How do you choose the Right
WebHost?
Choosing
the right web host is essential for the success of your website.
Downtime leads to losing customers. Think about this for a second.
Someone reads your advertisement in a newsletter or sees your banner
on a website, do you think if they click on it and get no response
they will try again in 20 minutes? They won't. Potential customer,
down the drain.
Even something as simple as your current host not having the features
you need to run a good quality shopping cart will make you lose
customers. As you can see, choosing the right web host is very
important.
But how do you choose the best web host? There are thousands of
them out there. Which is best for you? There are a few easy steps
you need to think about that make finding the perfect host much
easier.
- First, sit down and think about your needs before
looking for a host. There is no point choosing a host, only to
find out that they don't support any of the features you need,
or that you are paying for things that you will never use. Ask
your web designer what features are required for your site to
work.
One of the features necessary for e-commerce (that is often not included)
is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which is used so you can safely accept credit
cards on your site. Other features that are required are things such as CGI
(Common Gateway Interface) which allow you to run programs such as shopping
carts on your site.
- Email the companies you are interested in before signing
up. Send their support department a few emails,
at different times, just to check how quickly they
respond. You should really choose a host that has 24/7
support. Call them as well and make sure that you can
talk to a human if you need to. Sometimes that is the
quickest way to resolve a problem.
Take this oppotunity to ask them about the features
they offer. If there is a feature you want that they
don't have listed, ask them if they can add it. Don't
forget to measure the response time!
- Decide whether you need a Virtual or Dedicated
server. Basically,
if your site is very busy - then you need a dedicated
server. Head over to Webhostarea.com for more infomation about
choosing between Virtual & Dedicated servers.
Some companies
offer semi-dedicated options, where you share the server with
4 or so other people. This generally isn't a good option, and
if you need that sort of speed, look into getting a dedicated
server.
- Ask the company for references -
sites that are currently hosted on their servers
- make sure the site loads fast, email the owners of the site & ask
them if they are happy with the service they are
getting. If the host refuses to give you any sites, move on.
- Try to avoid NT, Mac and Cobalt servers. Web
servers can come in many types, from Unix based, to NT,
Cobalt, Sun Solaris and even Macintosh. For 95% of people,
a Unix based server is the best option. Many people get scared
when they read the word "Unix"; it sounds so hard to use! In
actuality however, it is easier to use a Web sever than the
other options.
- All beginners, and even some of the advanced web
developers out there, will benefit from having an easy to use Control
Panel to handle things on their site, such
as email addresses. Always check a web host's site to
make sure they have one available before you sign up.
- The last step is to make sure they offer some
sort of an uptime
guarantee . Some companies offer a 99% uptime
guarantee , and if your site is not up that much,
you get the month free. While this does not bring you back
the potential clients that you have lost, it does encourage
hosts to have their servers up as much as possible.
If there is one thing I want you to understand from this article,
it is this: "You get what you pay for with web hosting." I
have had hundreds of emails from people that went cheap and their
site was a disaster because of it. Don't choose a $5 a month host,
and expect to receive quality services. You should aim to spend
at least $30 a month for a basic package, and at least $300 a month
for a dedicated server.
Be careful not to be scammed. While I am telling
you not to spend too little, you have to be careful not to spend
too much.
I personally use Gracenet.org. There prices are extremely
competitive, and they have the best cstomer support I have ever
encountered - even for this little 'ol artist!
About The Author
Suzanne Fyhrie owns and operates OneWay Advertising and Design. She specializes
in marketing and graphic design.
Related Articles:
Building
Link Popularity
PageRank™ versus
Ranking - PageRank™ explained.
|
