Article: Choosing a Web Hosting Company (continued)

Unix-based or Windows-based?

If you are planning on using ASP, JScript, VBScript, and other Microsoft technologies, then a Windows-based server is obviously the way to go. Unix-based systems are however more ubiquitous among web hosting companies. Most of these usually use Apache server software and have great support for PHP, MySQL, and even JSP. Again, if you are planning on having someone else maintain your site, it's probably a good idea to ask them what their preference is.

No support, no way?

What happens if your site goes down on Saturday morning and you find out that your hosting company will not be able to help you until Monday morning? Yikes! Support is probably one of the most important considerations when choosing a hosting company and good 24/7 support will probably cost you a little extra. Many companies are offering only Email and chat-based support these days to keep their costs down. That allows them to pass the savings on to you. However, if you are more comfortable talking to a live person, then seek a hosting company with phone support. It might cost a little more but when an emergency occurs, you will be able to get it straightened out quicker.

Another great feature that some hosts offer is a user-run forum. Good forums typically provide novices and experts great advice on all things web related. This is also a good place to read what the users are saying about the host.

Good reviews are always comforting!

There are many sites offering reviews on web hosting companies. One caveat: Some might not be completely objective since web hosting companies themselves have been known to pose as their own customer and rave about their services. Good resources for Hosting Reviews are Web Hosting Ratings, Web Host Magazine, and CNET.

And of course as mentioned above, one of the best places to get honest reviews is in user forums on the hosting company's site. Even though only a few of them offer forums, it's a good place to get a sense of their customers' experiences.

Speed, the maker or breaker of success on the web

Nothing drives people away from your site quicker than slow loading pages. Although this problem is usually the result of poor web design and over bloated pages, the speed of the server is also very crucial. So how can you tell which hosting site has fast servers?

We recommend sending a prospective host an email asking for a few examples of websites hosted on their servers. You can then view these sites in your browser to see how they load compared to other sites. Hostpulse.com offers a great tool which can check the speed of the server a website is hosted on. Check it out at www.hostpulse.com/app/networktools/ping.asp.

In conclusion...

When making any kind of commitment, it's always a good idea to do some research. The great thing is, there are plenty of resources to look at. We recommend starting out small and making sure that you can grow with your hosting company if the need arises.

$10-20/month is more than enough to get started with for most new businesses. Also, read the fine print and avoid long-term commitments especially if you are new to hosting. Some hosts even offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee trial period which is a great way to test them out.

And remember, as your mother used to tell you, "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is."