Choosing the Web Host Best For You

Choosing a web host can be a confusing and daunting task because there are so many hosting choices and they all claim to be better than the other. it does not have to be, if you arm yourself with a little knowledge and do a bit of research.

To start, there are two questions you need to ask yourself about before diving in and selecting a host.

1. what is the traffic volume you plan to see? if you have a site, how many visits do you see per day?

2. what is your budget?

So, how do you choose a host? On the surface most hosts are the same, especially the cheaper ones. if you currently have or plan to have a high volume of traffic it is best to save your time and get the premium host. it saves you heartaches and headaches down the road.

The best host available are Rackspace, formerly Mosso, and Media Temple. These companies offer exceptional service, a higher percentage of up time, and seamless scalability for sites that grow quickly and continue to grow. You do pay more compared to the cheaper versions, but you must keep in mind that a slow or non-accessible site will turn people off and you could lose customers.

As awesome as the premium hosts; in reality not everybody can afford the price tag. especially those who are getting their feet wet. For these people, the research is more difficult because of the numerous options, such as go Daddy, HostMonster, Dream Host, Fat Cow, Yahoo; the list goes on and on. what confounds things even more are many of these sites offer affiliate programs so people are encouraged to provide positive buzz for the host to generate revenue.

Do some Google searches. I suggest one search for “best web hosts” and then pick one or a handful of hosts and search for reviews on these hosts. You will see conflicting information for most of the sites. Many are touted as being the best in top-10 lists and then customers give poor reviews. Confusing isn’t it, what do you do next?

Many of the “cheaper” hosts run from $1.99/month to $9.99/month, so for the most part they all are about the same amount of money. to start the sifting first look to see if the host offers unlimited space to host, unlimited upload/download, unlimited domains, and potential for at least 1,000 email accounts. also, make sure the host supports one-click install of WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. You will want to use one of those platforms to run your site; it will save you money and time in the long run. Next, determine if there are hidden fees if you hit some sort of threshold, these can run your costs up. Finally, pay attention to reviews, especially the negative reviews. I have found the negative reviews tell a lot about a person, service or product because this is typically true emotion and true experience.

There are many web hosting options available, it does not have to be a daunting task. Just prepare yourself with some knowledge and you will most likely find a host that will suit your needs just fine. good luck.