If you are ready to start your own web site, you will need to find a place to host it. There are thousands of web hosting companies in existence and it can be difficult to know which one is right for your needs. Here are some guidelines to help make your choice a lot easier.
First, you will need to decide which platform you want your site to run on. This should divide the amount of hosts nearly in half. Unix is a very popular solution that is stable and easy to use. You won’t need to actually know any Unix, since it will all be taken care of for you in the background. Windows is the other main option and is recommended if your company uses Access databases for product information. It will be easier to integrate if you select a Windows host.
Now, let’s move onto available options. These will vary widely depending on the host. A good rule of thumb for the average site is to have at least 500 megs of disk space and 500 megs of data transfer per month. This should be more than adequate for the average personal site or for a small business. If you have a company site that will be getting a lot of traffic, you will of course need a larger plan. However, most people will fit into the numbers mentioned above. Don’t overbuy a hosting plan, since it’s just a waste of money for all that space that you will never use.
You will also need to weigh other options, such as control panels or free software. Most web hosting companies offer at least some sort of incentive. Since these companies and their plans are quite similar, you may be able to pick your favorite based on these options alone. If you are completely new to running a site, you’re going to want to have a control panel to make it easier. The extra software is just the icing on the cake,
It is also important to find a hosting company that offers technical support. Most are now providing 24/7 support, but smaller companies may only be available during business hours. It is important to find a host that at least offers some way to contact them in an emergency. While the larger companies will commonly have a toll-free tech support line, you may also find a lot of hosts that limit contact to email or live chat. Make sure you are comfortable with the offerings before you decide.
Finally, you are also going to need to take a look at the terms of the plan. Will you be paying six months in advance or is it month to month? When you first sign up with a host it is best to select the month to month option so that you won’t lose any money if you end up unhappy with their services. Although purchasing blocks of hosting is cheaper, it won’t be if you end up dissatisfied at the end of the first month.
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June 13th, 2008 at 11:17 am
I find that the easiest way to get the right hosting company, is too do your research, find a company which is local within your region offers a reasonable price, and always have one or more forms of technical support. I followed these tips and I was able to find the best host for my website, not only has it been reliable but it has excellent technical support