Web Hosting: Checklist for Selecting a
Reliable Web Hosting Company
Some clients are confused by terminology. Wondering
about the difference between a domain name and hosting? Keep reading. If not, skip to the handy
checklist!
A good analogy for a website is a library book. The skew number is like
the domain name...it’s the address that locates the website. The
shelf where the book sits is like the hosting service. The hosting service
provides the server where your website sits.
If you are working with a web designer, you can expect
them to set up the service for you. If you wish to set it up yourself…or have the
psychic ability to second-guess your web designer…use this checklist
to select a service.
1. Ask at least 3 colleagues to recommend a web hosting service.
2. Check the reliability and customer service of
the 2-3 web hosting companies that come recommended.
The most important qualities in a hosting service
are reliability and customer service. That means that website are almost always up (online),
and that they have 24/7 customer service with a live operator.
2a. Do a search on their name, to see what kind
of comments come up. If there are complaints, keep in mind that disgruntled customers
are more likely to post comments. It’s probably OK if there
are a few complaints. But if one company has lots of negative comments,
select another.
2b. Make sure they have a direct phone number
on their site that is available 24/7. An 800 number is ideal. It’s also good if they offer “live
chat.” That way if you have a quick question, and the phone
line is busy, you can use the live chat line.
3. Look at packages and special features
While most hosting services offer similar packages, there are a variety
features to consider.
3a. If your website host is also your email host
(and that's almost always the case), be sure they offer spam reduction tools on your email accounts.
3b. If you plan to post a lot of large media
(audio or video) files, you
should look for a package that offers a lot of disk space, as well as one
that is easily upgraded when needed.
3c. If you are going to be posting an online
store, be sure your service includes support for a secure server (“SSL” or “https” might
be included in the list of features) as you'll need a secure server
to accept credit card payments.
3d. Some hosting services offer an extensive
set of easy-to-install features, such as online bulletin boards, search functions, “blog” tools,
etc., this can save a lot of time (or money) if you want to include
such features to your site.
4. Finally, pick a Unix or Linux based web hosting
service over one that uses Windows servers. Our company has had many good experiences with Windows
servers, but the only times I’ve experienced strange or difficult-to-solve
problems with a server, it has been a Windows machine. Don’t worry – most
hosting services use a Unix variant or Linux so they won’t always
mention it. They will almost always list Windows if they use Windows servers.
It’s worth your time to check up on any web hosting company
before buying. If you can’t get through to your hosting company for small
changes, you may waste needless hours on the phone. If your site is down
frequently, you’ll lose money because your site in unavailable. Follow
these steps, and you won’t regret your hosting choice.
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