Capital Hosting

Web hosts give your website life by allowing your site to be viewed by the public to be able to generate more traffic. But what do you need to know before settling down with one web host provider?

Reliability including uptime (downtime)

First and foremost, reliability - websites should be up 24 hours a day 7 days a week. A web site that is down on a much frequent basis will lose visitors and patrons. A web site that cannot be viewed means your visitors will search for another site for the information or service he needs. And a slow page will be frustrating for visitors. You don't not want people to ignore your site, right?

Price

Most webhost sites have similar packaging and services but the most expensive host sites do not mean they are the best. Make sure the package you buy has the features and functions you need. Compare services offered and prices. See if the set prices are reasonable for the services included in the package. And read the reviews: a low price can come at the expense of service and when you're site has been down for 24 hours waiting for tech support to respond, you may regret saving those few pennies each month.

Payment Plans

Do you want to pay your webhost company on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis? Whatever your payment plan is it is all up to you. Take note, however, that annual or yearly payments will be cheaper than summing up monthly payments. Monthly payments allow you to change web host provider should your present provider not meet your requirements and expectation.

Operating System

Remember these facts: ASP Programs require the use of a Windows server. PHP is more portable and popular nowadays and is more preferred for pages that require access to databases and the likes. Unix systems require the use of Apache servers. Main reason for it is because Apache servers let users in configure their needs without the need for technical assistance by the webhost company. Decide if you want to run your website on a Linux or Windows system. Do your assignment and research about the benefits, advantage and disadvantage of each.

SSL (secure server) and Shopping Cart

Running your business on a website requires secure connection. Find out if your chosen server provides such services for a smooth and secure transaction between your site and your customers. Credit card payments online require the use of SSL. But do consider that they charge at a much higher price for hosting such services.

Email

For your customers or visitors to easily contact you, having a personal email for your domain is a necessity. Do check if your webhosting site allows you to send autoresponders (personalized preset message) your guests will receive once they send you feedback, queries or make contact with your site. Also check if your webhost offers services that will allow you to retrieve such emails easily through Outlook or Google to respond to priority emails immediately.

Technical support

A website can have minor and major problems in the most unexpected times of the day. Note that such instances may usually happen during the holidays or the weekends. Technical support is one of the most important components of good web host site. They will always check the state of the websites for errors and problems and initiate maintenance and fixes immediately.

Web Server location

A local webhost provider may be the best option for your website for two main reasons: one, dealing with them would be easier because they are accessible via phone calls or a personal visit. And two, you have the ability to know about the local laws applicable for legal actions in case a need for legal assistance is needed.

However, hosting your site in an overseas country like the USA can give you the advantage for faster access and generate more international visitors, with a majority of them who can converse in English. Plus, there are a number of hosting companies that offer good services for cheaper prices. That's hitting two birds with one stone!

Language support

Though your site could still work without using PHP or Perl using other script hosting services that are free for use, access for PHP or Perl is needed if you want to work around your website with lesser advertising banners that come with these free script hosting sites. Find out if your webhosting site provides a PHP or Perl access to be able to know what type of scripts you should use for generating actions such as sending mail and others.

Best Hosting is a great review site on web hosting services that will give you the necessary information you will need to compare web hosts for your online presence.

Read our web hosting reviews and see what the best offers are now. Our 'Editor Recommends' hosts are based on personal experience with the web hosts and through assessing a range of criteria including reliability, price, customer service, technical support and ease of use.