CHEAP WEB HOSTING :: HOW TO CHOOSE A WEB HOST

There are literally thousands of web hosting companies available, and choosing the right one for your needs can be difficult. This article is for those that want to learn a little more about choosing a web hosting company first, so you may choose a web host with confidence.

FEATURES

The most important thing in selecting a web hosting plan is to be sure it supports the features you require. It doesn't matter how cheap it is, or how reliable their servers are. If it doesn't support the features you need, it won't be a usable solution for you.

The thing to do is make a list of the features you need, and then make sure your prospective web hosting company delivers what you need. Discard any that lack features you require. The good news is that most web hosting companies (aside from free web hosts), provide a wide array of features. Therefore, for typical needs, most web hosts will provide all the features you require.

Features you may need include PHP, ASP, JSP, Perl, TCL, Java, Python, CGI, SSI, SSH, Telnet, mySQL, ColdFusion, SSL Secure Server, Sub Domains, Cron Jobs, Flash, Shockwave, Real Audio, Real Video, Streaming, raw log files, Web stats, customer error pages, Miva, shopping carts and Microsoft Frontpage extensions.

BANDWIDTH AND WEB SPACE

After you find a host with the basic features you need, you can compare the remaining ones to determine which provides the best value. Most web hosts give you a set amount of transfer (bandwidth) and web space for free with your plan, and then charge you if you go over this limit. Fees for using too much bandwidth or web space can add up, so you are best off finding a host that has the allowance for each of these beyond what you anticipate needing.

However, if your site uses tons of bandwidth or web space, you'll want to find a host that offers additional space and transfer for a modest cost. Fortunately, there are many web hosting companies that provide far more bandwidth and web space with their plans than typical sites will ever need.

SELECT A RESPECTED COMPANY

You should select a well established web hosting company that provides web hosting services for thousands or tens of thousands of customers. Although this doesn't guarantee that they will be around forever or that they will never have problems, they are likely a safer choice than many of the small, fly-by-night web hosts out there. For every respected host there may easily be tens of fly-by-night hosts.

On the other hand, going with the biggest host that you can find may not be a good choice either. While their name may be recognizable, these large providers often charge a lot more, without necessarily giving you anything more for your money. In fact, because of their large customer base and high demands on their support staff, they usually offer inferior customer service.

A note on "review" sites and "hosting directories." Beware. The real purpose of these sites it to charge hosting companies to advertise and often times bid for higher ranking and better reviews. Really. Using special code or robots some even offer uptime statistics with varying reliability. Many web hosts actually block these robots or "pings" to help relieve network congestion. Seldom do these "review sites" have permission to perform this questionable test. One should take reviews with a grain of salt.

Additionally, on sites that allow end-users to post "reviews," be equally wary. Often times you are reading the words of a customer that could never be pleased to begin with. Web hosting is a commodity and as harsh as it might sound, end-users should not expect a BMW for as little as $1.99 a month. As you read these reviews note which companies are not reviewed by end-users on a particular "review site" and see if they are a featured advertiser. Once you have done this, sit back and ask yourself why all the reviews you read are negative. These "review sites" are cash cows for the owner who received thousands of dollars each month from top advertisers. The bottom line is that one must exercise caution and common-sense when using "review sites." Instead, visit message boards and ask around.

FREE WEB HOSTING

Free hosting companies are companies like Geocities.com or AOL that provide you with a small amount of web space for free, while they collect the advertising revenues for ads they put on your pages. This may be an acceptable choice if you just have a personal homepage and have no money to spend, but it isn't worthwhile for most people. There is also a serious trade-off in that these sites are not top level domains, or TLD's. A non-TLD will seldom get ranked well in the search engines.

Many people want their own domain name, and many free web hosting providers do not support this. Instead you are often left with a really long domain name. Not only does this look cheap and unprofessional, but it is hard for people to remember or type in to their web browser. Worse, if your web host closes down or for some other reason you need to switch hosts, the address to your web site will change. That means any links to your site will no longer work, and any printed materials you have with your address, such as business cards, will need to be re-printed. If you had your own domain name, you can simply switch to another web hosting company without changing your address.

With free web hosting, visitors to your pages are subjected to advertising from the web host. This almost always includes annoying pop-up ads. Maybe they'll click on an ad and then they'll be leaving your site. Equally bad, they might get annoyed with the pop up ads and decide it isn't worth browsing your pages, let alone coming back.

Another problem with free web hosting is that they typically do not provide any tech support. If you have any problems, you are simply out of luck. Additionally, free web hosts typically do not provide many features at all. It is rare to find more than a couple of the features mentioned above at a free web host, while most commercial web hosts will support most of them.

Since real web hosting is available for so cheap, it's just not worth it to mess around with free web hosting.

SUMMATION

Selecting a web host can be as simple or as difficult as the process is made. It all comes down to which host you feel comfortable with and which one provides you the services and features that you require. With so many to choose from this task may seem daunting, but as long as you feel comfortable your decision has been made easier.