Choosing a Web Host

How do you choose a Web host when there are so many hosting companies available on the Web? It may seem overwhelming but there are a few tips that can help guide you through the maze of options.

How to Get Started Choosing a Web Host

The first step before choosing a Web host is to decide on a domain name. You can get a domain name from your Web host provider but it recommended buying from a registrar and keeping it separate in case you have any problems with your host. It will be much easier to update name servers from a central location rather than transferring the domain later on. After you have selected a domain name you are ready to start shopping for Web hosting.

Web Hosting Considerations

There are a few important things to consider when selecting a Web hosting company, and server uptime is one of the top things to think about. 99% uptime is the ultimate standard for server uptime and anything at 80% or below should not be acceptable, especially if you are going to have a Web site that sells things or provides a service that people depend on.

Another thing to think about when selecting a Web host is how much space and bandwidth are provided for you.  The amount of hard drive space is important if you plan on serving large files and monthly bandwidth is the amount of data transfer allowed for visitors to view and use your Web site. If you select a package that does not have enough bandwidth from the start you may be looking at expensive add-on charges every month to your hosting bill. For most people a shared hosting plan is sufficient to begin with and you can always upgrade at a later date.

With today’s new technologies and service offerings with Web hosting companies, it is important to get as much space and bandwidth as you can when choosing a Web host. This will allow for necessary updates and increased traffic to your site as it grows over time.

Depending on the type of site you are building and what is required, it is just as important when purchasing business Web hosting that a server side programming language is included such as PHP, CGI, or ASP. Generally PHP is included on all Linux based hosting and ASP on Windows equipped servers. The script or program that you will be running will be required to have one of the above to function properly.

An important security feature necessary for doing ecommerce is SSL, or Secure Socket Layer. This encrypts all order and credit card information until it submitted to its destination. An SSL certificate can be purchased from most Web hosting providers. Displaying it on your e-commerce Web site verifies that your site transactions are safe and secure and is good business practice.

Summary

As you can see there are many service providers to choose from. If you do your homework and compare web hosting, you’ll find some good deals that will fit your budget.