There are seemingly unlimited web hosting providers and as many package options; deciding on the right one can take longer than building your website. Without knowing what to look for, you could wind up locked into a contract with a provider that doesn’t offer all of the features you may need. What features should you look for when selecting a web host?
If you’re purchasing for your business website or are an advanced user, your needs will likely differ. Here are some things you should weigh:
• Does the host support heavy volumes of traffic, or might they shut down your service should your site become “too” popular?
• How available is support? Can they be reached by phone for immediate needs? Are they available all days and hours?
• How is their reliability? Ask to see past performance uptime reports. What is their plan if the server goes down: will they contact you? How quickly on average are they back up and running?
• How many email addresses are you allowed? Do they support POP and SMTP? If not, is their email interface user-friendly and feature rich… for instance, does it permit out of office responders?
• If you’re processing credit cards or hosting a database of personal information, how secure is their server?
• Do they have a free backup service, so that if anything happens to your data, it can be restored easily and quickly?
• Do they support FTP uploads? If you are confined to a file manager, does it support multiple or large uploads? How friendly and fast is the file manager interface?
If you’re a novice user, you may be looking for the cheapest plan possible. But also factor in the following:
• How friendly is the interface? Do they provide helpful information such as tutorials and FAQs?
• If you haven’t built your website, do they provide free templates? Are the templates attractive, easy to customize, and sufficient to your needs?
• Is the email interface easy to use? Does it provide all of the features you need?
All users should look for the following features:
• Is there sufficient space for your files (allowing for future growth)? Text takes up very little space and if you have a blog with few photos, you’ll have little need for increased space. The more media your site includes, the more server space you’ll require. Check how much you’re currently using and purchase no less than 3 times that much space, and more if you don’t wish to “clean house” often or expect your website to eventually be more feature rich.
• Will you be locked into a contract with that provider? If so, can you switch plans during the contract? If they will allow you to upgrade your plan but not downgrade, it might be best to start with a more conservative plan.
• Do you have a window during which you can back out if you’re unhappy with your web host?
• Some web hosts feature eco friendly initiatives, such as power conservation or recycling as opposed to discarding. If this is important to you, check what the web host’s “green level” is.
Most importantly for all users, does the web host receive good reviews from their customers? It’s easy for companies to make claims about how important their customers are but does their track record support their claims?
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