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.
Author:
Lee Munson runs www.info-sales.co.uk,
a website dedicated to supplying useful and comprehensive webmaster
resources, including huge lists of free non-reciprocal directories and
over a hundred article submission sites. Terms:Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live
Source: www.articledepot.co.uk |
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