As the publisher of several web hosting review sites I often get
asked how does one person go about finding the best web hosting that is
available to them. All too often I have to repeat myself to multiple
people so I have decided to write this article on how you can find the
best web hosting. There are several things you should look for and ask
when signing up for web hosting. I have listed my top five things you
need to know or ask before you pay any money for web hosting.
1) Don't get stuck on names- That means, just because you hear a particular host advertise a lot during the super bowls or on the radio, don't assume that they offer the best web hosting. Some of these large hosting companies have a huge financial backing and can spend a ton of money on advertising which is very deceiving. In fact, I have found on several occasions that some smaller web hosting providers actually offer better services and solutions that these large ones. Sometimes the smaller companies will offer you the same features as the large companies, but you get better customer support. That leads into our number two reason.
2) Customer support is very important- I don't care what level of webmaster you are, you will need customer support at some point. A lot of companies out there skimp on customer support features to save some money. There are certain customer support features that I feel you should get from a company that considers themselves as one of the best web hosting features. Those customer support features should include free phone support, free email support, and free online support. The online support could consist of live chat or an online database of tutorials and FAQ's. One thing that you will see a lot are the companies offering all of that but the free phone support. Again, this is a cost saving measure, a measure that only hinders the customer in my opinion.
3) Core web hosting features- One thing you should know is that must web hosting companies out there have the same or very similar web features. What is going to vary is the version of software you have access to or the amount of that particular feature you get. For example, almost every web hosting provider offers PHP, but not all offer the latest version. Another area where this comes into play is when you start looking at the amount of disk space and data transfer you get. It seems like the companies either offer unlimited disk space and data transfer or they offer you around 10 GB of disk space and similar amount of data transfer. The truth of the matter is that very few sites even come close to use 10 GB of disk space so having unlimited is almost overkill. But…it does come into play if you have multiple sites on your domain. Typically the sites that offer unlimited disk space and unlimited data transfer also allow you to host unlimited domains. What that means is that you can as many domains as you want on one single account, thus saving you money in the long run. So if you plan on having multiple websites in the future then you definitely want to get a web hosting provider that offers unlimited disk space and data transfer.
4) Don't get fooled by free promotions- A lot of the hosts offer you free promotions such as a free domain name and free advertising credits. Some will even try to say that they offer you free shopping carts, free merchant accounts, and other free features. The thing with this is those free features, other than a domain name and advertising credits, are open source so they are free anyways. These companies are just trying to fool you into thinking they give you more for your money.
5) Watch out for promo prices- Everybody wants to save money and there is nothing wrong with that. However, you need to know that a lot of these web hosting promo prices are only good for the first contract period. After that you pay full price. My recommendation is to make sure you sign up for the longest period you can so that you can get the lowest price for the longest time and inquire with the host what their renewal policy is.
Finding the best web hosting isn't really that hard. Do some leg work before you pay for anything and it will help you greatly in choosing a top web hosting provider. Good luck!
1) Don't get stuck on names- That means, just because you hear a particular host advertise a lot during the super bowls or on the radio, don't assume that they offer the best web hosting. Some of these large hosting companies have a huge financial backing and can spend a ton of money on advertising which is very deceiving. In fact, I have found on several occasions that some smaller web hosting providers actually offer better services and solutions that these large ones. Sometimes the smaller companies will offer you the same features as the large companies, but you get better customer support. That leads into our number two reason.
2) Customer support is very important- I don't care what level of webmaster you are, you will need customer support at some point. A lot of companies out there skimp on customer support features to save some money. There are certain customer support features that I feel you should get from a company that considers themselves as one of the best web hosting features. Those customer support features should include free phone support, free email support, and free online support. The online support could consist of live chat or an online database of tutorials and FAQ's. One thing that you will see a lot are the companies offering all of that but the free phone support. Again, this is a cost saving measure, a measure that only hinders the customer in my opinion.
3) Core web hosting features- One thing you should know is that must web hosting companies out there have the same or very similar web features. What is going to vary is the version of software you have access to or the amount of that particular feature you get. For example, almost every web hosting provider offers PHP, but not all offer the latest version. Another area where this comes into play is when you start looking at the amount of disk space and data transfer you get. It seems like the companies either offer unlimited disk space and data transfer or they offer you around 10 GB of disk space and similar amount of data transfer. The truth of the matter is that very few sites even come close to use 10 GB of disk space so having unlimited is almost overkill. But…it does come into play if you have multiple sites on your domain. Typically the sites that offer unlimited disk space and unlimited data transfer also allow you to host unlimited domains. What that means is that you can as many domains as you want on one single account, thus saving you money in the long run. So if you plan on having multiple websites in the future then you definitely want to get a web hosting provider that offers unlimited disk space and data transfer.
4) Don't get fooled by free promotions- A lot of the hosts offer you free promotions such as a free domain name and free advertising credits. Some will even try to say that they offer you free shopping carts, free merchant accounts, and other free features. The thing with this is those free features, other than a domain name and advertising credits, are open source so they are free anyways. These companies are just trying to fool you into thinking they give you more for your money.
5) Watch out for promo prices- Everybody wants to save money and there is nothing wrong with that. However, you need to know that a lot of these web hosting promo prices are only good for the first contract period. After that you pay full price. My recommendation is to make sure you sign up for the longest period you can so that you can get the lowest price for the longest time and inquire with the host what their renewal policy is.
Finding the best web hosting isn't really that hard. Do some leg work before you pay for anything and it will help you greatly in choosing a top web hosting provider. Good luck!
