A mistake often made by new businesses is to chose a low-cost web host because they are trying to keep their own start-up costs as low as possible. In the long run, doing so can end up costing you more due to the problems such a provider can cause. Read on to find amazing advice from your peers which can help you to find a host for your website.
Take the time to read the fine print in any potential host’s online contract. Sometimes they add fees that are not so obvious during their sales pitch, which you need to be aware of. Things like set up charges, hidden fees and penalties if the length of the contract is not honored could really add up for you if you are not careful.
Don’t get sucked into a hosting agreement that contains huge hidden fees. Many hosts go out of their way to advertise low fees, but they fail to point out there may be hidden, or extra fees, as well. To combat this, know exactly what you are looking for in a web host and which features are crucial. Select a plan that includes all the features you need at a price that is reasonable.
Check your web host’s website. Beware of any hosting company with an unprofessional, poorly designed website. This could be an indicator of several problems, including inexperience or being a “fly-by-night” operation. A nicely designed site shows you that the web hosting company pays attention to detail, and has experience in web design.
If you want better traffic, find a host that also offers SEO functionality. If you choose this option you can be auto-registered on major search engines. This won’t give you the detailed access registering your site manually will offer, though, and you may not like the results.
Web hosts usually offer add-ons with their packages, the features differ between each host. When looking at different hosts, make sure you’re comparing the level of service that includes the specific feature you require. For example, some features may only be available on higher-priced plans, so be on the lookout for relevant terms and conditions.
If you have a computer that operates on a dial up connection, you need to avoid doing your own website hosting. If you want your site to be up and running at all times, it needs a secure, fast connection to the Internet. Expect your website to be mostly lagged or offline if you chose to power it with a dial-up connection.
Figure out how large your website will be within the next year and choose a hosting plan that gives you enough hard drive space. An individual HTML page does not take a lot of space, but if you decide to add pictures or even videos, you will quickly need more space. Having access to about 100MB of space for storage can give you adequate room for your site to expand.
When you actually decide to make your web hosting purchase, use a form of payment from a well-known provider. Using PayPal or a credit card can give you an additional level of protection against mistakes or overcharging by a web host. PayPal also offers security features that ensure that web hosting providers are unable to initiate payment without your permission.
Make sure that you back up your own site; do not count on the web host to do it for you. Even if your web host provider offers data backups, you should still back up your own data. That way you don’t lose anything, including work you’ve done on your site to optimize it for search engines.
For the typical website, the variety of add-ons offered by web hosting companies can be largely useless. You may see offers for unlimited storage, which can seem attractive, until you realize you have little data storage need. For most people, add ons suggested by the host company are only beneficial for their profits, not your business needs.
Find out the kind of servers used by a hosting company. If you’re not adept at using FTP to access a server, you’ll want to opt for a company that has an intuitive, online control panel. If your website contains only a few pages or is limited to basic content, a simple control panel is sufficient. However, complex and advanced websites may necessitate a more complicated server.
It is important that the web host you choose has more than one connection to the Internet. With only a single connection, you run the risk that whenever it goes down, so does your website. Make sure the company has redundant connections and that every one of those connections is capable of supporting your site.
Be sure that the company you choose to host your website has not been down frequently for maintenance or repairs. For an online business, an offline website results in no chance of selling a product. When a web host has downtime, you also have no access to your site or account.
Don’t completely rule out web hosting providers who offer free services. You might be wary of free web hosts because most of them place banner ads on top of your websites, making your site look unprofessional. However, some free hosts don’t use banner ads, so it’s worth looking into free hosting services that interest you rather than ruling them out automatically. Keep in mind, free hosting is a real money-saver each year.
Try to find a web hosting company which offers a cPanel. A cPanel enables you to use popular applications in your website easily. The user interface is intuitive and easy to use for application installations. Not to mention, it will help remove a lot of the excess clutter that might go by unnoticed to the non-machine eye and help your website function with less memory and higher speeds.
As you’ve seen, you shouldn’t be cheap when it comes to web hosting. If customers cannot get to your website, you will quickly lose your customers and then your business. Apply the advice from this article, so you can avoid the common mistakes that small business owners make when choosing a web hosting service.
