Journey of Best Web host selection
Going online is among the initial steps on ladder to success. In the presence of so many options and countless apparently lucrative offers presented by webhosting service providers, task of identifying best web host is very difficult to say the least. Even an IT geek knowing ins and outs of webhosting can make wrong decision, on the basis of promises made by hosting services. With price range varying from a big sum to lowest possible; free, search is not exactly wild goose chase but nothing less than it too.
No single host can be labeled as ultimate best, as this is very relative term. Requirements of websites are different as per the design, target audience, website owner etc. For instance your chosen best web host may be able to support most complex of designs but have bandwidth issue. The website owner may not be that concerned with the occasional downtime. However, on the other hand your website may require necessary 24 hours uptime. Talking to website owners you will realize that people do not have a single line answer to your queries. Primary responsibility of best web host is to first present your content as you have designed. Secondly make sure website is accessible round the clock to your visitors. Issues like browser compatibility or code error have nothing to do with your chosen best web host; they are your own programming issues.
Identifying and selecting host which can play its role with uttermost efficiency is most important decision regarding your website. Given below are certain points you need to remember for making this problematic decision.
Paid v/s Free Website hosting
Paid Website Hosting
In paid website hosting you need to pay a fix amount monthly (or whatever the period given by the host). Considering the performance and answerability to you in case of any decline in performance for any serious and important work the paid option should be chosen in your quest for best web host. With paid service you get a seriousness in the service along with that you can have whatever you like on the website, unlike the irrelevant popup and banners you see on most free websites. If website is intended for some real business, i.e. not a fun website to be shared with your friend, then paid option is the best. For instance if you attempt to run an ecommerce based portal on a free website, hardly anyone will trust you and provide his/her sensitive personal and financial information.
Free Website Hosting
Only positive aspect about free website hosting services is, it’s free. If you mean serious business and want professional outlook of your website, then you must think twice before going for free host. You must have to comprise a lot on components you want, and support would also be not satisfactory.
Parameters to select Best Web Host:
Cost
Cost is a very important factor, decisive factor in most of the cases. Check for the prices offered by hosting companies. However keep in mind that there has to be threshold till which you can afford to compromise on quality when you look for best web host. Use search engines and online forums to know what people think about the service provider. Choosing extremely cheap host will definitely going to come back and haunt you over and over again and you will rue your decision to go for that host. So in short go for the most competitive pricing, but not at the cost of quality and select your best web host.
Money back Guarantee
To see if the host’s service is suitable to you, always go for the plan offering money back guarantee. Generally host gives 1 month guarantee and rarely some go on to give 2 months. Choose whichever you like, because both the periods are good enough to know how good and bad the service is. Scan host’s TOC to check there are no ‘if and buts’ in their guarantee. Check online forums too.
Customer & Technical Support
Always go for the company that really provides 24/7 support. You may come across a crisis like website crash at awkward hour, and if your customer base is spread across the planet then not having the proper support can kick you out of contention by your visitors very soon. The problem with website business is that one tiny bad experience and visitor is gone never to open your page again, sad but true, it is that kind of business. You should test the service provider’s support by asking them a hypothetical technical query. See how much time do they take to respond? Furthermore check that the solution really helpful. This is so important that your chosen best web host has excellent and round the clock customer and technical support.
OS, Software, Databases allowed
Choosing the right software schema is important, especially considering technical expertise you have available at your side. Some companies support Microsoft platform where as some opt for UNIX or Linux. So based on your expertise choose the appropriate one. Also you need to check the DBMS they are supporting; again it would be like choosing between MSSQL and MySQL. Finally see what kind of features you will be using in your website, and confirm if the your chosen best web host is capable enough to support them. For instance if you want to have a shopping cart of your own choice, it is not necessary that it will work fine on your host’s server.
Scalability
You might have a limited visitor base initially; however you don’t expect it to remain this low always. In case of expansion in your customers or visitor you might need extra space and bandwidth to fulfill the added request. It is important to check if your host is capable of handling 10 times 100 times more load then current load. Check if they have enhancement plans on offer too, so that you can upgrade to it later on, if need arises. In fact any best web host will offer scalable solutions.
Dependability
How much you can depend on your chosen best web host? Check how much uptime does the company promises to maintain. If it is anything less than high 90 percent, leave it. From their support you should also ask for their infrastructure like what kind of server they are using? What is their main connection? If their main connection went down for some reason, what is their backup strategy? Also to double check relevant online forums to see, if promised uptime is correct.
Security
You can’t run a website without having a fully equipped safety and security mechanism. Your host must have strategy and measures to filter the spam and guard against the potential virus threats. Also see if the other website hosted by your selected best web host have a good history against hacking attacks, such data not exact number but some idea, could be retrieved from online forums.
Now after keeping these guidelines in mind, you may resume your journey for the search of the best web host.
