you need such as a site-building tool, a SEO plugin, a website analytics program, unlimited bandwidth and perhaps additional security if you want to use your server to store the personal information of your customers.
Take a couple of days to do some background research on different web hosting services. Some web hosts have a bad reputation for a reason; if you find bad reviews written by webmasters who mention technical difficulties or bad customer service, you need to keep looking for the other web hosting services. If any of your friends have a website, ask them which web hosting service they use. You should not choose a web host solely based on its price. Focus on finding a host with a quality customer service, plans adapted to your needs and a solid reputation, even if this means spending more money. Take all the time you need to compare your options.
Compare the Offerings of Different Web Hosts Carefully
You should carefully read through the offerings of the hosts you are interested in, visit their official message board to see how many people are reporting problems and call their customer service so you can ask questions and get an idea of how helpful their employees are. It is important you find out for how many years the service has been around and whether it is US based (for ease of communication); avoid services that have less than three years of existence since most web hosting services do not survive for more than a few years. You also need to find out where their servers are located. If you cannot find any information on their servers, you might be dealing with a web host that rents server space from another company.
Your web host should offer plans with enough space for your site, unlimited bandwidth, an uptime of 99.9% and all the tools you need to develop a quality website. Avoid web hosting services that do not allow you to stream videos on your site or use Java Script and Flash for your content. You also need to have access to a user-friendly interface to manage your account and your bills. If possible, find a web host with several plans so you can easily upgrade to a more expensive plan if you need more space for your website instead of having to move your site to a different server.
Choosing the Right Web Host
There are so many different options out there, from small businesses to giant server farms, and it can be difficult to find the right one. Every hosting company is going to have their own variations for bandwidth, traffic, email accounts, and more. Look at what your business goals are and make sure that the choice you make will be reasonably priced but give you some room for your growth. If your website is already a bandwidth hungry site, be sure to buy enough bandwidth will help keep your site up and running. This is because “unlimited” plans typically have an unannounced limit. If higher than normal usage is expected right off the bat, it is much safer to go with a hosting plan that won’t catch you suddenly off-guard with a suspension notice.
Make sure your host supports all of the programming options you want to use. FTP, PHP, and CSS are the major options that are often offered alongside HTML. You will usually have to create any dynamic content like Flash on your own and then upload it to your site. It helps if you already have a sketch of how your site will work so you know approximately what you need. There is no reason to pay for a site that has all the extra features you will never use.
If your programming skills are below par, then looking for a host that has a point-and-click interface for easy website design is a good idea. Many web hosts provide simple site builders that get you up in a matter of minutes provided all your content is already prepared. They should also let you work on the same site using traditional HTML. This will allow you to get a simple site up and running, and you can continue to make updates in HTML as you become more comfortable working with it.
Security and Peace of Mind is the Key
If you plan on holding any client info, make sure that all the software and server setup is up-to-date and is ready to handle the level of security you will need. Paying a good host who backs up regularly is worth every penny.
Should You Take Advantage of the Discount for Longer Terms?
Most providers will give you a huge discount if you commit to one or two years of service right away. Unfortunately, you really shouldn’t take advantage of this savings. Sign up for a short service contract and then upgrade later once you know you are going to stay. If your initial findings turn out to be inaccurate, then that great savings you thought you were getting will turn out to be a large expense. It can also help you avoid having to approach the hosting company for a refund of unused months. If the web host requires a year-long contract, speak with customer service to see if you get a one or two month trial before you have to make the financial commitment. If the host is confident enough in their product, they will not feel they have anything to lose by giving you a trial.
Check the Reputation of the Hosting Service You Are Considering
Make sure you read reviews about every host you consider, looking specifically for comments about down time and tech support. The more your site is down, the less time your customers can spend shopping. Visitors will not be forgiving if your site is down consistently. Another important aspect will be competent technical support. You need to make sure that someone will be there if you have a problem and is able to help you fix it. Not everyone is big enough to have someone available 24-7, but it is not unreasonable to expect them to be around during normal business hours. The best companies will be contactable through the phone for quick help. Companies offering only email or support ticket technical support should be avoided.
The tips on how to find the best web hosting services above will help you find a reliable service to host your website. Take as much as you need to find the ideal web hosting service and do not hesitate to switch to a better host if your first choice turned out not to be a good one.
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