Choosing a web host company is the first step you should consider when starting a new web project. For you to have your website available on the internet, you need a place where to host it. This place is provided by the web hosting provider. Web hosting as a service incorporates the space where your website files are stored, the traffic to your website, and lots of extra services such as personalized emails, firewall protection, technical assistance, email services, FTP access, domain name registration, website building tools and more.
When you begin to research about Web hosting companies, there’s one thing you should keep in mind: Most Web hosts have thousands of customers, and because of this it’s inevitable that over the years they will have given some people cause for complaint. As such, you’d be hard pressed to find a Web host without at least some negative online press.
The important thing, especially if you decide to read reviews, is to seek out an overall picture of customer satisfaction with each hosting company and not believe too much on a few negative reports. A good analogy here is the parallel with researching hotels using the likes of TripAdvisor. Even the finest hotels in the world have some negative reviews, in the main because people are far more likely to share negative experiences than positive ones. So don’t be put off by occasional complaints. Companies with thousands of customers inevitably let one down from time to time.
Here are our 10 pointers on what we think you should be looking for when deciding for a good hosting provider:
1. Specialities & Experience in the industry
The majority of Web hosts offer a range of services from basic shared hosting packages (usually adequate for most sites in the early days) to dedicated servers or Virtual Private Servers (VPS), SSL Certificates, Email hosting plans, which bridge the gap between the two options.
Similarly, some hosts deal specifically in dedicated servers and offer managed packages for people developing sites that they expect to be flooded with traffic. If you have grand ambitions for your Web project, it’s worth researching hosts like this.
Also, since how long the company has been in business, makes a lot of difference. Someone who has been around for a while would know the rules of the games pretty well, making the whole experience quite seamless for you.
2. Emails
Hosting isn’t only about your website. More often than not, you’re going to want professional-looking email addresses, i.e. yourname@yourdomain.com.
Email functionality is far from equal when you compare Web hosts. Some offer the bare minimum of old-fashioned POP3 accounts, sometimes without even providing a means of sending outbound (SMTP) email, leaving you to worry about sorting this out via your ISP.
Others offer a plethora of options, including access to hosted Microsoft Exchange services or integration with Gmail and desktop Email clients (eg. Outlook, Thunderbird). Give a good thought about your email requirements and make sure your chosen host provides the relevant functionality at the right price.
3. Disk space and bandwidth
It can prove quite difficult to compare disk space and bandwidth across different hosting providers, as the trend is for hosts to call everything “unlimited.”
However, unlimited doesn’t always mean the same thing, so a call to the support department for specifics can prove time well spent (as well as giving you a chance to put the support provision to the test – see below). “Unlimited” is often subject to a fair usage policy, especially on shared hosting plans, so this is something well worth checking out.
So firstly understand what your requirement is and then take a call.
4. Customer reviews
As we said in the start, it’s essential to get an overall sense of a Web host’s performance by looking at a number of reviews and not just by reading some reviews.
You should approach some reviews with a certain degree of cynicism, as some hosts pay for sponsored write-ups. Even so, by looking at plenty of reviews for the hosts on your shortlist, you should get an overall view of their quality of service.
5. Technical support
Quality of technical support can vary hugely between hosting providers. Some hosts only provide online ticket support, others make it easy to phone them. However, what’s more important really is how good the support is when you need it. For example, we’d rather have access to ticket support that’s answered in minutes with quality responses than a helpline staffed by people who don’t know their job well.
6. User Interface
When you sign up to your first Web hosting package, you’ll probably be shocked by just how many options there are when you first log in to your host’s “member’s area.”
Your hosting control panel may be completely unique or bespoke, but the majority of leading hosts use a platform like cPanel (our personal preference) or Plesk. Although these take a little getting used to at first, we would suggest choosing a host that uses them. They are, after all, something of an industry standard and are constantly upgraded with the latest features.
7. Infrastructure
Be very wary of web hosts that fail to describe their server infrastructure. What kind of hardware are the servers made of? Are they top-of-the-range machines on a grid system or just some plain old machines assembled to make a modest server network? Hardware infrastructure weighs heavily on the performance of their servers – and your website.
So if it’s not clear exactly what you’re paying for, get in touch with your hosting provider and ASK. At the same time, talk about what resilience features they have in place. Best thing would be to choose a host with a guaranteed uptime rating. Find someone which offers you a generous money-back warranty.
8. Add-ons
Web hosts are no different from any other companies – they are all interested in up-selling additional products and services. The kind of things we’re talking about are backup services or domain privacy options.
Be careful here, however. Things that some hosts sell as extras are provided as standard by others. So pay careful attention to the comparison tables on host’s websites, as failing to notice these things could result in escalating costs.
9. Scalability
You needn’t worry too much about scalability if your website plans are quite straightforward. However, if you’re planning to be the Internet’s “next big thing” it’s worth asking some questions as to how easy it will be to step up to something bigger and better if you need to do so at short notice.
For example: If your site enjoys sudden popularity, can you move from shared hosting to a dedicated server with minimal hassle? Will you be forced to pay until the end of your contract and pay for your dedicated server at the same time? These aren’t concerns that will affect everyone, but if you think this may apply to you, be ready to ask the right questions.
10. Price
Web hosting, especially shared hosting is pretty inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t compare costs carefully. At the same time, you should consider contract lengths, discounts for longer commitment periods, and other offers and enticements.
The one thing we would say above all else is to never choose a Web host based on price alone. Until you get into dedicated servers and suchlike, Web hosting is rarely expensive, so a few extra monthly dollars for better service and support is money you’re never going to regret spending.
To view our web hosting plans, you can visit www.amityinfotech.com