One of the more critical aspects of setting up your own website is choosing your web host – these are individuals or companies that provide the service of allowing a website to be accessible through the worldwide web with the use of their own server for data and internet connectivity.
There are organizations that provide free web hosting, but most do offer this service for a fee. Free web hosting services are less likely to be reliable even when some require compensation by having their ads run on your website. Regardless of whether they want something in return or not for their free service, it wouldn’t be wise to bank on them on a long term basis. It would be better to have your website hosted within bigger sites.
Meanwhile, if you already have your own website on a free webhost and wish to migrate to a better paid host, it is important to choose the webhost that will give you the best value for your money. Before evaluating the offers available, it is necessary to determine the type of website you have and what your vision is for that site in the future. Once you have established that, here are some tips to help you decide.
1. Determine reliability and access speed. Regardless of the type of website you have, it would defeat the purpose of having a website if the web host is often experiencing downtime or access is too slow. A website with less than 99% availability is not worth a single cent.
2. Find the bandwidth limit the web host offers. Bandwidth is the measure of data between the host server and site visitors. Most web hosts offer different plans with varying bandwidth limits and data storage. But remember that unless you pay for a dedicated server (no sharing of the server with other websites), there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth as advertised by many web hosts. Web hosts will either shut off your site when you exceed your limits or charge you with over usage fees at exorbitant prices. It would be best to choose a plan with high limits if you expect high traffic or you have large files on you site.
3. Make sure your web host provides a control panel. The control panel will give you access to customizing your website. It would be too much trouble to constantly request for web host customer support whenever you need to do something with your site. Along with a control panel, good web hosts offer free installation of web applications which you can choose from the panel.
4. Estimate the disk space you will need. Be wary of web hosts that advertise unlimited disk space. Like bandwidth, you will have to share with other webmasters and it is unlikely that you will be allowed to exceed a certain amount. More pictures and video in your site means higher disk space requirements.
5. Technical support is important. Read feedback on a web host’s customer support service. Choose one that can provide service even during holidays or odd hours. You can even test them by making a query during unusual hours and find out how long before they respond.
There are actually other criteria you can evaluate, but these are the basic ones that you need. However, it is advisable to surf the net for objective feedback on any web host first before taking a dive. Don’t be easily attracted to discounts or special offers. Though web hosting has become cheaper because of competition, the adage “you get what you pay for” may apply if you scrimp too much on your web host.
