If you have a website, you need to have a web host. You may not know too much about web hosting, but you would do well to learn as much as you can about it, since it can be a big part of whether people can use your site.
This article has some great tips for choosing a good web host.
You want to ensure that you get web hosting that has a good server. You don’t want to have a lot of people coming to your site and start lagging because of all the traffic that you’ve been attracting to your site recently. So be sure to invest in a server that is reliable to avoid clutter problems in the future.
Different hosts may have different features and add-ons like website builders or one-click installs of third-party content managers. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples by selecting plans which are similar. There’s no use paying for service that will be of no use to you.
You need to decide whether shared or dedicated hosting best suits your needs. If your site is huge and complicated and you get a lot of viewers, shared hosting may inhibit your growth and advancement. A dedicated host may be an optimal choice in these situations.
It goes without saying that you should avoid web hosts that have continual outages. Unreliable providers will have a consistent track record for lengthy and frequent outages; this is an indicator that the host is ill-prepared to offer satisfactory support. Frequent outages are unprofessional. It would be unwise to give such a company your business.
Start to worry if your host site or website goes down for a period beyond 24 hours. Generally outages do not last this long, so it could be a clue that there are bigger problems going on with your web host. You can check other websites to find information about your host site’s outages, as well as the reason for the outage.
Make sure any offers of “unlimited” data transfer are actually unlimited. Many web hosts advertise unlimited data transfer in their offers, but tuck exceptions in the terms and conditions for the package. Common exceptions include video or non-HTML file downloads being limited, limits on CPU utilization, and general prohibitions on using “too many resources.”
When choosing your web hosting service, do not rely on someone’s recommendation, or only on the info you’ve read online. Most services have affiliate programs and the people recommending the service may not have any direct experience with it. You should take more than recommendations into consideration when choosing your web host.
Decide which host to use based on how well it meets your hosting needs rather than on other services it provides. You might not get the best deal on domain names or other extra services from your web host provider. Don’t purchase these extra services when you sign up for web hosting unless you’re confident that you’re getting the best deal.
Choosing the right web host can be a challenge, but if you follow the tips in this article and do your research, the process can be much easier.
Make sure you understand the tips and keep them in mind as you search for web hosting; it can make a difference to the success of your site, so pay attention and choose well.