Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Web Hosting Tutorials : Tips for Choosing a Good Web Host

[WebzPro]

I have been coming to these forums now for a couple years now. There are a few common threads that you tend to see on a daily basis.

One is, “Help me choose a good web host.”
Two is, “Don’t use XYZ host.”
Three is, “ABC Host has disappeared and my site is gone.

After reading this time and time again I have decided to share some tips that I have used through trial and error since I purchased web hosting for the first time over twelve years ago. These tips really are nothing new; they have been posted here before. I thought it would be helpful to maybe to have them in one place for referral. A few tips and a little research can save you hours of headaches. So here we go.

1. Starts with you. Determine your needs. Space, bandwidth and budget.
a) Space – Cover your needs and allow for expansion if needed.
b) Bandwidth- Same as above.
c) Budget – Set a realistic budget for yourself. How much are you willing to spend? Lowest price too highest. Being a little flexible on your price will give more hosting choices.

2. Follow some basic guidelines for even considering a hosting provider.
a) Does the host have phone number? At the very least a web host should provide you with a contact phone number. This doesn’t have to be a 24-hour a day number but your future host should be available during normal business hours in their respective time zone. A toll free shows a willingness to provide convenience for their customers.
b) Do they provide at least 24/7 Support Desk? Support is important, this is a must. You should have access to support 24 hours a day. Test the support desk. Choose anytime of the day or night and contact the support desk to test response times, ask any questions you might have. A response time under an hour is good; less than thirty minutes is considered excellent.
c) Take a good look at their web site. This sometimes can be over looked but I believe this says something very important about the hosting company. If they care about how they present themselves to the public, they are more apt to care about other things like service and maintaining a high reputation.
d) The hosting company should provide you with an Acceptable Use Policy, Terms of Service and a Privacy Policy as well. It is in your best interest that you read these policies and understand them before you pay for services.
e) Do they have an Uptime Guarantee? We won’t set a number on this but a hosting provider should be willing to disclose what their commitment to service is. A professional company will have this included in their Terms of Service.
f) Do they provide a Money Back Guarantee? Again, this should listed in their Terms of Service.
g) Payment Options – A host should provide their customers with more than one payment option. Credit cards and other payment option such as PayPal or something comparable.

3. Make a list of at least four to five possible hosting providers that fit your needs from the guidelines above and do some research.
a) Search these forums and others to see what type of information you can find on the host.
b) Compare features and price of the hosts on your list.
c) Contact the host either by phone, email or support desk and ask any questions you might have.
d) Check Testimonials – If the host has a list of testimonials if possible send an email to one of those customers and ask for their feedback on the host. Most people are happy to give a recommendation. This can also help determine if the testimonial real or a fabrication.
e) Finally you might want to consider doing a ping test if you can, check some customers web sites if listed, see how fast they load.
f) Make your choice, sign up and good luck.

There are so many hosting companies out there today, and the choices are close to endless. These guidelines are not fool proof in anyway but if you follow them you will have a better chance finding a host that you can trust in delivering quality service and save you from moving from host to host. In twelve years of buying web hosting and dedicated servers I have never once had a provider suddenly disappear on me in the middle of the night. Good luck and good hunting.

[mripguru]

Very well said

[crinner]

Some cool tips over there... Kudos.

[WebzPro]

Thank you. Hope it helps some people out.

[Konrad4]

Thanks for the tips.

[J-Crane]

Great tips! I hope they can be of great use to someone here at WHT!

[Amy-T]

This should be pinned but its not my site.

[techzone]

Nice info for new users like me ... Good stuff

[alemcherry]

Great, thats a very good to do list for selecting a host!

[f9-Alex]

This really deserves a sticky in the tutorial section. Another good read:

http://webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=372175

[WebzPro]

Request to move to Web Hosting Tutorials if Moderator thinks it should be.

[IHSL]

b) Do they provide at least 24/7 Support Desk? Support is important, this is a must. You should have access to support 24 hours a day. Test the support desk. Choose anytime of the day or night and contact the support desk to test response times, ask any questions you might have. A response time under an hour is good; less than thirty minutes is considered excellent.

The vast majority of companies issue support behind closed doors and access to the technical support teams is very likely to be for existing customers only. That would mean that this section of your 'tutorial' would be impossible to execute.

Otherwise, your tutorial is relatively solid, based mainly on common sense decisions.

This really deserves a sticky in the tutorial section.

I wouldn't agree there. If such a tutorial were to be offered it would need to be much more comprehensive. I see the topic as more or less a decent rough guideline.

Simon

[WebzPro]

Originally Posted by IHSL

The vast majority of companies issue support behind closed doors and access to the technical support teams is very likely to be for existing customers only. That would mean that this section of your 'tutorial' would be impossible to execute.

That is a good point. That part can be edited and added to that line could be…

“If a hosting provider’s support desk is only open to current customers you may want to contact the company and ask for temporary access to the support desk. Be honest, explain you are interested in their hosting service and wish to test the response times. If they do give temporary access, I would choose what might be off hours to test and see if support is truly 24/7. “

[writespeak]

Originally Posted by crinner

Some cool tips over there... Kudos.

I agree.

Originally Posted by WebzPro

Request to move to Web Hosting Tutorials if Moderator thinks it should be.

Moved to Tutorials.

Lois

[MarbleHost.com]

Originally Posted by WebzPro

a) Space – Cover your needs and allow for expansion if needed.
b) Bandwidth- Same as above.

That's right, if you plan expansion you should look to the future and ask yourself how much data transfer and disk space will you need. But keep in mind that most web hosting companies regularly increase their hosting plans (usually at least once a year). So consider how much disk space and data transfer will be necessary for your project to avoid paying too much for unused space/transfer.