When you are comparing hosting plans, it is easy to get a little overwhelmed. The sheer amount of options and the amount of companies that offer similar plans can make it difficult to make a decision. Here are some tips to help you find the best host for your needs.
1. Start with price. This is usually the first option for most customers. Do they offer a competitive price or any discounts for new customers? Many hosting companies will cut the price if you sign up for a set amount of service in advance, but this can end up affecting you adversely if you are not happy. Most do not offer refunds in this situation. Your best bet is to pay a little more for the month-to-month option until you are sure. This is a competitive industry, so prices are pretty low. A general rule of thumb for pricing on a regular site without a lot of thrills is $10 to $15 a month. Ecommerce sites may cost as much as $50 a month, depending on the features. Anything more than this and you could just get your own dedicated server.
2. Move on to features. Now that you have figured out how much you are willing to pay, it’s important to look at available features. How many databases are offered? If you are running a company site, you’re going to need at least one. Even personal sites should have at least one free database with the plan. Your best bet is to find a company that offers free unlimited databases. Other necessary features include support for Java, PHP and other programming languages. You don’t have to actually know the languages, but the applications you may need to use will need to integrate with your server.
3. Don’t forget support. Technical support is vital to any webmaster. Look for a company that provides you with free tech support around the clock. While some smaller companies can’t offer this, it really is helpful when your website goes down at 9pm on a Saturday to know that you won’t have to wait for Monday morning before you can get some help.
4. Read through their terms of service. Each web hosting company has a different terms of service policy. It is important to read through this before you sign up so that you completely understand what you can and cannot do with your site. While the average site may not be affected, some hosting companies prohibit certain kinds of content or selling certain kinds of products.
5. Take advantage of free trials. If you think you’ve made up your mind, but you’re not quite sold, go with a company that offers a free trial. That way, at the end of the trial period you’ll be able to make your decision based on how you felt the company responded to your needs. This is the best way to really find out how dedicated their tech support system is and how well the server actually performs.
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May 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I’ve considered most of the tips on these article when I was looking for a hosting site except for the databases that is provided. I think I can only have up to 5 e-mail accounts and a few databases only. I wish I have read this article earlier. Anyway next time all of these will be considered.