Lanark IT Development Web Hosting Overview.
Some issues to consider while pondering which host to choose:
1.Uptime: This is probably the most critical piece of information you need to know to make an informed decision. How often a server goes down means lost business and lost sales and no one needs that.
2.Bandwidth Usage: Some hosts actually charge you for the amount of traffic you get once you pass a certain percentage.
3.CGI Access: This is critical. You need the ability to use CGI and especially custom CGI. If a host doesn't offer it, run screaming!
4.MSQL; Real Audio; Real Video; Cold Fusion: This is the future of the web and in particular web marketing. Make sure a host offers support for these applications even if you don't presently have a use for them.
5.Once you've found a manageable number of potential providers, you can begin to compare plans. Here are a few things you should focus on.
6.Money Back Guarantee - Many providers offer a 30-Day money back guarantee so that you can try their service risk free. Always look for this option so you don't get stuck with a service you're unhappy with.
7.Storage Space - This is the amount of room you will have for your site. Of course, you don't want to pay for room you don't need, but you also want room to grow. If you've a small site in mind 10-15 MB should be sufficient to begin with.
8.Bandwidth/Data Transfer - Data transfer (bandwidth usage) refers to how much data/information is sent to or received from your hosting account on the server over a specified period of time. Usually it is measured monthly.
More the visitors to your site, more bandwidth you'll require. Small sites usually suffice with 1 GB/month.
9.Site Speed - This is very important factor while considering a hosting service. This will decide how fast your site loads when some one visits your site. Online surfers are extremely busy, so you need a fast server. Or else they will leave your site even before it gets loaded!
10.You may ask your hosting provider to provide you with a list of their client's sites (if they can) for checking
their speed. Here's a good tool to check a site's speed: http://www.hostpulse.com/app/network tools/ping.asp
Customer Service - You strive to provide exceptional service and you should expect nothing less from your web hosting comp any.. You may also want to consider testing their response time in advance.
11.Uptime Guarantee - Your web site is like your store. If your store is closed, you aren't making any money. The same is true if your web site is down. You should only choose a plan that provides at least a 99% uptime guarantee.
12.Cost - Price should also be a deciding factor. Cheaper is not always better, but there are reasonable rates for quality hosting available if you do your research.
13.Also, as far as possible, try to choose a hosting company that allows easy upgrade/downgrade between plans. This way you can trim down your costs to the maximum.
