No venture is successful without research and preparation. This is no less true for the process of choosing a hosting service provider than other business operations. An incorrect choice can hurt your ability to reach out to your customers and capture their interest, while a right choice can do the exact opposite.
Here are three factors to consider during the selection process:
CAPABILITIES
First and most important, you must find out about the features that are provided. Examples of relevant questions include the amount of bandwidth allocated to your website, the amount of storage for your website, the technical specifications of the server used to store your website, the software installed on the server and thus the customization options available to you, and technical support available from the provider. Go to the service provider's website to read up on the details and do not hesitate to contact them more directly if you have questions remaining. Find out everything that you can about the service that you might end up paying for, even if you do not consider it of particular importance.
PRICE
The cost of the hosting service is an important consideration, albeit not the only one that is important or even the one of greatest importance. Keep in mind that you are not simply looking for the deal offering the best price possible, but the one that gets you the best price possible while also falling into the group of hosting services that provide you with what you need. After all, even if you manage to save $8 by choosing the cheapest hosting service, that sum in savings is little consolation when you find out that you have not purchased enough bandwidth and your website does down within a week because it has exceeded its allotment.
Comparing the prices charged on hosting services is as simple as finding the right hosting service review site and then scrolling down until you find the one best suited to your needs. Simply go to Google or any other search engine, type in a relevant phrase such as 'web hosting review' and see what comes up. Eliminate listings based on available features and then choose the one among the remainder that offers the best price. However, be sure to research the candidates to see if there are unlisted reasons for their pricing compared to their direct competition.
Comparing the prices charged on hosting services is as simple as finding the right hosting service review site and then scrolling down until you find the one best suited to your needs. Simply go to Google or any other search engine, type in a relevant phrase such as 'web hosting review' and see what comes up. Eliminate listings based on available features and then choose the one among the remainder that offers the best price. However, be sure to research the candidates to see if there are unlisted reasons for their pricing compared to their direct competition.
REPUTATION
Statements cannot be trusted without evidence to support them. This is so obvious that it should go without saying, but it is also so often overlooked that it bears repetition. Claims made by hosting service providers are useful, but you should not put your complete trust in them until you can find evidence to support those claims. For such businesses, the best method for checking their claims is by examining their reputation. Established hosting service providers will do business with many people over time and those people will speak up about their experiences on the Internet. This is particularly true if those experiences have been problematic.
Once again, go to the review sites that compare hosting services. Read through the available reviews and pay attention to what the reviewers have to say. Individual complaints might be dismissible depending on the amount of contradicting evidence elsewhere, but you should definitely give credence if many people have bad things to say about the service. Other potential places to go searching for reviews include the Better Business Bureau and online communities centered around web hosting.
Once again, go to the review sites that compare hosting services. Read through the available reviews and pay attention to what the reviewers have to say. Individual complaints might be dismissible depending on the amount of contradicting evidence elsewhere, but you should definitely give credence if many people have bad things to say about the service. Other potential places to go searching for reviews include the Better Business Bureau and online communities centered around web hosting.
CONCLUSION
In the end, it is important to remember that you are not choosing the best service provider but the one best suited to your needs. Don't be afraid to choose one with downsides if it has enough upsides to compensate.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Erik Gaandt is a freelance tech writer and SEO enthusiast. He understands the importance of SEO good practices and he enjoys sharing his insights on various marketing blogs. Learn more about SEO and web hosting, see here for more details.
