When you start thinking about creating your own site and buy a domain name, another important consideration is selecting a web hosting provider from those available on internet. It can be quite tricky to select the best service provider available on internet. There are many things to consider before deciding something. And, you need to know about these things while considering a web host.
Bandwidth
One of the most important things to consider while selecting a web host is the bandwidth or the disk space required. You also need to be clear about your server and other feature requirements. These things however have become standard these days, and the companies are competing by offering as much as possible. So there is barely any variation that will help you in making up your mind one way or the other. The things that are likely to affect your selection more are features for e-commerce websites like a shopping cart for addition, safe payments, and site promotion.
Hardware, Software and Platform
There are some things you need to consider while selecting between various packages that are identical. You must identify the hardware, technical and platform requirements first. In case your site is going to use programming environment such as Cold Fusion, Visual Basic Scripts, MS Access, MS SQL database, ASP etc, you will need a web host that supports Windows platform. Also decide the programming languages that are likely to be used and their compatibility with the environment.
E-commerce, Control Panel and Price
You may also want to consider the availability of e-commerce features before deciding on the web hosting service. Some web hosting services add an additional monthly fee for those looking to setup a virtual store. The kind of control panel that is supported also matters, because it is from the control panel you will be managing your website. Do not forget to look at the host’s experience in business, pricing and customer support. Quality companies last longer in business. The time the company has been working as a web hosting provider gives a clear indication about their service quality. Remember, the pricing is not always a relevant factor for selection, as a cheap host does not necessarily mean a bad one. Sometimes even the cheap ones offer far better quality than the expensive ones. It is also not necessary that the new companies are incapable of doing a good job.
Customer Support and Terms of Service Agreement
Ensure that the tech and customer support is available 24/7 via email and phone. Another major concern for you while selecting your web host should be the company’s terms of service agreement. This agreement protects you from the unanticipated costs. Compare the agreements of the different web hosting providers. Make sure that you read the terms that apply to your site. These terms differ from company to company, depending on the products you have signed up for with a hosting provider. In case you have any doubts, you should call the service provider’s support for clarification.
Downtime
The server downtime is a serious consideration while selecting a web hosting organization as it makes a serious difference with the customers being unable to access your site content. Although most web hosting companies advertise minimum downtime, it is significant to note that, they are least helpful when any such downtime occurs. These downtime possibilities are covered in the terms and conditions section. You can also expect some scheduled maintenance breaks from the service providers. If you have any doubts about a company’s downtime performance, it is significant that you rely on your research before deciding to go ahead with choosing one company. This is critically important because there is little you can do to recover the situation when you have lost considerable revenue because of the site being down.
Security
Website security should be the main concern for all site owners. Always go through the security provisions about how your personal and confidential info is going to be handled by the hosts. Some of the behaviors of your website will not be liable under the terms of agreement of a specific website. Third party security breaches are a major concern where the web host provides your info to a third party. Different hosting companies have different policies about sharing this info with the third party.
Summary
Despite taking all the precautions, you can safely assume that the web hosting company will still have a limited responsibility to you. Make use of the tips above to understand what you can control, and learn more about your rights with web hosting organizations.
Bandwidth
One of the most important things to consider while selecting a web host is the bandwidth or the disk space required. You also need to be clear about your server and other feature requirements. These things however have become standard these days, and the companies are competing by offering as much as possible. So there is barely any variation that will help you in making up your mind one way or the other. The things that are likely to affect your selection more are features for e-commerce websites like a shopping cart for addition, safe payments, and site promotion.
Hardware, Software and Platform
There are some things you need to consider while selecting between various packages that are identical. You must identify the hardware, technical and platform requirements first. In case your site is going to use programming environment such as Cold Fusion, Visual Basic Scripts, MS Access, MS SQL database, ASP etc, you will need a web host that supports Windows platform. Also decide the programming languages that are likely to be used and their compatibility with the environment.
E-commerce, Control Panel and Price
You may also want to consider the availability of e-commerce features before deciding on the web hosting service. Some web hosting services add an additional monthly fee for those looking to setup a virtual store. The kind of control panel that is supported also matters, because it is from the control panel you will be managing your website. Do not forget to look at the host’s experience in business, pricing and customer support. Quality companies last longer in business. The time the company has been working as a web hosting provider gives a clear indication about their service quality. Remember, the pricing is not always a relevant factor for selection, as a cheap host does not necessarily mean a bad one. Sometimes even the cheap ones offer far better quality than the expensive ones. It is also not necessary that the new companies are incapable of doing a good job.
Customer Support and Terms of Service Agreement
Ensure that the tech and customer support is available 24/7 via email and phone. Another major concern for you while selecting your web host should be the company’s terms of service agreement. This agreement protects you from the unanticipated costs. Compare the agreements of the different web hosting providers. Make sure that you read the terms that apply to your site. These terms differ from company to company, depending on the products you have signed up for with a hosting provider. In case you have any doubts, you should call the service provider’s support for clarification.
Downtime
The server downtime is a serious consideration while selecting a web hosting organization as it makes a serious difference with the customers being unable to access your site content. Although most web hosting companies advertise minimum downtime, it is significant to note that, they are least helpful when any such downtime occurs. These downtime possibilities are covered in the terms and conditions section. You can also expect some scheduled maintenance breaks from the service providers. If you have any doubts about a company’s downtime performance, it is significant that you rely on your research before deciding to go ahead with choosing one company. This is critically important because there is little you can do to recover the situation when you have lost considerable revenue because of the site being down.
Security
Website security should be the main concern for all site owners. Always go through the security provisions about how your personal and confidential info is going to be handled by the hosts. Some of the behaviors of your website will not be liable under the terms of agreement of a specific website. Third party security breaches are a major concern where the web host provides your info to a third party. Different hosting companies have different policies about sharing this info with the third party.
Summary
Despite taking all the precautions, you can safely assume that the web hosting company will still have a limited responsibility to you. Make use of the tips above to understand what you can control, and learn more about your rights with web hosting organizations.
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