Today, websites are created by both professionals and amateurs, and by both corporations and individuals. While some people make posts about everyday life and share with the others something interesting (photos, videos), the others promote their online businesses. No matter what the contents of a website are, it is always viewed as one of the best methods to let people hear and see you. It is a necessity for any company that wants to show its legitimacy, and for the cases when online shopping or services are introduced.
If you have just created a new web-site, or want to develop an already existing web project, you need to find a good provider of web hosting. To make sure that you choose an optimal solution, consider the following criteria. Here we enlist five important questions every web-master should ask during host shopping:
- Reliability, which is reflected in hosting uptime, is one of the first things to consider. In case your site becomes unavailable you will need someone to back you up. So ask the provider whether he will be able to help you with problem solving instantly. In fact, there always can be some unpredictable failures and events that can bring your site down, which irritates users.
Try to learn the real uptime percentage of both company as the whole and the server you are going to lease. As a rule, it is reflected in the historical data available. Besides, you should also determine what is done to eliminate scheduled outages. The most advanced web hosts can calculate or schedule down time well as well non-peak times in advance. Modern technologies allow easily doing so, that is why a low uptime percentage is unforgivable for decent providers.
- Pay attention to the customer service. Ask yourself: “Will I get the help, if I need it? How long it will take to have my site assisted?” Many people are ready to sacrifice customer support aspect in favor of low cost, but in fact, it is not worth saving money. Just think how many potential customers and users you may lose in case of site failures and errors. If there is no one to back you up, the results may appear to be dramatic.
What does customer service include? These are pre sales questions, technical support and client billing. Every decent host has some kind of F.A.Q. or a list of questions and answers so that you could read it and find a possible solution of problems. Select a host that has the most optimal combination of these services for you, suiting all your needs perfectly. Which options may be available?
Telephone support. You may call a toll-free number, and the operator will help you to solve this or that issue. In this case, study the customer support work hours: are specialists available 24/7 or in business hours?
Email support works the following way: you send an answer, and it comes in query with other users’ letters. Here you need to learn how much time it takes for the specialists to answer you. How long will you have to wait for the response?
Live Internet chat is a usual chat where you may contact company’s representative. Make an experiment: write and see how much time it will take for an operator to answer you, and what are service times available.
FAQ or knowledge base are made in the form of question-answer list. Although seeming to be useless, it still may come handy in unforeseen situations. A properly compiled knowledge base may save your time greatly, because you won’t have to search for the answers yourself. Pay attention to the database volume and how often it is renewed.
Community networking is for your service when you need other customers’ help. It allows getting assistance quickly. The more active users and posts, the more is real assistance.
- Pricing. Of course service cost means a lot, especially during financial crises. Make a profound research comparing the costs of different providers and remember that is always depends on the options and features available, so you should have clear vision of what your demands are. Thus, first compare features, and only then analyze the cost. Find out the most optimal quality/cost combination. Besides, learn what the payment plans are and how convenient they will be for you. Some hosts make discount for the clients paying an entire year up front. You can’t afford that? Then analyze what the bill due is.
Want a free web host? It may not work well for web businesses. The vast majority of free hosts earn their money on advertising revenue, and the adds they publish (pop ups, banners, etc.) may disrupt your website, and you won’t be able to remove it. Of course, that shows that your site is raw, not professional. This, such an option is more or less suitable for personal sites. But larger projects which need to gain reputation and auditory are better not use this type of web host. Agree that your site reputation is not worth risking saving a bit of money.
- Company history and stability. Going to use this host for a long time? Then consider how long has the company been on the market, and how many clients it managed to get. Companies change, and web hosting is the sphere where a lot of fly-by-night companies appear, as well. Besides, there are lots of resellers partnering with several hosting companies. When working with a reseller, learn his history and the history of hosting service provider, too. Hosts established in the history long ago have more chances for existing on the market for several months and even years.
- Space and Bandwidth are number one priority when considering a hosting package. The volume of required space totally depends on the size and number of files stored on our site. Keep in mind that even large sites sometimes do not require a lot of disc space, so hosts with unlimited or large disc space are better not to be considered at all. You will simply not need it, so why wasting extra dollars for useless features?
The bandwidth is the volume of data transferred when users make requests leading to your site and opening it. The more popular your site gets, the more bandwidth is required. Just find a variant that is sufficient to fulfill your needs. And don’t be blinded by unlimited bandwidth volume. Having unlimited bandwidth may have its drawbacks and pitfalls, so always read what is written the fine print. In most cases, web hosts have clauses which are able of suspending your site, if it is exploited too actively.
The majority of web hosts have graduating packages allowing upgrading to additional space and, if required, bandwidth. This is a perfect variant when your site has grown up, and needs some upgrading. Just make sure this type of host serving provides you with all the specifications and features you need.
Just keep a serious approach to web hosting choice, and these five questions will help you to make the right choice. A properly chosen host will save a lot of effort and your time. Make sure the host you have chosen offers all you need ti keep up at a competitive rate, suiting your business or personal needs.
Article provided by Inxy.com – hosting services in one place.