How often do you look at your web host bill and become frustrated with the amount that you are paying every month? How can you make sure the price you pay for your hosting company is within your budget?
Before committing to a single hosting service, explore all of your options. If you only consider two or three providers, you are increasing the risk of signing up for sub par hosting services. Pursue a handful of different recommendations to account for bias or inexperience.
Find out each potential web host’s uptime–the percentage of time the server is up and working correctly–and avoid web hosts that have a lot of outages. Don’t choose a company that makes excuses for lengthy outages. Regardless of how little they charge, you should never sign on with a host that experiences frequent outages.
Website hosting services may charge you based on how much bandwidth you use. Have an idea just how a web company will charge you. Some hosts bill you a flat fee until your site picks up more traffic, while another may charge you a completely different amount each month depending on your traffic.
Web Host
Make a hard copy backup of your website data, whether your web host requires it or not. There are two reasons you should create a backup. First, to comply with the web host’s terms of use, and second, to ensure all your date is safely backed up. This way, you have a copy of your data with you no matter what happens.
To maximize your profits for your website, look closely at the web hosting companies that are vying for your business. You can purchase web page hosting from anywhere from $2-$60 monthly. Higher prices do not always translate into more reliable service, either. While more expensive sites give more bandwidth, you may not end up with any less downtime with the most expensive host.
Choose a website hosting service, which provides detailed information about your website, such as the number of visitors you receive and how long they stay on your site. Put a counter on your page that allows you to see how many people are visiting; contrast that with the information that your web host provides. It is in your best interest as a business owner to closely monitor and manage this data.
Web Host
Find out if a potential web host offers a money-back guarantee. If you don’t like the service within about 30 days, you should be able to cancel it and get your money back. Not every web host is as good as advertised.
Many web hosting services rely on the services of larger companies. These companies can buy large server spaces at discounts, and rent them for profit to small sites. Find out if your host has their own servers and where they are located. If your host relies on another company, perhaps you can find the exact same kind of hosting at a lower price from another company.
Generally, web hosts with many well-recognized hosting awards are reputable. Knowing that others have used the company and have been satisfied with the service, is a strong indicator of a good company. Be wary of fake awards, looking instead for awards you can identify as being backed by a valid voting process. If you question an award’s validity, check with the site that issues the awards to be sure. Host with many fan-voted awards should definitely be considered.
It is possible to find an affordable, effective hosting company. Good website hosting will be the foundation of your website, but you don’t have to break the bank to get it. Use these suggestions to find out what provider you should go with and what one is the best for you!