Bill-zilonhost
03-14-2005, 08:52 AM
Make a list of all the features you know you need.
Check the offers of this forum, and other forums to find several hosts who offer all the services on your list.
Find out what type of support they offer.
Narrow your list by choosing 8 or so with the best type of support.
This depends on you. If you prefer telephone support, look for those who offer toll free telephone support. If you prefer instant messenger or live chat, look for providers who provide it.
Search this forum for reviews. These guys know more about this industry than anyone else. Everyone has an opinion, and no two are alike. But you will get an idea of the reputation of a company by doing this.
Do some research on data centers. There are many. You may have a preference. Location may be important. A data center's reputation is just as important the provider's.
You need check out the companies. Do a whois on the domain name. Note how long it has been registered, who the registrar is, and where the registrar is located.
Ask the remaining potential hosts for an IP to test. Use http://whois.webhosting.info/ and http://www.whois.sc/ to find out where the IP resolves, who owns the IP, how many websites are hosted on that IP, and other pertinent information.
You can also perform an IP trace route. In windows open the command prompt and type tracert "ipaddress" without the quotes and press enter. This with give you the route from your computer to their server. It will, also, tell you the speed.
Ask questions:
With all the information you have gathered you can ask questions and compare the answers to your data. Make certain potential hosts are honest and up front. Ask where they are located, where their server(s) are located, how long have they been in business, do they lease the server or are they resellers themselves.
Test their support at various times of the day for a few days. Ask questions like do they allow cron jobs or if Apache's mod_userdir is enabled or disabled. Make certain they know what they are doing.
Choose a host on reputation, reliability, support response time, and dependability. But, you will be working closely with this company. You will want to choose someone with whom you feel you can develop a working relationship.
It is important to note, in this industry more expensive does not definitely mean better. Keep this in mind. Cost will be a major deciding factor, I know. But, don't choose someone because they are more expensive.
Check the offers of this forum, and other forums to find several hosts who offer all the services on your list.
Find out what type of support they offer.
Narrow your list by choosing 8 or so with the best type of support.
This depends on you. If you prefer telephone support, look for those who offer toll free telephone support. If you prefer instant messenger or live chat, look for providers who provide it.
Search this forum for reviews. These guys know more about this industry than anyone else. Everyone has an opinion, and no two are alike. But you will get an idea of the reputation of a company by doing this.
Do some research on data centers. There are many. You may have a preference. Location may be important. A data center's reputation is just as important the provider's.
You need check out the companies. Do a whois on the domain name. Note how long it has been registered, who the registrar is, and where the registrar is located.
Ask the remaining potential hosts for an IP to test. Use http://whois.webhosting.info/ and http://www.whois.sc/ to find out where the IP resolves, who owns the IP, how many websites are hosted on that IP, and other pertinent information.
You can also perform an IP trace route. In windows open the command prompt and type tracert "ipaddress" without the quotes and press enter. This with give you the route from your computer to their server. It will, also, tell you the speed.
Ask questions:
With all the information you have gathered you can ask questions and compare the answers to your data. Make certain potential hosts are honest and up front. Ask where they are located, where their server(s) are located, how long have they been in business, do they lease the server or are they resellers themselves.
Test their support at various times of the day for a few days. Ask questions like do they allow cron jobs or if Apache's mod_userdir is enabled or disabled. Make certain they know what they are doing.
Choose a host on reputation, reliability, support response time, and dependability. But, you will be working closely with this company. You will want to choose someone with whom you feel you can develop a working relationship.
It is important to note, in this industry more expensive does not definitely mean better. Keep this in mind. Cost will be a major deciding factor, I know. But, don't choose someone because they are more expensive.