myidealhost
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There are many things to pay attention to when starting your online business. These are: how to choose a proper domain name, what type of hosting provider to choose and where you can get the best deal. But the most important aspect of your online business is web hosting provider. It's a basis for your online business. If it is not good enough, you won't benefit from it.
Now many people may get confused when choosing the right web hosting. There re a lot of factors to consider here: which web hosting provider is the best? should I choose Shared or Dedicated hosting? What features will I need? How reliable is it?, etc. In this article we'll try to guide you in searching the right Web hosting provider and list the basic item for you to do a research accordingly and find the best one.
Space and Bandwidth.
First of all, you should consider the possible space and bandwidth required for your website. If you have a static website with a few pages, you can go for a limited monthly plan. In case your website is dynamic (like blogs), then you would need an unlimited hosting package. The simpler your site, the less space & bandwidth you will need for it to function properly.
Shared or Dedicated Hosting.
Shared Hosting means that several sites share a single server. Each website has its own space on the server. Shared hosting is cheaper than Dedicated hosting and doesn't require heavy maintenance by a user. This type of hosting is preferable for static websites with just a few pages.
In Dedicated web hosting, you control the whole server and only one site is hosted there. This type of hosting is proper for dynamic sites (e.g. blogs with new entries added daily). Dedicated hosting is more flexible than shared hosting as you have full control over the entire server. But it requires constant maintenance and costs more than shared hosting. To cut a long story short, if you have just started creating your website or you already have a static website with several pages, then you'd better sign up for shared hosting. In case you want to have full control over the server and be able to use additional features, you should go for Dedicated hosting.
Operating System
Before buying a hosting package, you also need to choose the operating system you would use to run your site and software. The most popular OS are Windows and Linux. Each operating system has its own differences and peculiarities, and depends on the type of website you develop.
Linux operating system is widely used due to better functionality and stability. Windows is stable too, but it has limits for some features. If you're developing you website in CGI/Perl/PHP, then you should choose Linux operating system because of its flexibility. In case your website uses ASP, you should go for Windows operating systems. Make a list of features/softwares you'll need to use for your website. This will help youto make the final decision.
Reliability
Along with other items stated below, reliability is the main thing you should be looking for. Many hosting companies provide 24/7 support. They co-operate with you and reply to all queries trying to provide a quick solution as soon as possible. Now you just need to be able to identify them.
The first thing is to check the users' reviews. Search for them on the Internet. These reviews provide a lot of information about the hosting company. Compare the number of positive and negative reviews.
The up-time guarantee and back up options are another thing you need to check for. No single hosting provider can provide 100% up-time. There's always a 0.1% of downtime. So check if there's a 99% of up-time included in the hosting package. Also see if the hosting company performs regular backups. It will allow you to restore the site data to a previous state in case of server crash or data loss. Finally, check whether the web host provides spam filtering and virus protection.
Post Scriptum
Price should not be the only option to consider. If the hosting company is offering you unlimited disk space and bandwidth for free, don't take it. The unlimited free package you'll get will deprive you of other features, such as up-time guarantee, technical support and others.
Proper technical support available via telephone, WebChat or email. Contact them and make some queries about the hosting package, and check the result (i.e. speed of reply, level of knowledge, level of communication, etc.)
Carefully read the terms and conditions of your future web hosting company. Check if there's any hidden fees. Also check for money back guarantee (in case you experience issues with hosting, you can always get refund within a period of time).
Choosing the perfect web hosting provider is not an easy task. There are complaints and bad reviews even on top hosts. So it is very important to do a thorough research about the web hosting company you are going to sign up with and only after that make your final decision.
Now many people may get confused when choosing the right web hosting. There re a lot of factors to consider here: which web hosting provider is the best? should I choose Shared or Dedicated hosting? What features will I need? How reliable is it?, etc. In this article we'll try to guide you in searching the right Web hosting provider and list the basic item for you to do a research accordingly and find the best one.
Space and Bandwidth.
First of all, you should consider the possible space and bandwidth required for your website. If you have a static website with a few pages, you can go for a limited monthly plan. In case your website is dynamic (like blogs), then you would need an unlimited hosting package. The simpler your site, the less space & bandwidth you will need for it to function properly.
Shared or Dedicated Hosting.
Shared Hosting means that several sites share a single server. Each website has its own space on the server. Shared hosting is cheaper than Dedicated hosting and doesn't require heavy maintenance by a user. This type of hosting is preferable for static websites with just a few pages.
In Dedicated web hosting, you control the whole server and only one site is hosted there. This type of hosting is proper for dynamic sites (e.g. blogs with new entries added daily). Dedicated hosting is more flexible than shared hosting as you have full control over the entire server. But it requires constant maintenance and costs more than shared hosting. To cut a long story short, if you have just started creating your website or you already have a static website with several pages, then you'd better sign up for shared hosting. In case you want to have full control over the server and be able to use additional features, you should go for Dedicated hosting.
Operating System
Before buying a hosting package, you also need to choose the operating system you would use to run your site and software. The most popular OS are Windows and Linux. Each operating system has its own differences and peculiarities, and depends on the type of website you develop.
Linux operating system is widely used due to better functionality and stability. Windows is stable too, but it has limits for some features. If you're developing you website in CGI/Perl/PHP, then you should choose Linux operating system because of its flexibility. In case your website uses ASP, you should go for Windows operating systems. Make a list of features/softwares you'll need to use for your website. This will help youto make the final decision.
Reliability
Along with other items stated below, reliability is the main thing you should be looking for. Many hosting companies provide 24/7 support. They co-operate with you and reply to all queries trying to provide a quick solution as soon as possible. Now you just need to be able to identify them.
The first thing is to check the users' reviews. Search for them on the Internet. These reviews provide a lot of information about the hosting company. Compare the number of positive and negative reviews.
The up-time guarantee and back up options are another thing you need to check for. No single hosting provider can provide 100% up-time. There's always a 0.1% of downtime. So check if there's a 99% of up-time included in the hosting package. Also see if the hosting company performs regular backups. It will allow you to restore the site data to a previous state in case of server crash or data loss. Finally, check whether the web host provides spam filtering and virus protection.
Post Scriptum
Price should not be the only option to consider. If the hosting company is offering you unlimited disk space and bandwidth for free, don't take it. The unlimited free package you'll get will deprive you of other features, such as up-time guarantee, technical support and others.
Proper technical support available via telephone, WebChat or email. Contact them and make some queries about the hosting package, and check the result (i.e. speed of reply, level of knowledge, level of communication, etc.)
Carefully read the terms and conditions of your future web hosting company. Check if there's any hidden fees. Also check for money back guarantee (in case you experience issues with hosting, you can always get refund within a period of time).
Choosing the perfect web hosting provider is not an easy task. There are complaints and bad reviews even on top hosts. So it is very important to do a thorough research about the web hosting company you are going to sign up with and only after that make your final decision.
