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     Choosing A Web Hosting Company

The web hosting market is different from most others, in the sense that, a higher price does not necessarily mean better quality. On top of this, there are several companies that offer web hosting for free and this makes choosing the web hosting company that is right for you, a difficult job. We look at some factors that make a good web hosting company and help you with your decision to select one.

  1. Reliable: Since most of your e-business will depend on your website being up and running at all times, your web hosting company should ensure that the uptime is at least 99.5% up and higher. If you are looking at a free service then this number may be a bit lower; reliability, however, is the number one thing to consider.

  2. Tech Support: It may be a good idea to call up the tech support of the company that you are going to get your web hosting solution from. This will help you in getting a gauge of how fast they are able to respond and how technically sound they are. If possible, call on a weekend and make sure that you get a hosting company that provides support 24 / 7, and is not off on weekends or holidays.

  3. Space and Data Transfer: You need to ensure that you get a comparable price for the space that is being offered by the hosting company. Same thing applies for data transfer; the price should be comparable to what others are offering. Many companies claim that they are offering unlimited data transfer. In most cases, this just means that the limit is in the fine print. Make sure you get enough web space and data transfer not only to cater to your present needs, but for five years from now.

  4. Resellers: Many hosting companies are really resellers of other hosting companies. It is always a good idea to buy the service from the source rather than resellers. This makes all the difference when you face a problem and call the tech support. In most cases, the resellers will not be as knowledgeable as the sellers themselves.

  5. Advertising: If you are going for a free web hosting company, then there will be advertising on your website. This advertising is inevitable, however, you can have control over the type of advertising that is displayed. For instance if you do not want any pop ups, you can make sure that the web hosting company you choose use banner ads instead of pop ups.

  6. Ease of managing your account: Some web hosting companies allow you to change your passwords, add or delete an email account through your own dashboard access. Others let you only do that through their own tech support. Having to wait for tech support to do such day-to-day jobs can become quite a nuisance. Hence, the former type of hosting companies, are always preferable.

  7. Merchant options: If you plan to sell anything at all on your website, then you will need a SSL and a shopping cart, at the bare minimum. Some web hosting companies offer these as part of the hosting package, and you can check them out to see if it comes out cheaper and more convenient for you, to use these services from the hosting company itself.

  8. Price and Payment options: You need to make sure you have all the right features listed out first and then narrow down your search to a few web hosting companies that offer these services. Only after that, do a price comparison and see where you get the best deal. Keep in mind that some hosting companies will require you to pay a years value in advance, whereas, others will let you pay quarterly. Choose what makes most sense for your business.
All these factors go hand in hand in making a good web hosting company. You need to weigh the pros and cons of selecting one that is right for you and make sure to refer this list and check off all the points that have been mentioned here.

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