How to Choose a New Web Hosting Plan

Now that you have decided to build a new website or blog, your next step is to find yourself a web hosting company that suits the needs of your project. When you start searching for a web hosting provider you should review all aspects of their hosting plans. Here are some of the of the most important aspects to selecting a web hosting plan:

Fortunately web hosting does not need to be expensive thanks to an extremely competitive industry. Although pricing should not always be the main concern when choosing a web hosting plan, there are some cheap web hosting options available for just a few dollars per month and these can be a good starting point for a new site and these plans can usually be upgraded to a more powerful plan later on when the site gets very popular. 

The reliability of your new web hosting plan is extremely important since this may effect the availability of your website due to potential server down-time. If the web host you select is always down or the connections are slow then it can affect your business and your profits. Take a look at the up-time percentage record the host has listed on their website. You may also find that some web hosts provide you with an up-time tracker so you can monitor the up-time of their servers.

You should ensure that the web hosting provider you choose is easily accessible via email, live chat or telephone, preferably 24 hours a day. Some web hosts will advertise this, but unfortunatly some will not always honor it. Before registering with any host, it's a good idea to send a test email first to their support department to see if they respond quickly to your query. Another good test is to call them outside business hours to see if someone is there to answer your query. This can give you a good indication of what service level to expect if you should decide to host with the company.

When selecting a new web host, always review the features they offer on their site carefully. You should not assume that the web host provides all the features you are looking for. Go through their features list in detail and if there is a particular feature you require, and it’s not listed, then send a support query inquiring if the feature can be made available.

In summary the key to selecting the best web hosting company is to always do the necessary research, to ensure the company offers all of the features you need at the best price. Weigh up the pros and cons, and you’ll be making an informed decision.