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What to look for
You may want to choose a host that you can grow with, one that you can afford now, can handle all your site requirements, and one that can handle any growth you may experience. This includes e-commerce, databases, and keeping abreast of Internet technologies. Having a plan for your growth and how to accommodate you is certainly a desirable feature and indicative of a host looking towards the future and betterment of your company.
Many will promise that, so you will want a hosting company that is the opposite of the ones to avoid, one that does not make false claims and does not promise you any more than they are prepared to deliver, one that gives you access to your site and files even if they perform all design work for you, one that cares about its existing customer base and proves it through its actions, one that can furnish references of customers you can communicate with directly, and one that you can communicate with and not be ignored.
Choose wisely. Whatever amount of time you spend in selecting a proper host will be well worth it.
Your needs
You might start by making a list of your needs. Keep in mind that the great majority of sites use substantially less than 1 gb of transfer per month and less than 5 mb of hard disk space. Disk space is cheap enough that offering as much as most sites may need is not a problem. Many hosts offer far more than you may need and it can be less confusing if you know what your requirements are.
While additional disk space is cheap and can be included at no additional cost, bandwidth must be paid for. Please see our information on band width for a greater understanding of it. You should know which method you host uses as it will affect you.
Price
Don't expect to get reliable or prompt service from a free or too cheap host. You might, but the odds are against it. Many hosting companies make their money from a constant influx of new customers and are not at all concerned with providing proper service to their existing customer base. On the other hand, you could pay too much. There are companies that charge an exorbitant amount for hosting a simple web site. This may be due in part to offering more services than you need, especially programs that require a license fee every year. You may be subsidizing the cost of these services for others. Regardless, you might simply be paying too much. There are many companies that set their prices high and take advantage of the ignorance of customers.
Support
All too often, this is one of the last things many people consider, if they think of it at all, yet it is one of the most important factors. Typically, a lack of support is a precipitating factor in finding a new host and is a more important factor the second or third time around.
It is not the job of hosting companies to teach basic web design elements, assist in installing scripts, and other services. Some will have information and links on their sites for the convenience of their customers. Nevertheless, there are some smaller hosting companies that offer personalized service and will assist you with any needs. If you are a novice at web and hosting related matters (as most small business people are likely to be), you may prefer such a host.
Can you talk to a real person when you need to? If you need help, an answering machine or e-mail may not be up to the task, either of solving your problem or solving it with expediency. Sometimes, there is no substitute to speaking to a person, yet this is not possible at many companies, even if the problem could be solved in a minute or two.
Reliability
This is a multi faceted issue and deals with the reliability of the company as well as their hardware and Internet connections. Just as a preponderance of HTML editing tools has allowed most anyone to label themselves as web site designers, though they may have little knowledge and skills, so too do many people call themselves hosting companies. Some are children, teenagers, and host from their bedroom or basement using DSL or cable modems as their connection. Others may have marginally better connections. Some will host on a shared server and are resellers for the actual hosting company. A more professional company will have their own dedicated or colocated servers at a network operations center (NOC).
You should be aware of the hardware and connections to the Internet a host has, even if you aren't very familiar with what they mean. In the course of your investigation, you can ask others who do know. As far as connections, you should expect multiple T3 or OC3 (or above) connections.
Guarantee/Warranty
Any guarantee is only as good as the company behind it. Don't be fooled by the presence of a guarantee. It cannot compensate for an inferior company. A reputable company will seek a reasonable solution regardless of guarantees. You should base your decision on other factors and not rely on a guarantee. If the company is not trustworthy, a guarantee won't change that. It is nothing more than a promise from a liar. If a company cares about giving good customer service, it will do it regardless of the presence or absence of any guarantees.
Statistical Reporting
You may wish to select a host that offers statistical reporting, as many do. This will allow you to track many things, from how visitors are finding your site, to where they come from and what keywords they use in search engines. Programs such as Webtrends and Wusage report on this information and much more.
There are other, minor factors that might be taken into consideration, though the information above should prove useful to the majority of people.
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