How to Choose The Perfect Web Host
With so many choices offered to you for hosting your web site knowing what to look for can sometimes be overwhelming. Here are some important things that every web host should offer before you consider choosing one.
Reliability
Look to see what percentage of uptime the host will guarantee. Many web hosts will guarantee that your web site will be available 99.5% of the time. Check to see what safeguards and backup servers they use so that downtime isn't a factor. If you don't see a guarantee posted chances are this server is not a good value for you.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the amount of material that can be downloaded or transferred from your site each month. Some of the inexpensive web hosts offer you a lower amount because in the beginning you won't need much. But if your traffic takes off and you all of a sudden need that bandwidth they will charge you additionally each month. Look for 10GB minimum and a lot of web hosts are now offering 40 to 50 GB at no additional charge.
Disk Storage Space
You may start out with a small web site but what if you want to expand it? You'll need more disk space and you should make sure you have it available. Again some less expensive web hosts will offer you a low amount of space and charge extra if you need more. Look for 200MB disk space as a minimum with 800MB to 1000MB being widely offered now.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
FTP allows you to transfer files to and from your Web site from your computer and is recommended. One reason free web hosting services are not a good idea is most don't offer FTP. If you consider a web host without FTP remember you will have very little control over your web site.
Advanced Features
Look for web hosts offering advanced features like CGI Scripts, PHP, MySQL, and PERL. You may start off with a basic web site but these will be valuable tools if your web business grows larger. Look for a web host offering you a web site builder if you don't have software to build your site. This will save you from spending additional money on web building software.
Price
While price should always be a consideration, look for the best value for your money instead of just the cheapest monthly price. Be careful of web hosts charging low monthly fees then making it up by charging you for additional services that you need.
Guarantee
Look for a web host that offers a 30 day money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied. Web hosts that offer this kind of guarantee are reputable and most users are satisfied with their service or they would not offer it. This guarantee can speak volumes about any web hosting company.
There are many advanced options you can look for in a web host but these basic considerations should make your choice a lot easier.
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Gary Gresham is the webmaster for 1 Stop Shopping Online.com He constanly searches the Internet to offer you the best web hosting companies possible.
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posted by Gary at 8:13 PM
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