Choosing A Small Business Web Hosting Provider What To Look Out For

The perfect company for small business web hosting, whether you’re new to the world of online businesses and are searching for your first host or want to make a switch, all depends on the requirements of your website and what you plan to do with it.

First, determine what platform you need the web server to run on – either Unix/Linux or Windows. Your website and the technology it implements will determine this choice. For example, a website created with Microsoft technologies runs on Windows, while sites using open source programs run on Linux.

Next, you have to select the features you want from a host. Take your time when going through this particular step, as feature lists can get confusing, and what may look good at first glance may not be once you get a closer look at the features list.

Everyone’s needs are different, but the main features you may want to consider include: disk space, bandwidth, backups, uptime, money back guarantee, domains allowed, databases (number and type), CGI, PHP, Perl, Python, SSI, Cron, and e-mail accounts.

The amount of features available can go on forever, so the most important way to approach features is to select the ones that will be most beneficial to you.

Although most people take cost into consideration first, this is not the best way to get started. Cheaper isn’t always better, so it pays to find the type of hosting that you require from the beginning, from quality providers, and then narrow down the list of potential winners according to affordability. Don’t look at price alone – if you pay next to nothing for a service, you’ll probably receive nothing as far as features, reliability, and service is concerned. For example, a company such as SiteSell offers a lot for your money. You get hosting, Internet marketing, design, and more in one package.

If you choose a host based on price alone, you’re really going to regret it. The total cost of ownership should be a determining factor – not just the cost of the monthly fee. You will lose sales due to downtime and slow speeds, may have to pay for extra bandwidth, setup costs, and extra features as well.

Some companies ask for a yearly fee, while others allow you to pay month-to-month. In the end, it all comes down to personal choice and finding out what method of payment is right for you.

Customer service is the backbone of any hosting company, and should be one of the major deciding factors when it comes down to decision time. If you forget about checking into a company’s reputation for customer service, you will regret it. When something goes wrong and you can’t get in touch with the host for help, you’ll quickly learn why customer service is so important.

Hosting customer service must be 24/7/365 – don’t go for anything less. Because a successful website has to be up and running 100% of the time, if something breaks at any time of day or night, you need to have access to your small business web hosting’s customer service no matter what. Test the companies on your short list before making a selection to make sure they truly provide 24/7 support. Try their phone lines, e-mail, and live chat.