How To Choose The Best Web Host For You
Web Hosting is a service. Auto mechanics also provide
a service. How would you decide which mechanic is best for
you? Price? Experience? Reliability? This is the same line
of thinking that should go into deciding which company should
host your website.
It is very common to see choices centered around price,
especially with so much competition in the hosting business.
It is not uncommon to see hosting plans range from free
to upwards of $50 per month. However, if you happened to
see a sign on the street that said "$2 mechanic inside"
you would probably drive right by, right? How good could
a "$2 mechanic" possibly be? Why would a mechanic
with skill and experience charge next to nothing for their
service? Certainly, it is worth paying a mechanic. You don't
want to be overcharged, but you do realize an experienced
mechanic has value.
This example is very similar to the hosting world. Some
may argue a car is more important than a website. Tell that
to the bed and breakfast owner who does 90% of their booking
via their online reservation system. If your business depends
on a website to either completely drive or supplement sales,
you know how important a website can be.
When it comes to choosing a host, there are not enough
choices centered around experience and reliability. These
are the foundations for any good company. A mechanic who
has worked on cars for 10 years is going to be more familar
with his trade than a mechanic who only has 2 years experience.
If you were deciding on a mechanic, wouldn't you lean towards
the one who has worked on cars for a longer period of time
and perhaps comes on a good recommendation?
Okay, enough talk about cars, let's talk hosting. When
you are looking for a company to provide the service of
web hosting, try placing price aside for a moment. First,
look for a company that has been in businesss for a number
of years. Any host that has been around for over 5 years
is probably doing something right. That's not to say a host
of 2 years can't help you, but at least begin your search
with the most experienced.
After you've found a few candidates, write down about 10
questions you would like to ask your future host. Even if
you know the answers to some questions, that's okay. The
reason for the questions is to see how long it takes to
get answers and the quality of those answers. If you don't
like what you see, scratch them off your list because that
is exactly the type of response you will get when a support
issue arises.
Try to get the web addresses of 4 or 5 sites they host
and visit over a period of a week or so and see if you notice
any downtime or blatant sluggishness. You may even want
to email the owners of these sites and ask what they think
of their host.
This may seem like alot of work just to decide on a host
for your website. It's certainly more involved than simply
looking for the cheapest price. When you only look at price
you overlook some essential factors, such as experience
and reliability. If your website is important to you or
your business, you will come to rely on that experience
which translates into quality service.
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