Post Contents
Web Hosting is basically a kind of Internet hosting service that enables people and organizations to create their own website accessible to the World Wide Web through a computer or other device. Web hosting is a service offering access to computers, servers, and websites through the Internet and to individual users through a data center. Many web hosting providers either lease their servers or handle servers themselves. If a business provides web hosting, it is called a Webhosting provider.
As there are so many web hosts in the market, it is quite a challenge to make your final decision. You will find that some may be better than others. It is very difficult to judge the quality of service by just looking at their website. A checklist will help you make the right choice.
-
Services Offered
The first thing you should do when looking for a web hosting service provider makes a list of things you want from them. Think about it this way – your site needs to have the basic features. Then, what is the point in getting premium hosting if all your site has to do is show a welcome message? You will end up paying more for your service than what you need to pay. Thus, you will have no point in opting for a premium service.
2.Storage Services
Next, you should go through all the plans offered by different providers and analyze your needs. Remember that a plan that has everything included is not necessarily the best choice. A good web hosting plan is one that is designed to meet your specific needs. For example, you will require disk space for hosting your files. You should ask the web hosting provider what kind of disk capacity they offer and then choose accordingly.
3. Maintenance Services
Next, decide on what type of maintenance services you require from the provider. If you want to host blogs, then the provider should provide blog management services. If you want to have search engine optimization for your website, then you should ask the provider about link building services. By knowing all these things in advance, you can finalize your list and move on to the next step.
4. Free Domain Registration
The next step is to find out if your web hosting provider offers free domain registration. This is an important service as you can register your website with a domain name that reflects your business. This will give your site a professional look. While some providers do not offer this facility, others do offer it.
5. C Panel Services
The web host should also be able to provide you with a control panel. This will help you keep track of the bandwidth usage of your website. The control panel should allow you to import web pages into FTP and create web pages. Some providers also provide a mail server and virtual email address. These are all additional services that should be provided by your web hosting provider.
6.Website Monitoring Services
The web hosting account should also come with a traffic counter and a program to monitor the amount of downtime that your website is experiencing. The downtime includes the time when the website is offline and waiting for the Internet to get back. The best web host providers have a monitoring system that allows them to instantly know whether their server is experiencing any issues.
7.Technical Support Services
The last step is to consider the technical support provided by your web hosting provider. You need to ensure that they have an active toll free customer service line. They should also have several customer representatives available to take your questions and address your concerns. You want to make sure that your web host has taken the time and money to ensure that you are completely satisfied with your choice of a web host.
8.FTP and Email Services
There are many other technical aspects of a web hosting account that need to be examined. One such aspect is the control panel. The control panel is what will allow you to modify various aspects of your website, such as the FTP, Email and Access logs, FTP permissions, and Userid. The FTP is what allows you to upload files and keep track of them. Each user will have their own user id and password so you will need to assign these details to each user before you give them access to your website.
9.SQL Database Maintenance
Another aspect is MySQL database maintenance. You need to ensure that your web host is offering you a secure and reliable database server. If your web hosting provider uses the cPanel software then you can rest assured that you will not have to deal with any problems regarding the database server. The main database is supposed to hold all of your customer information including their shopping carts. Any sensitive information should be stored in a separate and more secure server.
10.Plans and Pricing
Apart from these technical aspects, you should also consider the price and billing options that a web hosting company offers. A cheap web host may offer you a limited number of domain names but they should provide you with a reasonable uptime guarantee. You should also make sure that the web host has an affordable monthly plan for their service. If you make the mistake of choosing a cheap web host who cannot provide you with good quality service, then you may end up wasting a lot of money on their poor services.
Conclusion
So, these are some points which you need to check before finalizing any Webhosting service provider so that it meets your requirements. Else you may regret and will have to look to change the service provider by transferring Domain which is a bit tedious task as some of the providers have a lockin period of 60 days from the time of purchase of a Domain.
