5 Things to Look For From Your Web Host
Picking out a web host can be difficult, especially for the non-technically minded. With so many different variables coming into play — hosting space, bandwidth allowances, operating platforms, and location — there are a lot of things to look for. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to judge a good web host when you simplify what you’re looking for.
The vast majority of technical specifications simply don’t matter. Unless you’re buying hosting out of someone’s bedroom server, there is very little chance that you’ll end up with something that performs ineffectively. When it comes to buying web hosting, these five requirements should be the ones at the top of your list:
1. Storage Space
Back in the day, 20mb storage from Geocities was the de-facto norm for most websites. Now that’s barely enough for your CMS installation and header images. Before you set up any website, consider the storage requirements that it could run into. Video-heavy websites will undoubtedly use a lot of storage (and data transfer), which means storage space is a high priority. A lot of web hosts offer storage space without really having it — a phenomenon known as hosting overselling — so ensure that your web host can actually provide what they promise before you order.
Of course, when you need big storage space, you might want to look at a dedicated server. In Motion Hosting have some great packages for high-traffic webmasters, and are renowned as one of the best high-data hosts around.
2. Quick Connection
Nothing’s worse for designer-based websites than a slow connection. Web design is supposed to appear immediately — every image, object, and feature is on the page at once — and a slow connection can reduce a beautiful website into a mish-mash of half-loaded images. The best way to check a host’s connection is to view websites hosted on their servers. Not just their own, of course, but other customers’ websites. If possible, ask a service rep to sample their download and upload speed before you buy.
3. Room For Your Site to Grow
Sooner or later, you’re going to gain more followers, more online influence, and a greater deal of data. Picking a web host that’s flexible with data storage and transfer quotas is important for this. While some hosts can provide the cheapest storage around, their company might be impersonal and unwilling to help your website grow. Look for hosting companies that don’t just offer a set level of storage, but actively help their customers grow their web presence and online business.
4. Flexible Network Transfer
One of your articles gets picked up by Digg, and the flood of traffic cripples your web host. It’s a common phenomenon with cheap hosts, which is why a flexible, powerful hosting solution is important. Always look for web hosts that can work with you on heavy traffic issues. If you’re hosting a blog that social bookmarking websites seem to love, look for a host that’s got previous experience hosting Digg-heavy content. Media Temple come highly recommended for high-traffic bloggers, writers, and websites.
5. Great Customer Support
Can you imagine anything more frustrating than having your website — your total online presence — disappear for 24 hours? When there are disruptions at your web host — and there are at almost every one — you need to be able to contact support and work out what’s going on. While some ultra-large hosting companies are great for pricing, they fall apart when it comes to support. Rackspace are great for quality support, alongside stable hosting and a great price point.
Browsing web hosts site-to-site can get boring quite quickly. If you want to compare potential web hosts without flicking from one website to another, Web Hosting Geeks is a great place to look. Separate and compare web hosts by data allowance, OS type, and even the availability of coupons and voucher codes.
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December 10th, 2009 at 1:42 am
Cool post, I’ll be sure to check out the sites when I need hosting.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:17 am
hey,
You have really written a great piece on things to look for while choosing a web host. I wish I have seen this before I went off blindly and signed up with a web host where I am not at all satisfied now.
Web hosting Geeks is indeed a really a good site to compare the web hosts and select the one depending on the ratings and of course the price tags.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:18 am
I very much like this post, thank you.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Hey Mat,
I must admit you’ve brought up quite a few good points that I use when I’m on the look for a new webhost. I was with one particular webhost for around two years, then they changed management and the support went from magnificent to virtually nothing.
Another point to bring up is don’t be afraid to spend a little extra to get just that bit more. I’m with a new host now, the support is always around and although I pay a little more than I should have to for what I am getting – I am happy to do so.
Keep up the good work, I’ll keep an eye out on the new articles you post
Daniel
December 10th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Very Helpful information. Surprised how it doesnt have any comments. I liked how you have taken effort to gather information about buying a New Hosting. Many people are buying Hosting these days and its important to Check the above Described Steps. Many thanks for this Article to the Author(MATHEW) and I hope you’ll Continue to Write Stuff Like this in Near Future.
December 10th, 2009 at 3:07 am
Nice post!
In the crowded world that the web has become it’s even more important to stand out, a high performing website will help this.
With the talk of Google stepping their Algo’s up a notch to now rank sites by speed, good hosting is a must!
December 10th, 2009 at 3:15 am
Hey there,
I have to agree with your 5 key points to finding a webhost. I remember my search to finding a good webhost. I’d spend hours searching reviews but to my dismay I discovered it was hard to actually compare webhosts on a 10 point scale because I didn’t know what to compare. In the end I used Hostjury to compare my hosting and ended up with Hostgator. Your 5 key points here could have save me a lot of time; also it is important not to forget that you get for what you pay especially with hosting as well that most hosts have their strengths and weakness.
Best Regards,
Benjamin
December 10th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Absolutely essential to get something which can handle bursts of traffic. Cheap hosts = content goes offline when it hits Digg, which means your MAJOR promotional outlet does nothing.
That comparison site is a good idea, btw.
December 10th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Great post! Thanks!
One of the things I looked for when getting my site was the types of connections (i.e., FTP, SSH, etc.). After working in a Linux environment for so long, I wouldn’t be able to stand not having SSH capability. When I was looking for hosting, I was actually surprised how many hosts don’t offer SSH.
December 10th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Very nice post. I don’t hardly read blogs but this article caught my eye. I couldn’t have write it better myself (a fellow blogger). On the subject, I found that wesfedhosting.com has really stepped up to the plate for my needs. Worth a look at least
December 10th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
wow .. very impressive
I am a novice in the world of web hosting
after reading your article about how to choose a good web hosting, I can learn a lot about choosing a good web hosting.
so thanks a lot for the 5 suggestions were very useful for me
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I am new to the whole web hosting thing. I appreciate this article, you helped me out here. Thanks.