Finding a web host can seem like a daunting task, but
it really doesn’t have to be. I’ve filtered
through no less than a dozen hosts in my 4 years online,
and have been with one host for about 2 years now. For
me, the important features of a prospective web host:
* Reliability
* Support
* Affordability
Reliability is a very important thing if you’re
running a website for profit. It would be difficult
to keep a membership if your web site was consistently
unavailable. I had 2 web hosts that were plagued with
downtime. One of them was great for the first few
months, almost no downtime - but then it’s like
the bottom fell out. Support started getting backed
up, 20 minutes to 2 hours of downtime every few days.
. . Eventually the company was gone.
Support is crucial. If you are trying to run a business
and you’ve got a problem with your website -
you want someone to talk to or someone to respond
in short order. There are so many web hosts around
that you simply do not need to choose one that only
offers email support. My current webhost offers 24×7x365
support by phone, email and live chat. They are available
whenever you need them, and most of the times when
I have a question or issue (and send an email versus
using live chat) it’s normally handled within
an hour or so. You can’t beat dependable support.
Finally - Affordability. Having a great web host
won’t do you any good if you can’t afford
to keep them. Web hosting companies abound. There
are so many that if you just do a tiny bit of searching
you can find a good hosting plan with great support
for between $5-$10 per month. The web hosts that charge
$20 per month for 500MB storage and 10GB bandwidth
are most likely either small reseller hosts (where
their support might lack) or they are catering to
the people that don’t know any better. You do
not have to pay an arm and a leg for good hosting.
My suggestions for finding the best web host
for your money:
1. Only choose a web host with a $0 setup fee. There
is no point in paying a setup fee unless this particular
host has something unique to offer.
2. Only choose a host that allows month to month
payments. Just because your service starts out great
with your web host, doesn’t mean it’ll
stay that way. Things change and it could happen to
your host. Keep your options open in case things go
south.
3. Only choose a host that offers true 24×7
support. If the web host states 24×7 support
but doesn’t provide a phone number, send them
an email in the middle of the night. See how quickly
they respond. If you don’t get the response
for a day or two - Stay away.
If you stick by these basic guidelines you should
be able to find a web host that works without losing
a bunch of money in the process.
