A survey conducted by Netcraft in February 2007 estomated over 108 million distinct website present on the web. As websites need to be hosted somewhere to have any meaning, it’s obvious that hosting companies would be in demand. They actually have been in demand for a while and as a result numerous companies have jumped in to provide web hosting services. In the chaos that’s out there with all these hosting companies trying to grab a piece of the hosting pie, how do you go about selecting the right hosting company for your web presence?
Go to any webmaster discussion board and you will find heated discussion on the pros and cons of many hosting companies.Hosting companies sprout up and die with relentless regularity. To find a provider that provides everything you need and that’s going to be around for sometime to come could be a challenge. However, doing a bit of research should put you on the right track.
You will need to know what to look for. Here’s a simple guideline for you - so that you can ask the right questions.
- Decide if you want a Windows based server or Linux/Unix based server. If you have web applications developed on the Microsoft platform (e.g. .NET technology) you will need a Windows based server. Start by short listing hosting companies that offer Windows based service.
- Availability easy administrative front end. Unless you area web administrator, you will need this to be able to manage your site.
- Some hosting packages allow you to host multiple domains under one account. If you have current or future plans of hosting more than one domain, make sure you get the appropriate package.
- Email is an essential part of your hosting needs. While most hosting providers do support email, you might not find everything you are looking for. For instance, if you are used to IMAP and that’s what you need, ensure that the hosting service provider offers IMAP services.
- If you have a serious site that you are hosting , you want to be sure that it will be available when a visitor tries to get to your site. Check the company’s uptime history and reputation. Don’t go by what they are claiming - do some research on webmasters’ forums and find out what past and present customers are saying about uptime.
- Make sure you get plenty of bandwidth, especially if you are planning to host any type of audio or video files - the consume huge bandwidths. While most hosting companies offer more than adequate bandwidth for basic text based sites with minimal graphics, high traffic sites will need more than the basic and if your site falls into that category, get the bandwidth you need. Shop around for the price of bandwidth - it can vary widely.
- Customer support is important. If you have an issue with your site, you need to be able to get to someone immediately. Technical support should ideally be available 24/7 and there ought to be an easy way of contacting the support department.
Maybe your hosting needs maybe absolutely minimal - like hosting a site on a simple hobby of yours. You are not particularly interested in spending money to host the site and absolutely stellar reliability is not a factor for you. You could find a free web hosting provider. These providers offer simplistic services and functions. They make their money from advertisements. They will also constantly promote other paid services once you sign up, since you have just fallen into their marketing funnel.
Depending on the importance of your web presence, your hosting requirements will vary. Do some research nd you will find a reputable hosting company that meets your needs.
