For the past several months my friend Cameron and I have been writing a music blog. Oh it's nothing serious, simply a fun vanity project. That being said I've had to delve into researching the world of web hosting. As anyone who has embarked on such a project knows, whether it's a fun little blog like the one I'm doing or setting up a page for one's small business, this can be a complicated project. Sometimes I feel that I'm peeling an onion, answering one question leads to several others that I never knew to ask. Beyond digging up free web hosting coupons and looking up the lowest prices, here my Top 10 Tips to keep in mind when shopping web host providers.
- Ask Friends - When it comes to web host shopping, it?s important to get opinion from your experienced friends. These friends can be your neighbors, poker buddies, favorite bloggers or even Internet friends you met on FaceBook. User reviews are always helpful when it comes to picking up the right host!
- Forums and talk back boards have become my best friend while doing research. Almost universally I have found that if I have a question, someone else has already asked it. Web Hosting Talk and Webmaster World are two very good resources. Bookmark your favorites and visit regularly.
- Educate Yourself - You need to know the basics of web hosting and the terminology. You should at least understand the differences between various types of web hosting, pros and cons for different web host operating system, as well as some fundamental knowledge about hosting bandwidth.
- Test customer service before you sign the contract. Most hosting companies provide 24/7 online chat support. I suggest you to talk with their staffs at least once before you purchase. Ask questions to test the quality of their services and only go with those that provide satisfying answers.
- Avoid Providers that Oversell - Providers often oversell their capabilities to keep prices low. Managed overselling is par for the course and acceptable, but a fly by night company that have no plan when they find they can't handle their traffic is something else altogether. You should run away from these providers as quickly as possible. To learn if your web host is well prepared for overselling, check your server load regularly. Do not hesitate to complain or even switch host if things look fishy to you.
- Long enough Trial Period? - Make sure your web host provides a long enough trial period. You need time to test their server capabilities without risk of losing money.
- Expect the Wrath - Don't expect a lousy provider to be nice to you when your relationship goes south. There are plenty of stories about shady hosting companies continuing to charge former customer credit cards even though canceled. If possible, always pay your web host with a debit card or PayPal account. Just in case your web host turn bad, you can stop your subscription easily.
- NO SPAM - Does your favorite web host allow spam activities? Is your website sharing the same server with a porn sites? All in all, is your hosting provider listed on Spamhaus Block List? Many hosting companies care little about what their clients are doing with the hosting as long as they get paid. Sharing same IP with such spammers will bring you nothing but troubles (imagine if your emails can only be found in your recipients spam box - terrible!).So before you make any purchase decision, make sure you run a quick check with SpamHaus Block List.
- Back-up & Protection - Find out about the hosts redundancy protections. If things go awry you need to make sure your data isn't lost! That being said it would behoove you to do your own backups regularly.
- Unlimited is Rare - Understand that unlimited hosting is often not unlimited. That only applies when you aren't using too much of your providers capabilities. If you expect your site to have crazy traffic, you probably want to go with your own dedicated server.
These are only a few things to keep in mind, just scratching the surface. As I mentioned previously, when jumping into this particular fire one question often leads to ten. If you deal feel ready to take on this challenge however come check out these web hosting deals and coupons. In particular, Yahoo! is currently offering 35% off. Good Luck!
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