Choosing a Web Hosting: Main Do’s and Dont’s

As more and more companies are offering web hosting services it has become increasingly hard to choose the best provider for your website or online business. There is no doubt that reliable hosting is essential element of a successful website and one should pay a lot of attention when choosing a company to host your site. The purpose of this article is to point out some main do’s and dont’s in choosing a place to host your site.

Dont’s

1. Never rely on free hosting providers.

Nowadays there is a lot of hosting companies that offer free services and there is no surprise that this sounds tempting. However, if you are in a need of a reliable service, free web hosting will usually not meet your expectations. The truth is that top web hosting solutions have never been free and you simply have to pay for them.

2. Try to avoid particularly cheap options.

Very cheap hosting will always be better than a free one but usually still not good enough. Cheap hosting providers generally don’t have stable and reliable servers as well as skilled customer support staff. If somebody offers you unlimited space with unlimited bandwidth for 1 or 1.5$ per month something will usually be wrong. Prices of reliable unlimited hosting plans start from 3$/month.

3. Never pay for two or three years in advance if you aren’t familiar with particular company.

When choosing a paying option never pay for more than one year in advance unless you have read reviews about this company. Of course, monthly cost of one-year subscription is higher that two or three-year subscription but this will minimize your losses in case you aren’t satisfied. If you have read some reviews about and they proved the quality of their services only then consider long-term subscriptions.

4. Don’t choose totally new hosting providers.

Try to avoid companies that have just been established. Let others do the testing for you. It’s wiser to choose those web hosting providers, that already have lots of customers and have received many positive reviews. That usually costs more, but you will always know that you get what you pay for.

Do’s

1. Do a lot of research before making decision.

Collecting information before making final decision is crucial. Don’t choose the first web hosting company you find. Always explore other options, compare prices and most importantly, read reviews. This will ensure that you will get “a bang for your buck” and potentially save a lot of time in the future.

2. Always look for unconditional money-back guarantee.

When paying for a hosting plan don’t forget to check whether this provider ensures that you will be able to get your money back if you don’t feel satisfied. This means that you will be able to test this web hosting before making final decision. Don’t hesitate to contact customer support and ask for a refund if particular web hosting does not seem to be as good as it was said to be.

3. Try to contact customer support before paying.

Even if you understand everything, try to contact customer support team of potential hosting provider and ask them something. You will see how fast and how well they respond. Fast and helpful customer support service is one of the main characteristics of good web hosting company.

4. Look for free bonuses.

Lots of web hosting providers offer reasonably priced plans nowadays. In order to attract customers some companies offer various free bonuses with their hosting plans. These bonuses usually include Google, Yahoo or Facebook advertising credits that might be of a great use when advertising your new website. You will also be able to sell them to other people and get some of your initial hosting expenses back.

Taking everything into consideration, reliable web hosting is of a key importance for your web site or online business. Choose cheap, unreliable company and you will usually face lots of problems which will eventually result in bigger financial expenses. Choose authoritative, reliable hosting provider and you will not have to worry about your website going down. I hope that these tips will help you to make right decision when choosing your web hosting provider.