How do you select a hosting provider when there are thousands of hosting companies available online? It’s like going through the yellow pages trying to discover burger restaurants. There are lots of them. Hopefully these tips will steer you in the right direction. The very initial item to address in selecting the best hosting service for your needs is to actually identify what those needs are. What sort of website are looking to host? Small personal homepages will have very different hosting criteria from enormous company websites. To find the best hosting service for you, it is important to determine exactly what you plan to host presently , and ideally take into consideration anything you're planning to host in the immediate future. Important factors in selecting a web hosting company include the percentage of server uptime. 98 to 99% uptime is the dream standard for server uptime, 65% is unacceptable. The higher the downtime of a server, the lower the potential for traffic at your web site . Another consideration is how much space is provided for the files that will make up your web site . How much bandwidth is in your package? Monthly bandwidth is the amount of data transfer allowed for visitors to view and use your web site . Bandwidth requirements grow with your site . Web hosting companies pay for bandwidth, so you, the one using that bandwidth will be billed accordingly. It is far better to pay for the required amount of data transfer upfront rather than get a surprise bill in the mail for having gone considerably over your allotted quantity . By the same token, be sure you have an appropriate quantity of disk space reserved. Most websites require less than 3GB. With today’s changing trends in web hosting services, it is important to get as much server space and bandwidth as you can. This will allow for necessary updates and increased traffic to your site as it becomes more popular. It is equally important when purchasing business web hosting that CGI access is provided; along with features such as MySQL, Real Audio, Real Video, and Cold Fusion (which some companies sell as an add on component). A crucial feature necessary for doing ecommerce is SSL, or Secure Socket Layer. This encrypts all order and credit card information until it reaches you. An SSL certificate can be purchased from most web hosting providers. Displaying it on your ecommerce web site verifies that your website transactions are safe and secure. It is very necessary to be able to reach the hosting company if your website begins experiencing problems. The best hosting support one can hope for is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Most companies know this, so take their stated hours with a grain of salt. Always spot check the companies with email at random times to see if they actually have someone available to help 24/7. There are many service providers to choose from. If you do your homework, there are some which is highly recommended, you’ll find some good deals that will fit your budget.
