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The time has come. You`ve reached the point where you feel the
only thing for it is to have your own website on your own Web Host. You want
control and you want it to be yours. You`re just not sure the best way to go
about making this major decision: How to find the right Web Host for my
needs?
Well, you`ve come to the right place. HostSearch takes special
pride in not only providing its users with all the latest information on
hundreds of Web Hosts, but also educating visitors through its articles on how
to go about making the best, most informed decision possible. The key to this is
to know your needs and requirements, and then find one Web Host from the crowd
out there that is going to be a good partner to you in your online
endeavors.
The good news is that if you go through this process carefully and
wisely, you can find a good host that will give you value for money, be reliable
and efficient, and assist you with your questions and problems along the way.
The Web Hosting industry is incredibly competitive today, and they know that
users are becoming increasingly sophisticated, so they have no choice but to
provide their clients with better and better service, or else risk losing them
to any one of the waiting pack of others.
The best way to proceed, then, is to make a list of what you
require. This will most likely include the following: platform, speed,
accessibility, reliability, support and service, and of course, price. I`m going
to discuss some of most important features below for you, and explain briefly
why they should be major factors in making your decision.
Type of Website
What type of website do you have? This is the most basic question
and will determine which general direction you should go when choosing a Web
Host. Is it a personal site or a business site? Do you just want to put a couple
fun pages online for friends and family, or are you hoping to make a business
out of it? Try to predict what may happen to your site in the future. How much
will it grow, and how much more in the way of features may I need later that I
do not need now?
Individual Requirements
There is no "one size fits all" package in Web Hosting. You must
decide what you really need and compare Web Hosts to find out which one can give
you the best deal on these. For example, do you really need the latest version
of Perl, PHP Support, a large number of POP accounts, access to a secure server
or to MySQL?
The value of quality support may be worth more to you, or whether
or not your host will provide you with a free shopping cart. It is important to
get your requirements clear so that when you compare hosts you are comparing
apples with apples, like with like.
Free or Paid
If it is personal and just for fun, there are many Free Hosting
options available for you, with a few small catches. (See our article on Getting Something for Nothing.) You will most likely
have to display some banner advertising on your page in exchange for this
service.
If your site is business-related, then you should by all means
find a good commercial, Web Host. You should also have your own domain name and
IP number, which a good Web Host will assist you with. (We have a number of
articles on HostSearch describing this process in further detail.) Free accounts
are not for anyone even half serious about doing business on the Web, believe
me. Not when you can get a perfectly acceptable commercial host for as little as
$10 / month. You get the idea.
If your site is indeed intended for serious business, you need to
ask yourself and note down a few more important points, such as: Will I need
e-commerce services and capability? Should I find a Web Host that offers a
Shopping Cart and can help me setup a Merchant Account? Do I need the ability to
run CGI scripts? How much space will I need and how much am I willing to pay to
get the best service necessary to fulfill these requirements?
Price
The cost of Web Hosting ranges anywhere from totally free to
thousands of dollars a month for a dedicated server. However, the vast majority
of people fall into the category of needing an account that will run in the
ballpark of $10 to $50 per month, depending on the features you need and the
options available on the particular package you choose.
Many perfectly fine packages for small businesses now run between
$15 - $25 per month. Some people say that there are three types of Web Hosts:
free hosts, cheap hosts and good hosts - and there is more than a grain of truth
in this. However, that said, there is very good value to be had for basic
services and shopping around will pay off for you.
Whatever the cost, check if there is a money back guarantee and
what their refund policies are; whether there is a requirement to sign up for a
minimum period; and if your package is scalable, meaning that upgrades will not
be a problem or burden for you when the time comes.
Platform: Unix or NT?
This is not really a question of which platform is better or
worse, despite what purists or geeks may say. The choice depends on what kind of
website you have and what you need to be served. If you`re putting up a basic
site with standard HTML, without any server side scripting or database support,
this isn`t really an issue. Either one will do.
Whether you need to be hosted on a Unix or NT server depends
largely on what you plan to do with your site. For most people just starting
out, a Unix server is fine; but if you plan to use databases or ASP on your
site, then you should go with NT hosting.
Space & Traffic
Space and traffic are often the basis for many Web Hosts rates,
whether or not this has any basis in reality. I say this because the majority of
sites require only a few megabytes (MBs) of space and the amount of traffic they
will receive is rarely an issue. But there you go - hosts need some way to
leverage prices and some users are impressed with the big numbers.
If you have a basic site that is not several hundred pages in
size, and is not going to be visited by thousands of people a day, I would not
even worry about these elements. However, do be aware of the Web Hosts` fees and
penalties for exceeding basic allocations, just in case, especially if you
happen to be using a lot of Flash or Multimedia files on your site.
Email
This is an often underrated feature of Web Hosting Packages, since
emails are essentially the lifeblood of an online business. Be sure that your
package contains enough emails and aliases for your business, preferably an
unlimited number of both. This is one way hosts make their money, that is, by
charging a few dollars for each additional account once you realize you need
more than say, 5 accounts. Needless to say, this can add up quickly, especially
for larger companies.
Be careful from the start and choose a package that meets your
needs. This will probably be the reason I end up moving Web Hosts next time,
which is very frustrating given my overall satisfaction with the rest of their
services. A good case in point for you, another hard lesson learned by me.
FrontPage Extensions
If you are using Microsoft FrontPage, switch to Macromedia
Dreamweaver. If you don`t have time to switch right now, be sure the Web Host
you choose offers FrontPage extensions for you to use.
Customer Support
One of the most frequent, and justified, complaints that many
people have with their Web Host is lack of customer and technical support.
Many Web Hosts offer both email and phone support while others are
available only via email. In most cases, email support is fine, but you should
be wary if a potential Web Host has no telephone number available in case of an
emergency, or in the event you need to speak with someone directly.
Response times to support questions vary widely from Host to Host.
Some may take only a few minutes to get back to you while others take days or
longer. It is important to find out what type of support any potential Web Host
offers. Ask around. References are always a good way to judge a host`s
performance. And send a test email asking them unresolved questions you may
still have. (See our article on Emailing a Prospective Host.)
If at all possible, only choose a host that provides prompt and
knowledgeable customer service. A competent host should offer 24/7 toll-free
technical support provided by experienced, professionally trained
technicians.
Further Factors & Considerations
Most web host companies offer their clients statistics packages of
varying stripes. Some of these are acceptable, while others are pretty
worthless, depending on your needs. Wusage, for example, falls into the latter
category as far as meaningful stats are concerned.
Uptime is important. Many companies will say they`re up 99.9% of
the time when the reality may be quite different. If it is a few points less
than this, your site may be down more than you expect or know. Look into this as
much as possible and again, check with as many references as possible to find
out their experiences.
If you plan to take any kind of orders over the Internet, find out
if your prospective Web Host offers SSL (Secure Socket Layer). If the server
isn`t secure, most people will not buy anything from you!
Buy What You NEED, Upgrade Later
Despite your desire to have many special features, bells and
whistles, it is far wiser to select a Web hosting solution that more directly
corresponds with your immediate business needs. Only purchase hosting services
that your site requires to provide your specific content. There is no point in
signing up for an all-inclusive account with a hosting company if you won`t be
using most of their services.
However, do make sure that your hosting solution is scalable, and
that you will be able to easily upgrade as your site grows in complexity. Check
this out with prospective hosts before signing up.
A Little Research Goes a Long Way
Set aside a good block of time to invest in choosing the right Web
Host for your site. It will be time well-spent. Read a few of our other articles
on choosing Web Hosts, especially our Top Ten Tips. Check out different forums
and newsgroups, Hosting Directories and review sites. Contact a few references.
Look at the blacklists.
In the end, choosing the right Web Host really depends on your
individual needs. Subsequently, what may constitute the perfect Web Host for one
person may not meet the needs of another. It is up to you to decide, through a
combination of logic, research skills, and a dash of intuition. With a bit of
luck thrown in for good measure, you may even find a lifelong match - believe it
or not, it can and does happen!
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