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7 Simple Steps For Choosing A Great Web Host
here are thousands of web based systems.
hosts around today with 2. Features
thousands of plans to Once you've chosen your platform
choose from making what was once the next step is determining the
a simple procedure seem like a features you'll need from your
daunting task for both newbie and web host. Take your time with
pro alike. this step as the feature lists of
web hosts are getting longer and
Whether you're looking for your longer every day and while some
first host or looking to move on plans may look similar on the
to a better one there are 7 surface, a good look at the
simple steps you must follow to feature lists may tell another
succeed in choosing a great host. story.
1. Platform
The first and most crucial step Only you can determine the
in choosing a web host is specific features you'll need,
determining the platform the web but some key things to keep an
server should run, usually a eye on are:
choice between Unix/Linux and
Windows. Disk Space
Bandwidth
Your choice is largely determined Backups
by your website and the Uptime
technologies used to create it, Money Back Guarantee
generally a website created with Domains Allowed
Microsoft technologies (ASP, VB) Databases (Number & type)
will run on Windows servers while CGI, PHP, Perl, Python, SSI
most other sites using open Cron
source technologies (PHP, Perl, Email accounts
Python etc) will run on Linux
The list goes on and on, just pay yearly to get the best price
remember to take your time and available though there are some
make sure your new web host is that allow you to pay by the
going to provide you with month and still get the best
everything you need. price, it's really a matter of
3. Cost personal choice as to what
Often this is the only thing payment method works best for
people consider when choosing you.
their first web host, funds are 4. Customer Service
usually tight and on the surface Customer service is another
most hosts look very similar. aspect that is often forgotten
Sometimes you get lucky and about until it is too late,
choose a good host, but more something breaks and you need it
often than not it turns out to be fixed and those wonderfully handy
a horror story. sales people who were more than
helpful in taking your money are
I can't stress enough that now nowhere to be seen, all the
choosing a web host based on while you're losing out on sales
price alone is asking for every minute.
trouble, remember that the cost
of your web hosting is more than You shouldn't settle for anything
just the monthly fee, think about less than 24/7/365 service, your
the total cost of ownership. TCO website needs to be running all
includes lost sales due to the time so it's no good if your
downtime & slow speeds, downtime hosting company doesn't work
rebates, extra bandwidth charges, during the holidays. Don't take
setup costs, extra feature costs, the web hosting companies word
and your monthly fee. for it, they all claim 24/7
support but few back it up with
Many hosts will require you to consistent performance. Be sure
to test them out at various times business within a year that
of the day and night via phone, really isn't something you should
email and live chat if they offer be taking a chance on.
it. 7. Uptime
5. Support It's a fact of life that a web
An extensive knowledge base or host cannot be online 100% of the
faq can be a real time saver as time, servers need to be rebooted
well as being an indication of for security and software updates
the level of customer service and any web host that doesn't get
support and expertise you can updated faces the increased risk
expect to receive. Spend some of being successfully hacked.
time browsing the support
sections of the website and see 99.9% uptime guarantees are
for yourself the level of support pretty standard in the industry
provided. however a guarantee is only as
good as how it is defined and the
Are questions in the knowledge company behind it. Look for no
base answered thoroughly? Are less than a full months free
real solutions provided or are hosting should they not meet
they just "cut and paste" their guarantee, a prorated
replies? refund based on the amount of
6. Longevity downtime is virtually worthless.
Do a whois on the web host's Say you pay $10 for a month of
domain name and find out the hosting and your site is down for
creation date, anything less than 24 hours. They will refund you
a year ago and the risk that they for one day of downtime which
won't be around next year ends up being about 33 cents.
increases. They could be a great There you go, 7 simple steps for
host, but considering more then choosing a great web host. It's
95% of new hosts go out of not rocket science, just a little
research and investigating that the future.
can save a lot of heartache in
About the Author:
Kyle Tully is the Founder of Web Host Critique | Web Host Review
Read more articles by: Kyle Tully
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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