8 Steps to Choosing the Right Web Host

eMonsterhost · 05-22-2008, 03:23 AM

First thing I would like to discuss is that price is not everything! Doesn't matter if your paying .99c for hosting and your site is completely unreliable because in the end, you'll lose money over these problems. Let's go through the considerations that you need to ponder in order to ensure that you get what you need. You want to choose the web host that is going to provide your needs as they stand now as well as where they lead to in the future. Here we go:

1. Understand the differing types of hosts: shared, collocated, unmanaged dedicated, and managed dedicated. Is your site brand new with little traffic? In the event your site is a newer domain, you won't need the raw power of a dedicated server unless your site is resource intensive which can include: streaming, video's, proxies and even linking to videos as well can cause a high load on Apache and the CPU(s).

2. Go for stability, not just size. Just because the host if offering you unmetered and unlimited space, doesn't mean you should soley base your decision on that. What good is that account to you when your site is down or the server is overloaded? Research how long the hosting business has been in operation. See if they have recently changed ownership, and if they show positive cash flow.

3. The possession of fully redundant data centers. If you are considering doing business with a smaller hosting vendor, ensure that they have adequate power and connectivity capabilities. Inquire as to the number of lines the facility has. Do they possess an on-site generator? Does the generator receive regular checks and maintenance? What is the average utilization of the connections available?

4. How skilled is their staff? When you need customer service of a technical nature, you need it immediately, right? Find out the availability of their systems administrators. Send them a support ticket and see how fast they respond.

5. Other customer's reviews of the hosting services. Same as any business, the hosting vendor should be able to provide good references.

6. Is the potential host flexible? In the future, your needs may change. Can you upgrade services should the need arise?

7. This step of course, is optional. Make sure that the host does not have blacklisted IPs. The host that you want to do business with would not be one that promotes illegal sites, spammers, or other security issues. You are considering associating your business with this host. You could always ask them what web server they plan to put you on.

8. Begin with and maintain a clear and written understanding of all services and all charges for them. If questions still remain or some terms are unclear it is strongly advised that you ask for clarification before signing up for anything.

If you do your research before beginning business, you will find a better avenue to the successful hosting, and thereby promotion, of your online business. Take your time in making this important decision.

Author Bio:
Ryan Lunzmann is part-owner and administrator of eMonsterhost, Inc. A provider serving the web hosting industry since 2002 located in northeast Wisconsin.

Outdust_Regna · 06-18-2008, 04:15 AM

hi nice post right here mate. ^^ i was reading it and well yea i agree with you. however due to various web hosting out there, dun you think it is a little hard to really choose? just a thought anyway. ^^

Roger · 07-18-2008, 06:43 AM

To my mind, the article is excellent and well-represented. I agree with eMonsterhost entirely. Before buying a host, you should do a great research to find out the most reputable, reliable and not so expensive hosting provider!

Peps · 08-11-2008, 12:10 PM

To give you a rough idea of the typical traffic requirements of a website, most new sites that are not software archives or the like use less than 3 GB of bandwidth per month. Your traffic requirements will grow over time, as your site becomes more well-known (and well-linked), so you will need to also check their policy for overages: is there a published charge per GB over the allowed bandwidth? Is the charge made according to actual usage or are you expected to pre-pay for a potential overage? It is better not to go for hosts that expect you to prepay for overages, since it is very hard to forsee when your site will exceed its bandwidth and by how much.

lilraver · 08-23-2008, 06:40 AM

Thank you for that post, eMonsterhost. That's definitely going to be helpful things for a friend and I to think about.

05-22-2008, 03:23 AM	#1
eMonsterhost Banned Join Date: May 2007 Location: WI Posts: 51	8 Steps to Choosing the Right Web Host First thing I would like to discuss is that price is not everything! Doesn't matter if your paying .99c for hosting and your site is completely unreliable because in the end, you'll lose money over these problems. Let's go through the considerations that you need to ponder in order to ensure that you get what you need. You want to choose the web host that is going to provide your needs as they stand now as well as where they lead to in the future. Here we go: 1. Understand the differing types of hosts: shared, collocated, unmanaged dedicated, and managed dedicated. Is your site brand new with little traffic? In the event your site is a newer domain, you won't need the raw power of a dedicated server unless your site is resource intensive which can include: streaming, video's, proxies and even linking to videos as well can cause a high load on Apache and the CPU(s). 2. Go for stability, not just size. Just because the host if offering you unmetered and unlimited space, doesn't mean you should soley base your decision on that. What good is that account to you when your site is down or the server is overloaded? Research how long the hosting business has been in operation. See if they have recently changed ownership, and if they show positive cash flow. 3. The possession of fully redundant data centers. If you are considering doing business with a smaller hosting vendor, ensure that they have adequate power and connectivity capabilities. Inquire as to the number of lines the facility has. Do they possess an on-site generator? Does the generator receive regular checks and maintenance? What is the average utilization of the connections available? 4. How skilled is their staff? When you need customer service of a technical nature, you need it immediately, right? Find out the availability of their systems administrators. Send them a support ticket and see how fast they respond. 5. Other customer's reviews of the hosting services. Same as any business, the hosting vendor should be able to provide good references. 6. Is the potential host flexible? In the future, your needs may change. Can you upgrade services should the need arise? 7. This step of course, is optional. Make sure that the host does not have blacklisted IPs. The host that you want to do business with would not be one that promotes illegal sites, spammers, or other security issues. You are considering associating your business with this host. You could always ask them what web server they plan to put you on. 8. Begin with and maintain a clear and written understanding of all services and all charges for them. If questions still remain or some terms are unclear it is strongly advised that you ask for clarification before signing up for anything. If you do your research before beginning business, you will find a better avenue to the successful hosting, and thereby promotion, of your online business. Take your time in making this important decision. Author Bio: Ryan Lunzmann is part-owner and administrator of eMonsterhost, Inc. A provider serving the web hosting industry since 2002 located in northeast Wisconsin.

06-18-2008, 04:15 AM	#2
Outdust_Regna New Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 3	hi nice post right here mate. ^^ i was reading it and well yea i agree with you. however due to various web hosting out there, dun you think it is a little hard to really choose? just a thought anyway. ^^ __________________ best electronics\|photographs and memories

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

07-18-2008, 06:43 AM	#3
Roger New Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 13	To my mind, the article is excellent and well-represented. I agree with eMonsterhost entirely. Before buying a host, you should do a great research to find out the most reputable, reliable and not so expensive hosting provider!

08-11-2008, 12:10 PM	#4
Peps Banned Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 21	To give you a rough idea of the typical traffic requirements of a website, most new sites that are not software archives or the like use less than 3 GB of bandwidth per month. Your traffic requirements will grow over time, as your site becomes more well-known (and well-linked), so you will need to also check their policy for overages: is there a published charge per GB over the allowed bandwidth? Is the charge made according to actual usage or are you expected to pre-pay for a potential overage? It is better not to go for hosts that expect you to prepay for overages, since it is very hard to forsee when your site will exceed its bandwidth and by how much.

08-23-2008, 06:40 AM	#5
lilraver New Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ga, USA Posts: 11	Thank you for that post, eMonsterhost. That's definitely going to be helpful things for a friend and I to think about.