A mistake often made by new businesses is to chose a low-cost web host because they are trying to keep their own start-up costs as low as possible. Unfortunately, a cheap, low-quality web host is likely to cause many problems, and cost you more money in the long term. The following tips will help any small business find the right web host.
While it’s common for web hosts to offer add-ons with their packages, the actual features and packages vary widely between hosts. When you are comparing web hosts, ensure that the service you are looking at includes any specific features you need. For instance, one host may offer a low price package, but you can find you really have to get the higher priced package to get the feature you want.
When selecting a web hosting service, opt for the provider that has a favorable track record for outages and downtime. Companies that have many outages, but make excuses for each outage are not reliable, as they have obviously not made any plans to prevent or shorten lengthy outages. Frequent outages signify an unprofessional business. Don’t make commitments to these type of companies.
Sign up for monthly billing for web hosting rather than paying in advance for longer service terms. Because most businesses and even web hosts are unpredictable, you never know what your hosting needs will be in the long term. The services provided by your web host could degrade, your website may require services that are beyond the capabilities of your web host or your account could even be closed for some unforeseeable reason. In each of these cases, it is possible that you will not be able to obtain a refund on the months that you have pre-paid.
Do not register a domain name through your web hosting service; if your relationship with your host deteriorates or goes sour, you will be able to transfer your domain name to a different server, rather than losing it. If you don’t do this, you could risk losing your domain name to your host.
If you want to save some money, try out a free host. Free hosts offer limited storage space, and may include extensive ad placement. Use this type of host if you have no other option, but also keep in mind that a more professional look can often be obtained by using a paid host.
Good web hosts are crucial to the site you run. Your choice of host will affect how reliably people can visit your site, and how secure your information is. Your website’s success depends on the quality and reliability of your web host. Use the suggestions outlined above to make sure you choose a reliable web host.
