New To Web Hosting

[new2webhosting]

Hi everyone. I'm trying to start an internet based business and I've done enough research to know that I need to choose a web hosting company before I can setup my own website. However, when I Google "web hosting company" I get an overwhelming amount of search results. How do I know which company to choose?

 

[VMhosts-Gordon]

Yes it is a bit of a minefield isn't it! There are many many different companies to choose from so recommending one is always tough.

It all depends on what sort of thing you are looking for. Do you have a website already and are just looking to host? Do you have a domain name registered etc.

Some web hosting companies will register domain names and help you set up a site for example.
Others just provide you with space to host your own sites etc

 

[hostweby]

When you find a company and you like their offers (price / features), then search for reviews about that company. (Not on review-sites, but on web hosting forums).
If you find good reviews, then go for it. Before that, however, contact their support team and ask few questions (server performance, maybe some discounts, etc). This way you can also find out if their support is fast and knowledgeable.

Another advice: choose monthly payments. Don't pay for 1 year in advance. In this case, if you don't like their services, you can just ask for a refund and move on.

 

[dedideals]

You have to do research and checkout reviews for hosts, see which suits you best.

To be honest, you cannot really 'know' who to choose, it is down to experiencing the bad and good hosts, but there is a large choice out there.

Just ensure you do uptime checks, support checks, review checks and as many checks as possible before you jump in, try to stay away from the big boys like hostgator etc, try to stay with smaller companies who will do their best to help you.

 

[handsonhosting]

For the most part, it's become a trial by fire when it comes to web hosting companies. Be sure that whoever you pick that they have a money back guarantee - whether it's 5 days, 30 days, 3 months or whatever term. This will at least allow you to test out their services and escape with no financial impact should things go south imediately.

Personally, I'd stay away from the FREE hosting, and even those that offer "free hosting for the first year" type offers. These are mainly just herding cattle through the door so they can upsell people on other products.

As the others stated, looking at reviews, viewing forums, and even submitting support tickets or live chat sessions to see how quickly someone responds and if they can respond with information you can use - this can be helpful. I personally don't care if a company has a 5 minute response time, what I want is a RESOLUTION. Responding to me to tell me that someone else will be looking at it, and then 5-12 hours go by without a response - that doesn't do any good for me.

Check their site, check their knowledgebase, check out their tickets and online chat. See if they provide backups (or in some hosts cases where they don't let you make a backup at all). Test their knowledge and then make a decision. When all else fails, you can move to another company.

 

[ReadyMakers]

I think reading of reviews of the companies is also important.

 

[Christiano]

When you come across companies in search results or through someone's reference you use the checklist as mentioned by other members. (Reviews, forums, testimonials).

When you do find some good ones you need to list down your requirements. What kind of hosting you are interested in Windows or Linux? Linux is usually good. What server you would need? (Shared, VPS). Depending on your sites resource needs and budget you could select what meets your requirements.

 

[koddos]

I think the time of being in the IT world is important too.

 

[new2webhosting]

Wow! I wasn't expecting such an overwhelming response; thanks guys. I hadn't thought to look into web hosting forums for reviews of companies, but that's a great idea and I will definitely do that before I pick a company. I guess at this point I just need to "dive right in" and start exploring different companies. I don't have the website ready yet, nor do I have a registered domain name, so hopefully I'll be able to find an all-in-one location to help me. Basically at this point I just have the idea for the business, the physical equipment that I need, and the desire to get things going. Thanks again for all the input, everyone.

 

[interservermike]

What you can do is to check on some real customer feedbacks about that certain host that meets your requirements.

Take note on the quality, up time, bandwidth, customer support reliability and security too.

Do join in some host with free trials as well so you can try their services and see if they are excellent for you.

There are also offers and deals in this forum's section that you can check so you can widen up your options and choose from there whichever is appealing for you.


Choose wisely!

 

[Collabora]

. I don't have the website ready yet, nor do I have a registered domain name, so hopefully I'll be able to find an all-in-one location to help me. .

You should register your domain name as soon as possible before someone else takes it. The hosting can come later

 

[HostingKing]

Hi everyone. I'm trying to start an internet based business and I've done enough research to know that I need to choose a web hosting company before I can setup my own website. However, when I Google "web hosting company" I get an overwhelming amount of search results. How do I know which company to choose?

This is a very important question, actually. It is indeed hard to tell.

The first thing you could do is to look on web hosting forums, such as this one, and look at reviews of web hosts. You can also find reviews other places, but many review sites allow hosts to pay to receive better ratings, so they are sometimes not the most reliable.

But also ask the host questions. E-mail their support and see how long it takes them to respond. Check their uptime, if they have uptime stats. Make sure that they are not charging a price that seems too good to be true, as generally, it will be.

It is always a risk, but always make a backup of your data before uploading to the host, and feel free to move if you encounter problems.

 

[Christiano]

Wow! I wasn't expecting such an overwhelming response; thanks guys. I hadn't thought to look into web hosting forums for reviews of companies, but that's a great idea and I will definitely do that before I pick a company. I guess at this point I just need to "dive right in" and start exploring different companies. I don't have the website ready yet, nor do I have a registered domain name, so hopefully I'll be able to find an all-in-one location to help me. Basically at this point I just have the idea for the business, the physical equipment that I need, and the desire to get things going. Thanks again for all the input, everyone.

Goodluck with your venture. Keep us posted about how it goes.

 

[new2webhosting]

You should register your domain name as soon as possible before someone else takes it. The hosting can come later

Thanks for this advice! I actually thought I needed to secure a web hosting company first and then register a domain name through them, but I guess that's not really correct, is it? Unless the web hosting company also provides domain name registration, I will be interacting with two separate companies, correct?

 

[Collabora]

Thanks for this advice! I actually thought I needed to secure a web hosting company first and then register a domain name through them, but I guess that's not really correct, is it? Unless the web hosting company also provides domain name registration, I will be interacting with two separate companies, correct?

You can register domains only with a domain registrar. Most hosting companies provide this service by partnering with a registrar. Many people will tell you not to register a domain with your hosting company --I don't believe in that. As long as the domain is registered in your name it doesn't matter. Even if hosting company goes out of business you can contact registrar directly. When you register your domain with your web host DNS configuration is simpler and you have one less control panel and vendor to deal with.

 

[IIsac]

Hi everyone. I'm trying to start an internet based business and I've done enough research to know that I need to choose a web hosting company before I can setup my own website. However, when I Google "web hosting company" I get an overwhelming amount of search results. How do I know which company to choose?

A couple suggestions:

1. Decide if you want to go with Windows/Linux or other OS - and do a new search based on your decision, for example windows hosting, linux hosting etc
2. If you need certain applications such as Tomcat, JBoss, GlassFish etc see if who offers support for them
3. Check if they have 24/7 support and what type of support(email, chat, phone) - you might wanna do a test and see how their support works
4. As already suggested, look at their reviews
5. See if they have either a free trial or if they have a money back guarantee
6. You might want to check also their Service Level Agreement (SLA)
7. I would stay away from free offers or really cheap ones

 

[new2webhosting]

IISac - Your number (6) said to possibly check their Service Level Agreement. What exactly am I looking for there? What type of SLA would a legit web hosting company be offering?

 

[JodoHost1]

what kind of business you are looking to get in, that defines your requirement.
Once you have your requirement in your hand them it become easy to choose the web hosting company by checking their support, up-time,reviews, data center, offers etc

 

[expertali]

I think reading of reviews of the companies is also important..

 

[IIsac]

IISac - Your number (6) said to possibly check their Service Level Agreement. What exactly am I looking for there? What type of SLA would a legit web hosting company be offering?

The SLA is basically a commitment of the hosting company to the customer to provide a high quality service. I would suggest to look for:

- the time a hosting company commits to resolve an issue/query
- if they have any network or server uptime guarantee
- if offer any credits in the case they fail to meet their commitments

I hope this has been helpful