Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Web Hosting Tutorials : 8 Steps to Choosing the Right Web Host

[rllunzmann]

Hello WHT Members!

First thing I would like to discuss is that price is not everything! Doesn't matter if your paying .99c for hosting and your site is completely unreliable because in the end, you'll lose money over these problems. Let's go through the considerations that you need to ponder in order to ensure that you get what you need. You want to choose the web host that is going to provide your needs as they stand now as well as where they lead to in the future. Here we go:

1. Understand the differing types of hosts: shared, collocated, unmanaged dedicated, and managed dedicated. Is your site brand new with little traffic? In the event your site is a newer domain, you won't need the raw power of a dedicated server unless your site is resource intensive which can include: streaming, video's, proxies and even linking to videos as well can cause a high load on Apache and the CPU(s).

2. Go for stability, not just size. Just because the host if offering you unmetered and unlimited space, doesn't mean you should soley base your decision on that. What good is that account to you when your site is down or the server is overloaded? Research how long the hosting business has been in operation. See if they have recently changed ownership, and if they show positive cash flow.

3. The possession of fully redundant data centers. If you are considering doing business with a smaller hosting vendor, ensure that they have adequate power and connectivity capabilities. Inquire as to the number of lines the facility has. Do they possess an on-site generator? Does the generator receive regular checks and maintenance? What is the average utilization of the connections available?

4. How skilled is their staff? When you need customer service of a technical nature, you need it immediately, right? Find out the availability of their systems administrators. Send them a support ticket and see how fast they respond.

5. Other customer's reviews of the hosting services. Same as any business, the hosting vendor should be able to provide good references.

6. Is the potential host flexible? In the future, your needs may change. Can you upgrade services should the need arise?

7. This step of course, is optional. Make sure that the host does not have blacklisted IPs. The host that you want to do business with would not be one that promotes illegal sites, spammers, or other security issues. You are considering associating your business with this host. You could always ask them what web server they plan to put you on.

8. Begin with and maintain a clear and written understanding of all services and all charges for them. If questions still remain or some terms are unclear it is strongly advised that you ask for clarification before signing up for anything.

If you do your research before beginning business, you will find a better avenue to the successful hosting, and thereby promotion, of your online business. Take your time in making this important decision.

[eLief]

Good job, this should be a good place to start that covers the basics for all the beginners out their.

[Nightscream]

Wow thanks, only had free ones in the past but was looking for a paid one so this really helps me

[HRS-AL]

very well written -

Research is so important when finding a new provider. Aside from everything mentioned I would also test the support and or sales team by submitting a ticket or calling in to make sure a response is available when you need it.

[MegaByteHosting]

One point I must make about choosing a web host or testing web hosting. Do not assume because your site has problems when you switch to a new host that there service is the problem. And don't assume that your monthly fee of what ever will cover the time a host must spend on your transition. Sometimes database, php, apache, and apache mods, etc. are different versions and may cause different problems. In all seriousness you get what you pay for.

[v21manager]

Right. plus while choosing service, consumer support is no #1

[cyclonboy]

thanx for the info

[MikeDVB]

Very nice thread, thank you for investing the time to help others here on WHT.

[rllunzmann]

No problem, the pleasure is mine. Another quick fact is to just google search the company in question, are there many results? how about reviews?

Think about these things before jumping on the bandwagon =]

[blue19]

very good suggestions. thanks for posting

[kluang]

Thanks for your suggestion

[godfreyh]

Originally Posted by rllunzmann

Hello WHT Members!

First thing I would like to discuss is that price is not everything!

Well said, but my experience is that this simple truth seems to be falling on deaf ears. Every month, hosts seem to be lowering their prices and offering packages which are clearly not financially viable, and potential customers just lap them up, going for the lowest bidder, and then getting disgruntled when they can't get a hold of customer service or the server is under a supposed "ddos attack" for days.

[rllunzmann]

Godfreyh,

This is true, hosts seem to be lowering the prices to unbelievable prices and giving away Terabytes of disk space like it's nothing and I truely believe it leads to overselling/oversold servers.

[mister i]

and overselling means the business will get out of business..
if you are running a webhosting company, or hosting company owner, plese considering not to low the price, to get the business keep running well in long run.

[rllunzmann]

i agree with you 100% mister_i. Overselling is a bad practice and i think that any shared reseller should be limited on the account creation based on the packages they have setup. This is one method of many.