One you have your new web site ready to go and have registered your chosen domain name, the final step it to find a web host. A web host provides you with space on their server, where your web site will reside, for a monthly or yearly fee. With the number of companies both large and small nowadays offering this service it can be a daunting process deciding which company is right for you, should you go with a larger company or should you look for a smaller company?
Hopefully the tips below, will make it a little easier for you to make the right choice.
1: When looking for a hosting company, you should look at more than just the price, some larger hosting companies will offer you cheaper hosting, but there may be charges for additional features that come as standard with many smaller (and still very affordable) hosting companies. Also with smaller companies you are much more likely to be able to speak to the same person each time, giving you that personal touch, which may well not be the case with some larger companies.
2: Does the host offer full cPanel, video tutorials and Fantastico included in price?, these are now seen as a must by many people.
3: Support: Many smaller companies will provide personal support 7 days a week, whether via email or telephone, giving you a much more personal service, whereas some of the larger companies work on a submit ticket basis, which means if you have a problem or question, you simply fill out a support ticket, whilst this method may be fine for some, others may prefer that more personal touch of being able to telephone or email the host direct. Also some of the larger companies that do offer telephone and email support, only do so Monday-Friday, which is of course not ideal if you need to speak to someone over the weekend. Therefore before you sign up for hosting check what level and method of support is provided.
4: Contract: Many hosts will require you to agree to a minimum contract, for example 12 months, this could potentially leave you frustrated if it turns out that you are unhappy with the service they provide, and even out of pocket if you decide that you have no option but to find a new host. However this does not have to be the case, many hosts still offer a no minimum contract and some even offer a 30 day money back guarantee.
5: If you have paid to have your web site designed by a professional web designer (or are planning to), it's worth checking whether they also offer hosting, quite a few designers nowadays also provide this, either an additional service in it's own right or as a service to their design clients.
Conclusion: Just because a companies bigger doesn't necessarily make it better, don't forget to look into the smaller companies too, sometimes you can get just as much for your money and much more besides.
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