Sep
22
2009
There are endless options when choosing a hosting company. Your website is a valuable piece of your business.
Support. Whether you are an expert or unfamiliar with hosting, support is huge. If you are having technical difficulties with your website, you want to speak to a customer representative about the situation as soon as possible.
Uptime. Your website being available 24/7 is crucial. In today’s world time is money. If your website is not available to potential customers, not only does it drive them away but they will second guess purchasing from your business. Find a hosting company that has a high uptime guarantee.
Disaster Plan. Even if the hosting company has an outstanding uptime guarantee, do they have a disaster plan? A disaster plan is developed for just in case situations. If the server you are using crashes or the data center loses power, what is the plan? Do they have a generator? If so, is it electric powered? What will an electric powered generator do if the building loses power?
Temperature Control. You should look for a hosting company that offers temperature controlled environment. The temperature of the room that the server of your website is sitting is critical. Temperature can increase the use of the server parts, in turn making the server more vulnerable to parts breaking. If a part breaks your website will not be operating and you are losing money.
Price. Just like any other service or product you purchase, you pay for what you get. If the hosting company’s services or products seem higher than the competitor, find out why. Maybe they offer that one of a kind data center or an efficient disaster plan. There is probably an unseen reason that their service is more than the competitor. Conduct in depth research on the benefits of choosing them as your hosting company.
Location. Where is the hosting company’s data center located? If they are located in California or Florida, you maybe putting your website at risk. California and Florida are vulnerable to natural disasters. Even if they have the perfect disaster plan, that does not mean you want them to use it. Try to stay away from hosting companies that are in areas where natural disaster is common.
Transfer Ease. Do you currently have a website hosted with another company? What would it take for you to transfer to or from your prospective host? When transferring hosts you want to consider the what if’s. What if you find out that the hosting company you chose was not for you? What if you need to expand services that your current hosting company does not provide? Is it difficult to transfer from them? What about to them? Just because you work hard does not mean you should work harder. Find out the length of time and cooperation of hosting companies.
Flexible Plans. Does the hosting company offer flexible plans? Can you customize your services? This is not a need but a benefit. If you are paying for the service, you would like the plan to fit your needs, not the hosting companies.
Expandability. If you give it enough water, your business is going to grow. As your business grows, your hosting needs with also increase. Does the hosting company have expanded services? Do they offer managed servers, just in case you cannot run the server? What about colocation? The future is hard to map, be prepared.
Contact Ease. Is it easy to contact your potentional hosting company? Try it. Contact and quiz them. Try all the forms of contact available. Test their response time. Ask them about the above options. Do they offer any guarantees? Are they friendly? Are they helpful?
Finding the perfect hosting company needs extensive research and time dedication. Use forums, blogs, and other internet resources to seek the quality of the company. See if there are any reviews available. The best source is testimonials. What are their current customers saying about them? These are just a few tips on to help you find the right hosting company.
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