4 tips for choosing a web hosting company.
When choosing a web hosting company there are many factors
to consider.
1. Does the company offer telephone support?
Email support is always nice to have available, but you
may already know how long it takes some people to reply
to these. Getting someone on the 'phone when your site
goes down will instantly make you feel better and get
you the answers you need as quickly as you need them.
A lot of bigger web hosting companies offer free support
and often are available out of hours too. Phone support
is a great benefit for any web hosting client.
2. What sort of history does the company have? How long
has this company been in business?
Web hosting companies that have been in existence for
less than a year may not be the best choice for you or
your website. A hosting company with a proven track record
and many happy clients is certainly a good sign and might
work well for you. A lot of the larger hosting businesses
will post customer testimonials on their site to reinforce
the message.
3. What software does the company offer?
This varies widely between web hosting companies. Now
that I have used Cpanel I wouldn't want to be without
it, mainly because I am used to it and now know what features
it has and how to use most of them. It's a lot easier
to stick with something you know than have to try switching
to a new User Interface.
Are you designing your site with Frontpage?. If so, check
your host supports this, as not all do.
Another area you may want to research is the supplied
statistics. What sort of web statistics software is included
with your web hosting account? Is, for example, Awstats
included?
4. Fees.
I'd rather pay a little more for a full feature set and
reliabilty than get the cheapest deal and have problems
with server downtime, bandwith issues, etc. With hosting
deals you usually get a level of service that is relative
to the price you have paid.
Check that your prospective hosting company offers a
refund service before signing up. Most quality ones do
as they know they can deliver what they promise.
About the Author
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