One of the most important decisions web owners make is that of selecting a web host. It is crucial to choose the right web hosting service to prevent your hard work going to waste or getting lost, a company such as dynaboot.com. With so many hosting companies to choose from it can prove difficult finding a reputable and reliable company. However, when you know your needs, do research and test the top candidates, this will get you the right provider. The following are some of the features to consider when choosing a hosting company, including:
- Storage
When choosing a hosting company your primary concern should be that of determining how much data the service provider will be in a position to store comfortably. For the majority of small and medium sized websites, several gigabytes are plenty of storage. To cater for the needs of large and expanding websites, service providers offer “unlimited storage”.
- Bandwidth
Many times, the amount of storage and bandwidth come hand in hand. Bandwidth refers to the amount of data the hosting company will allow you and visitors to download and upload every month. Therefore, if visitors download the available bandwidth, after that, the hosting company will not allow more visitors. Alternatively, they can charge you extra for every MB. Thus, it is important to keep an eye on your bandwidth, particularly if you operate a popular site or run a site that is media intensive, such as your own video. Some of the hosting companies offer “unlimited” bandwidth.
- Number of domains & sub-domains
When you have a single site running, it is not uncommon to find you will need a second, a third or more- not too long. It can prove challenging to manage a host account for every one of these sites. Therefore, it is important to find a hosting company that can host multiple domains. Many times, service providers provide a limit of how many domains can be hosted in a single account. Hence, it is important to determine whether these restrictions cater for your needs. Usually, the admin panel allows you to add your domains and sub-domains.
- Email features
Many of the hosting companies offer their clients email accounts for their domains. Therefore, it is important to know the number of email accounts the service provider will allow you to set up. Determine the offers available including webmail interface and integration with Google Applications (for Gmail interface). Furthermore, find out whether you can send mail to your clients via IMAP.
- Backup
A web host company is susceptible to the loss of data the same way you may lose data from your computer. Therefore, before choosing a hosting company, it is important to find out their backup options. The company should be in a position to offer backup for your website’s files and databases. Hence, you will not have to spend your money on providing backup yourself.
- Technical support
It is important to determine the quality of technical support provided by a hosting company. Find a company that can be contacted 24/7 via email, phone or fax. Determine whether the service provider has a ticket system and support email address. The response time is equally important and live chat recommended highly. Does the company have a library of tutorials or help articles?
Author Bio:
Francis Macbeth is a professional Web designer for the last 12 years. He also enjoys blogging on various important topics in the industry and recommends reliable web hosting services from companies such as dynaboot.com.
