By Michael Shelton
The following is a simple list of the steps you should take andmistakes to avoid when searching for a web host. Follow theseguidelines and your chance of finding a web host that meets yourneeds will increase.
Web Hosting Do's
Follow these guidelines and you will have a better chance offinding a reliable hosting solution.
Research
Spend time reading what others have to say about the hostingcompanies you are looking at. Read reviews and investigate intothe history of the company. How long have they been in business?What data centers are they located in? How many customers dothey have and do they have enough employees to support them?These are all questions you should know before choosing a webhost.
Contact Support
Contact your potential hosts and ask them a few simple questionsabout their service. The main goal is to gauge their responsetime and the quality of their reply.
Know Your Requirements
You may WANT gigs of space and bandwidth, but do you really NEEDthem. If not, do not waste money paying for bandwidth andstorage space that will not be used. On the other hand, if youuse a lot of resources you should purchase hosting with a littlehead room just in case you have spikes in traffic. This way youcan avoid any overage charges.
Have a Good Backup Plan
Do not rely on your host to keep backups of your sites. Mostdon't and if they do they could be weeks or even months old. Ifyou keep good backups you will suffer little downtime and dataloss if you ever do have problems with your host and need tomove elsewhere.
Web Hosting Dont's
Avoid these hosting mistakes at all cost or face theconsequences!
Choosing a Host On Price Alone
Do not chose a web host based only on their pricing. Their aremany cheap hosting providers and with most you get what you payfor. Very little. If the price you are quoted seems to good tobe true, it probably is. Expect to pay at least .50 cents forevery gigabyte of bandwith for average reliability and three orfour times that if you want high quality hosting.
Purchasing Hosting from an Auction Site
Not that you will not find good hosting from an auction site,but the chances aren't good. Especially if the company does noteven operate a web site to market their services.
Trusting Customer Testimonials
Most testimonials simply can't be trusted. If the web host listscontact information and the web site of the testimonials listedthey may be trustworthy, but the majority should not be taken atface value.
Free Domain Included with Hosting
It is always better to keep your domain seperate from yourhosting company. Many hosts offer free domains with theirhosting plans. This practice is fine as long as the domain isregistered in your name and belongs to you. If they register itto themselves and only let you "borrow" it you face the risk ofthem holding your domain hostage if you ever decide to move toanother hosting provider
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