There is a lot of confusion regarding all of the complex terminology and lingo that flows across the Internet on a constant basis; web hosting is one of those terms that has been lost to the confusion. Web hosting isn’t about the design of your site, but the quality and reliance of the servers you choose to support it.
These tips can help guide your decision a little better.
Avoid using the same company for both your web host and domain registry. Not only can you sometimes find these services cheaper if you shop for them separately, you also avoid becoming locked into one web host indefinitely. When you maintain separate web hosts and domain registries, you are free to change your website’s host if you ever feel the need to, without penalty.
If you choose to go with a particular hosting service to launch your website, you should always remember to keep in contact with customer service. Anytime a problem comes up, you want to make sure that your hosting service has a good customer service division to help you address it.
Do not neglect the value of user reviews when it comes to choosing a web hosting service. There are often others who have had experience with the company you are considering, whether it is good or bad. It will never hurt to do a quick check on what others have to say, then you can make your decision accordingly.
When choosing between paying for a shared server or a dedicated server, consider the type of website involved. If your website will be used to sell products, store customer information and accept payments, you should opt for a dedicated server. This type offers more privacy, though often at a higher cost.
When selecting a web host, it’s vital that you choose one that has excellent support. Although it’s important for a host to have lots of experience, they can’t avoid all problems. Something is bound to go wrong at some point. When this occurs, having a solid support system set up is crucial. You can test out a host’s support system by sending in an email or a support ticket. If you don’t receive a response within the next couple of days, then you should probably search for another host.
If you’re just building your first website, opt for shared hosting. There are two main types of hosting on offer: shared, which is cheap, but has fewer options, and dedicated, in which you get the works and lots of customizability, but you pay for the privilege. Good shared hosting plans can be had for just a few dollars a month.
If you wish to have more than one site, look for a web host that lets you have add-on domains. This means you will be able to store more than one site on their servers without having to open multiple accounts or paying any extra money for your different websites.
Make sure to do very thorough research when looking to purchase hosting services. You do not want to rely on only one or two recommendations when it comes to this. By doing thorough research on the intended host, you will be able to read about both the good and bad experiences. Choose the one that has the fewest of the bad ones.
To get the most out of a free web host, you’ll need to back up any data and files related to your site. Because free web hosts don’t generally offer any guarantees about backing up your data, if anything disappears, it will be on you, and not on them.
Always read reviews from past and present customers of your chosen web host before signing up with a long contract. Most 12 and 24-month hosting contracts have huge cancellation fees, so you need to realize that you are not going to be able to change your web host for a year or two. Therefore, it is important that you always check out customer reviews before signing up.
Investigate the legal terms of your host. At a minimum, a web hosting company should provide a Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policy, and a Privacy Policy. These documents are vital because they let you know what limits you may face, from payment plans to bandwidth and CPU usage. Be wary of any company which makes these documents unavailable or difficult to find.
If you own and operate several websites, it can be to your advantage to choose one web hosting service that allows you to have “add-on domains.” Many hosts will give you the ability to have unlimited domains added to your main account at no additional fees. This can save you a lot of money, as well as time going back and forth between multiple accounts.
Keep track of how many often outages occur and how long they last. If they are too long and too frequent, you should think about choosing a different service. Most services encounter issues once in a while but if they are not fixed quickly, you are not getting your money’s worth.
To get started with your very first website, consider a free web hosting company. After all, your initial site is the one that will teach you lessons – not make you a ton of profits. You may end up with a lot of downtime, and you’ll have ads that aren’t yours, but you’ll get an intro to running your own site.
A lot of people don’t know this, but you can actually host a website from your own room without spending a dime. Using “www” server programs are great for getting involved with web development and learning how things work on a higher level. Of course, unlike actual web hosts, you most likely won’t be able to offer the constant up-time, strict security, or updating customer service.
Now you understand what it really means to host a website, so you can pay attention to these small details that you may have overlooked normally. It’s always great to know what goes on behind the curtain.
One day, you may even decide to handle your hosting needs yourself and that’s when things will become really interesting!
