How to Choose a Web Hosting Provider

Unless you want to build your own web-server, you are going to need to buy a web hosting package, the place where your website will sit. This is the most common option for many business and can replace some measure of business IT support. There are some issues that you should think about…

Where. Everything is online, but the reality is that there is a computer sitting somewhere with your information and website on it. I would generally recommend that you choose a web hosting provider in the same country as yourself. That way if there is any dispute, you have the protection of being a citizen. There is nothing worse than fighting any battle when you are not on your own turf. There may be many companies offering great deals online, but where is your method of recourse?

Shared or dedicated. Is your site huge and going to grow huge and a big part of your business? You might want your own dedicated server. An actual machine somewhere dedicated to you. For most of us, shared servers are the norm.

Price. What are you getting for your money. You want the most amount of bandwidth and other services for the least cost. That is pretty straight forward.

Company stability. You want to know that they are going to be around for a while. Who wants to pay for a year of service and they are not around to fulfil it? Check online regarding their history. The longer they have been around, the more customers they will have. Find other users online

Functions. Does their interface allow easy use. Does it make it easier for you to upload your data? Some web hosting companies offer a full range of services including easy to use software to build your site – they normally have higher prices.

Flexibility. Can you change your package to suit your needs at the time? This is an important factor for anyone. Getting a smaller package at the start, and up-grading as you need

Support. If there is a problem, how fast will they reply. I have used a few hosting companies in my personal and work life and have found service levels of their IT support team to be very different.

Trial offer. What is better than a trial offer, if you are unhappy you can always move to somewhere else. If a company is willing to give you a trial offer they must be pretty confident that you will want to stay with them.

Choosing a web hosting provider does not have to be difficult, there are many ways to find professional reviews and real customer reviews on the internet yourself. With the competition in the market place today, you should be able to find a flexible provider, that offers great service and support and with the developments in software, they should have many functions for use by anyone. Remember if the deal seems to good to be true, it probably is. And as always, back up copies of your material to your own separate hard drive!

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