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Web Hosting Companies
With thousands of web hosting companies in the market it can be difficult if not
impossible to know which web site hosting companies truly provide an excellent
hosting solution at an excellent price. When you have an established domain name
with a good web hosting company, you can get reports on your traffic and which
of your pages your customers are visiting most often, as well as many other
statistics.
Your web host will charge you a fee for monthly service that ranges from $10 or
$20 to the more expensive $50.00 per month. Plan to pay between $300 and $500
per year to your web host.
Always avoid free or very inexpensive web hosting services, because you may
experience bouts of server downtimes and you are likely to have significant
limitations in storage, number of email addresses, FTP upload etc.
Be sure your web host can accommodate e-commerce and storefronts, wireless
capability, bogs, forums, chats, online interactive helps and anything else you
want to add onto your site.
Estimate what your growth needs are and ensure that this web host can serve you
as you grow. The last thing you want to do is change host mid way unless you
absolutely have to do so.
Check your bandwidth capability to be sure that, if your website traffic grows
rapidly, your customers will not have to wait to download or view information.
Three things to look for in a web hosting company are:
1. Excellent Customer Support: Your hosting provider should be there for you
24/7 and give you instant access to the technicians you need to solve your
problem. Ask them how long it takes for them to typically respond to your
problem. A good test is to call them in the mid night to check if you get to a
live, level 3 support.
2. A Sound Infrastructure: Check whether they offer a multi-homed network
powered by multiple bandwidth providers to ensure redundancy. Some offer a 100%
guarantee on its network availability or network uptime.
3. Financial Stability: If you're running very critical operations, you can't
afford to be with a hosting company that may not be in business in a few months.
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