It has to be one of the most common asked questions in the web business field: "Who offers the Best Website Hosting?" Its a difficult question to answer because one person might be looking for different features from a web hosting company than another person might. It's an extremely subjective topic, however there is some common ground that most people can agree on when looking for the best website hosting.
First and foremost, you want to be looking at a host who has built a strong reputation throughout the years. This is an industry that gets more than its fair share of fly by night hosts. They don't put any money into providing a quality service for their customers. Unfortunately, these kind of hosting companies are becoming more and more common throughout the years. The good news is they usually don't last very long. Once common complaints are heard about a host, their reputation is shot and they eventually close up shop.
One thing to look at is how long the hosting company has been around? Usually, the longer they have been around the better. This is not always the case, (unfortunately there is no 100% in this business) but its generally a good rule of thumb.
You also need to know that the host uses solid and reliable servers. This is the backbone of any web site. You can have greatest web site in the world and it means absolutely nothing if the site is constantly crashing. Not too many people think about this when they are planning on building a site. They often think about their niche, how they are going to get traffic, and so on, but it means nothing without a reliable server to keep your site up in cyberspace. Try to find companies that offer some kind of uptime guarantee, most preferably a 99.9% uptime.
Another important factor is the customer service of the web host. Look, eventually you are going to have to call them. Even with the best website hosting you're going to run into some kinks. It happens to all of us. It's just the nature of the beast.
You have to know that you can contact the company 24/7. Think about it. If your website is open for 24 hours a day, shouldn't your host be available 24 hours a day? If you don't see that from a host, don't even bother reading anything else they have to offer. 24 hours customer support should be available by phone, email, or online chat.
If you are contacting them through the phone, you don't want to be waiting in the queue for hours on end trying to reach a customer service representative. If this happens to you, it could mean several different things. It could mean that the company is understaffed. It doesn't want to put money into their customer service and they don't mind if customers are waiting on the line for a couple hours. It could also mean that several customers are having the same problem as you, and they are on the line waiting as well. Either way, it shouldn't instill a lot of confidence in you.
If you can find a company that offers reliable servers with respected customer service, then you might have a winner. If not you might want to keep looking.
For the most part, WAHM businesses are small operations, however, you don't want to sell yourself short when it comes to choosing a hosting plan. Your budget should definitely be a consideration, but if getting the best plan for your website means stretching it a little, it could turn out to be a worthwhile investment in your business.
Before you choose a WAHM hosting package, here are 3 things you need to consider:
What does your website consist of?
A website with a few pages of text and pictures isn't going to require a substantial amount of disk space, so a package offering 50 MB of disk space will be sufficient. However, if you have many graphics, pictures, text, scripts, and a database, then you will want to choose a package with 100 MB to 500 MB of disk space to accommodate your current needs.
Determining the size of your website is a big factor in choosing a hosting plan, so make sure you take the time to understand what your business consists of.
What are your short term business goals?
Even if you do not have a large website right now, you need to think about the short term goals that you want to accomplish. Are you planning on adding more products or services to your current line? Do you want to start a mailing list? Do you want to add scripts, such as a blog or project management program? Do you plan on increasing your traffic flow? All these things eventually add up to more disk space usage, and if you go ahead and pay for a year's worth of hosting of a small package, you could find yourself in a jam when you run out of disk space.
Spend a few minutes jotting down your short term goals, so that you will have a better idea of how your business is going to progress in the next few months. Once that's done, it will be easier to select a wahm hosting package that is suited to your goals.
What are your long term business goals?
A common occurrence with wahm businesses is that they tend to grow much more then anticipated, and plans quickly change. Understanding what your webhost offers in their hosting packages can save a lot of hassles in the long run, like having to switch hosting providers. Carefully review all the features and guarantees. If your future growth means adding a team of sales representatives; will you be able to do that with your hosting package?
Don't make the mistake of jumping in with both feet just because the price is right, you have take into account the short and long term needs of your business, not to mention customer support and uptime. The last thing you want is a support team you can never get in touch with, a website that is always down, and a hosting package that doesn't suit your business.
Review the hosting features and prices, reflect on your business goals, and make sure you ask questions if there is something you don't know, or understand before you choose a package!
Both Jim Buhs & Stephanie Davies are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jim Buhs has sinced written about articles on various topics from Forex Guide, Learn Trading and Penny Stocks. has articles and information about picking the best website hosting, as well as offering. Jim Buhs's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.
Stephanie Davies has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Advertising Guide and Web Development. Stephanie Davies is a 28 year old work at home mom to a 9 year old boy in Mid-Missouri. Her hosting company, offers premium webhosting from $2 per month an. Stephanie Davies's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.