Let’s face it, at some point most webmasters will need to switch web hosting companies for one reason or another, and the success or failure of your web business just might depend on choosing a good one. Here are five tips for choosing a great web hosting company:
1. Ask for referrals and follow up with them. The best indicator of the quality of a web host is the satisfaction of their existing customers. If the vast majority of their customers are happy, chances are you will be too. You can also check out the more popular webmaster forums and ask for opinions about the companies you’re considering moving your site(s) to.
2 – Call the company’s customer service line and ask a technical question. Be sure to evaluate factors such as hold time and the representative’s attitude and technical expertise. If you’re satisfied with the experience when the call is over, wait 15 minutes and call again. You’ll more than likely be connected to a different rep. If the experience is good once again, you’ll probably be in good shape as far as the company’s customer service goes.
3 – Compare various hosting plans among the companies you’re considering, taking into account the features and services offered with each plan. Make sure you choose a company and plan that includes all the features and services you need. For example, do you need a dedicated IP address? How about automated script installation (ala Fantastico)? If so, you can immediately rule out the companies/plans that don’t offer them.
4 – If you’re needing to move up to a dedicate server, will you have the time and skills required in order to set up, maintain and secure your server? If not, you’ll only want to consider hosting companies and plans that offer either full or partial server management services, depending on your own skill set.
5 – Server up-time shouldn’t be an issue these days, but it is. Virtually all web hosting companies boast something like 99.9% up-time on their websites, but how can you be sure they’re being honest about it? The easiest way to find out is to ask around on a couple of the most popular webmaster forums. You might find a hosting plan with great features at an incredible price, but it’ll turn out to be not much of a bargain if your server stays down for hours at a time.
About the author: Rick Rouse is the owner of RLROUSE.COM and a number of other popular websites.