How to Find the Best Web Host

If you want to have your own website, then above all things, you will need to find a good web host. Luckily, there are tons of companies out there that cater to web hosting. Unfortunately, the sheer number of businesses around can be overwhelming. In this article, I will give you three tips on how to find a good web hosting company. These tips are: identifying what you need, naming your cost and searching for the company. After reading this article, you will be able to find the best web host that will suit your needs.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Identify what you need. What type of site are you building? Are you creating a personal website or is it business-related? How many visitors do you anticipate coming to your site? How much space will you need? Do you need a company that will allow you to host multiple domains on one account? Do you want the company to host your domain's email as well? Do you want a type of company that will provide technical support 24/7? Once you have answered these questions, you will be able to figure out the next step: name your cost.

2. 
   Find the Best Web Host

   Name your cost. How much can you afford? There are numerous companies that offer plans for less than $5 a month. While there are many great companies in that range, one thing that you'll want to remember: you get what you pay for. In other words, don't expect a company to offer you all of the bells and whistles for less than a dollar a month and then be surprised when the company cuts you off for using too much bandwidth or space. Once you have a price in mind, you can go and search for the best web hosting company for you.

3. Search for the company. There are many sites that cater to web hosting reviews. Unfortunately, there are also, lots of sites that allow companies to pay their way to the top. For example, for a certain amount of money, a web hosting company can pay to have their company listed at the #1 rating on a website. A website that I like to recommend when searching for a host is the webhostingtalk.com forums. There is a section where you can post your specifications and members of the forum will give you recommendations based on your needs. (Note: Members of the forums are not allowed to recommend their own company.)

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your domain registrar separate from your web hosting company. If you register your domain with a web hosting company, some may try and charge you an additional fee if you decide to move to a different host.
• Beware! There are web hosting review sites that do not give honest ratings!
• Be careful, look out for sites that offer "unlimited" bandwidth or space. It does not exist! If you use more than your "alloted" resources, your account may be suspended.

Resources

• Web Hosting Talk Forums
• The Truth About Unlimited Bandwidth

[sonni57]

on 3/19/2009 It's good to know how to find a good web host thanks for the info.

[chocolate00]

on 3/11/2009 Very well written and informative!

[adam-12]

on 2/27/2009 Good info! btw your screen name is awesome!

[rjspindle]

on 2/27/2009 Cost and performance. That's what it's all about for me. The price needs to be fair and I need to feel like I'm being taken care of. Thanks for the great article. 5*

[FrazzledNanny]

on 2/26/2009 Thanks for the informative article. 5*