If you have coded up a nice website, it won’t be any good unless you have some website hosting to put it on the Internet. Even if you don’t know much about website hosting, there are a few simple questions you can ask to ensure you get what you need at a price you can afford. Read on for what you should look out for during your hunt.
Contact your favorite web host to see what website services they currently offer. Most free hosting services offer only pages that are static, you are not given the option to use your own programming language and scripts. If you need dynamic scripting for your website, you may have to choose a paid host instead.
When using online reviews or customer recommendations, try to find several positive comments. If you only have two on the list, then their levels of experience and competence may be so far apart that there is no way to make a middle ground decision.
It is important to register the domain name of your site in an area other than that of your host. This ensures that, in the case of downtime or legal problems, you are able to preserve ownership of your domain. If you register your domain through the same company that provides your web page hosting, you may lose control of the name in such circumstances.
As you shop for prospective web page hosting services, it is in your best interest to go with a company that is headquartered in your target audience’s country. For example, if your audience is located in the U.K., ensure that your hosting provider has a data center in the U.K. as well.
Once you choose a web host, pay monthly instead of a lump sum payment. You never know if your host might go bankrupt, or your website could close. If your host goes down or if your business takes off, you might not be able to get your money back.
There are free hosting services available, but tread carefully. Remember that free hosts rarely offer backup features. If you go with this option, you should be diligent in backing up your own data. If your site goes down, loses a page, etc., you’re not going to get any help from your host.
Web Hosts
Web hosts will typically charge you on a per-traffic basis. But this is not a given, many web hosts use a formula based on your traffic whle some charge a flat rate.
As you make the decision about who will host your website, do not rely entirely on the provider’s own marketing efforts, but check around to see what others have to say. Find comparison websites and check out reviews to get a clear picture of the host’s quality of service. These reviews will help you recognize a quality service from other hosts.
Consider a web hosting service that offers cPanel. There are a few different domain managers, but cPanel is the most popular and its functionality ranges from the new developer to the seasoned veteran. These apps are very easy to use and are very helpful. This will make running your site easy and efficient.
Pick a host that has received a number of accolades and awards. This is a fantastic way to determine the quality of the service and support that you will receive from the web host. Most of these awards are achieved through the legitimate process of site visitors voting, and they are a good indication that the hosting company is a good one with which to work. Try to choose a host that has a number of fan-voted awards.
If your website needs email capabilities, ask web hosting providers about the email formats they allow. Ideally you should look for one that uses POP 3. This email service can be linked to your domain name, and accessed from multiple vantage points on the Internet.
When choosing a host for your website, favor hosts that value communication. You want to choose a company which talks to users through forums, a blog or a ticket system. They should also have a server information page which tells of updates, maintenance and downtime. It’s also crucial that you are able to establish contact with the host at any given point throughout the day.
Read the website of your host carefully. A good website offers many resources that will help you utilize the many different features you need to learn in order to use the service to your benefit. See what tutorials are offered. If their are services only viewable to clients, ask customer service about them.
You need to have multiple ways to contact your web host in case a problem arises. If they have contact available through email, live chat, and phone support 24/7, they’re probably a good hosting company. That way if you do experience a problem, you’ll have a better chance of resolving it quickly.
If you plan to upload a lot of data, then familiarize yourself with the different uploading options offered by potential web hosts. Uploading is much faster and easier if you can use an FTP program. At the least, you will need an online manager that’s adequate.
Customer Support
Conduct research to determine how long your hosting provider has been in operation. In general, you’ll get better customer support from companies that have been in business for longer. If you have an issue, established companies should have better experience at problem solving. The more common the problem is, the better the chance is that a standard procedure is available to resolve it. Newer companies usually have more inexperienced customer support.
Shopping around for a web host is similar to shopping for any other service. You must know your needs and budget, and be able to match that up with a good company. This article should have given you the information you need to get started on that journey.