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Step 1
First look at your business idea and ask yourself what your website will need. Can it use flashy graphics? Can generic images make the point or do you need to put specific images in to support your business. These are good questions to ask because many web hosting companies have ready-made templates under specific topics (Business, Art, Wedding, etc.) You can look at their templates and see if they have one that fits your needs. But if you need specific images find out if the images in their templates can be swapped out with your specific ones.
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Step 2
How many pages will you need? Depending on the webhosting company, the amount of pages required might affect the web hosting package you select. Additional areas that will change by package can include email hosting, domain name and storage options among other things. It’s good to do research on your immediate and future needs so that you don’t end up getting surprise outstanding charges. Will you have high resolution art, music or video on your site? If so you need to find out what the storage capacity is for the website. Some web hosting companies have limits and some have unlimited storage capacities.
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Step 3
Will you be selling things from your website? If so, find out if the web hosting company has a built in shopping cart option. Sometimes these are at an extra cost and sometimes they’re free, especially if you already have a Paypal account or a merchant account. Additionally find out if there are limits to the amount of items you can sell.
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Step 4
Additional Options – Some web hosting companies have additional features you can add to your business presence. For example, some have blogs and some forums (to interact with your visitors).
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Step 5
How web savvy are you? This can make a difference when you choose a web hosting company. Some of the additions to your site may need some html experience. Are you able to that. Some web hosting companies have options for those who don’t know any html coding. Find out before you’re stuck.
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Step 6
Don’t go just by the price. Some packages might be cheaper than others but look and see what you’re getting for the price. But you don’t need to feel that the higher the price the better. Research each company. Look into their downtime percentage. Ask to see otehr sites that they host. Find out how easy it is to get assistance (to me the personal touch is best). Also, what are their guarantees? Is there a trial period?
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Step 7
Go to Google and search “web hosting companies” and you’ll find a lot. Check the Better Business Bureau or Google any web hosting company’s name to see if they have any serious problems. But once you find a good one everything should run smoothly.
