Note: The article was presented by LimeLight Technology Solutions, one of the leading IT consulting firms in Dallas, Texas.
How do you know if a web hosting provider is ideal for your business? Are there any such specific questions that you need answers to? Is there anything as a good hosting plan or guiding elements that govern the quality of a hosting service provider? Like most decisions, the decision to finalize upon a hosting company is a tough one. Almost all providers today promise a 99% uptime, knowledgeable support and unlimited amount of resources. What will be the way to cut through these jargons and make sustainable and informed decision? In brief it is through research on your part and understanding the hidden promises that you will be able to suit your needs. Here are some direct answers:
Price
Pricing obviously is one of the most important aspects while choosing any service. Howsoever, this shouldn’t be the ultimate deciding factor. There’s a price difference between companies to facilitate certain advantages that could be of use. When you are looking for a website that would be making you money, going for the cheapest host will not be ideal. Services like quality hardware and non-outsourced support counts and cost money. Certainly a $1.99 package will not be providing these features. When you have decided on the service that you would like to include, then can you close in by comparing pricing.
Specialties
Not all hosts are suitable for a certain consumers. While for some consumers a hosting plan would be perfect, for certain others, it could be less than adequate. Look for the specialty of the web hosting service provider that would do good for your business and understands the specific needs of the company. Recommendations from partners and similar service providers would be a good idea.
Technical specs and limitations
Be honest and understand what exactly that you would want to do with your website. If you want to host a platform that would be providing rich content, videos, perhaps host a blog or even provide ecommerce services, the cheapest host wouldn’t be suitable. The cheapest packages will not have enough RAM and processing power to support your service line and you will end up in spending more in managing load and downtime issues. Ask questions and ensure you know what exactly is being provided and weather you would be good enough with them. Hardware also includes the disk space, monthly bandwidths, FTP access, backup and platform support.
Support
Hosting a website is one thing and ensuring that the expectation works out for a long time is another. In most cases, unwarranted decisions result in fluctuating downtimes and service errors. If there is a person available that you can speak to instantly and who would be able to set things right immediately, it would be a good backup. A reputed customer service can help you increase the credibility of your website and this support may come in several forms including mails, online chat, telephonic troubleshooting and others. Preferable, they should be available round the clock as you never know when the need arises.
Photo Credit: Flickr/Sean MacEntee
