7 point checklist to choose a web hosting service

[L.N.Smith]

Before you can launch your web site, you'll need to engage the services of a web hosting company.

A web host, quite simply, allows you to rent space on a web server. Your web pages are then stored on this server, and the host computer allows other people connected to the Internet to view them.

There are literally hundreds of web hosting companies to choose from. How to choose the right one?

As with trying out any new service, you won't really know how good a web hosting company is until you try it. Therefore, ask around and see whether you can get any recommendations from those who already use a web hosting company. You might also want to consider how long the company has been in [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]business[/COLOR][/COLOR], how reliable it is known to be, and how expensive it would be if you want to upgrade your plan in future.

Other areas to consider include:

Disk space
How much disk space do you need? Does you website have less than 10 pages? You'll need only a small amount of space. Is it a huge site that has thousands of pages? You'll be needing a lot of disk space. Most web hosting plans limit how much space you will have, so make sure the plan you choose meets your needs.

E-mail accounts
How many e-mail accounts do you need? You'll probably need one for each employee and one for each department (sales, accounts, support). Make sure you purchase a hosting plan that has enough e-mail accounts. Also, do you want full POPS access, Web-based e- mail, or both?

Data transfer
How much data do you need to transfer? Most hosting plans limit how much data transfer you are allotted each month. If you expect a lot of people to visit your site, you'll need a plan that allows for plenty of data transfer.

E-commerce
Will you be selling goods or services through your site? If not, there's no need to sign up for an e-commerce [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]web [COLOR=blue !important]hosting [/COLOR][COLOR=blue !important]service[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]. If you are, e-commerce web hosting services such as shopping cart software, [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]SSL [COLOR=blue !important]support[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] and a merchant account will be *****.

Database, script and extension support
Some hosts will try to blind you with all the features they provide: Frontpage, MS Access, MySQL, MS SQL, Peri support, PHP support, ASP support and SSI support. Do you really need all these features? If not, make sure you are not paying for extras you'll never use.

Operating systems
Do you want a UNIX hosting plan or a Windows hosting plan? Unix is the most commonly used operating [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]system[/COLOR][/COLOR] among Web servers. It is known for its flexibility, reliability and stability. Windows hosting plans give you the ability to utilize many forms of dynamic content and specialized databases. Windows hosting plans are often used for sites utilizing Frontpage, ASP, MS Access databases, MS SQL Servers and other Microsoft [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]applications[/COLOR][/COLOR].

Support
Is customer and technical support available 24/7? Can you easily get through on the customer support hotline? Or are you on hold for hours?

[ajay4seo]

Thanks for sharing this valuable post.

[John23]

Re:

Great list. It is true. Often, more space is offered then what is really required. I believe the incredible offering of some host helps the client believe they will need that muich space.

[7Host]

Interesting article, thanks for this

[kevin861]

a very useful checklist/
before i always didnt know how to choose and searched in google many times.now i can do this myself.

[Nile Hadwards]

Re:

It's really nice explained article. I appreciate it.

[Rachael]

Web hosting is not an expense, its more of an investment; therefore it is extremely essential to consider all of the above mentioned points. The website hosting company must provide with a 24/7 technical support in order to guarantee the uptime of the website; this is one of the most crucial aspects to be considered as it directly relates to the funstioning to the website. Make sure that the resources offered by the web host are a complete value for money.

[gabriel46]

Great information!

[SLY-Josh]

I agree with Rachael. It's more of an invesment and must provide other services more than of its own.

[vibesh]

this tips are really nice and thanks for sharing this nice info with us.
hoping more from u.

[~Serverpoint~]

Resources - This is the first thing you look at in a host, if it provides the space, bandwidth and add-on domains you need in case your site becomes successful.

[iigwk]

Thanks for sharing this valuable post.

[mcclinks3]

Thanks for sharing such details, appreciated that!

[OurInternet]

Really nice share, thank you folks

[sunilthought]

Nice information thanks for sharing with us