Selecting the best web host for your website can be a challenging task. There are so many Important areas to consider. One thing you don’t want to do is fall into the trap thinking the cheapest monthly cost is the most important thing to consider. There are many important factors and monthly cost is only one of them. I will outline the things that I considered important and why. I will also tell you who I consider to be the best web host.
1. Look for a web host that provides unlimited site bandwidth. This is very important for your websites future. I can’t think of anything worse that having a site that is thrust into the attention of the world only to have your web host shut you down because you exceed your bandwidth.
2. Also look for unlimited domains. No one knows the future. You may decide to set up another website or blog about something different and want a new site just for that. You don’t want to have to pay extra for each site you want to build.
3. Unlimited hosting space is important also. When you add your new site and start adding things like high resolution photos, and the many other items you want to make available to the people that visit, you don’t want to run low on space. Of course if you have one of the "Cheap" webhost they will be glad to provide you with more space, for a price. Unlimited hosting space is very important when you want to start building additional sites.
4. Check if the web host provider provides a free domain name and the cost to set up additional domain names in case you decide to branch out. Adding the cost of domain names can increase your yearly cost very fast.
5. If you have a website that you want to move to a new web hosting company make sure you get free domain transfer. This will not apply to many of you. For those of you that do have a website up you want to check this cost closely.
6. Look for a web host that provides ample Email accounts. Make sure they provide both POP and Imap Email accounts. While this isn’t as important as many of the things above, it is something to consider. My web host, Hostmonster, provides unlimited POP and Imap Email accounts.
7. Look for a web hosting provider that has "cPanel" as the means for you to control and make changes to your site and web space. In my opinion this is a great feature that works behind the scene allowing you to make all the necessary changes to your site and maintain your web space. Hostmonster has a demo of the cPanel so you can look around and see how it works.
8. You may not need them at first but make sure that all the nice to have things like bulletin board, mailing lists, polls, surveys and much more are available to you for free. Time will come when you will want some of these features on your site and this may be the best way to get them.
9. If you plan to put up a WordPress blog you will want a web host that provides the latest version of it with a quick and easy installation process. Along with this you will want to make sure that they provide many other free programs for installation such as Site Builder, templates and many other features that you may someday want to give a try. Remember, don’t just think of what you want today. Think of what you may want or need three or four years from now. You don’t want to have to change web hosting companies to get them or do without.
10. Also look for free site promotions that are provided by the web host. Such things as a Yahoo or Google credit can help to get you on your way to a profitable venture.
11. You also want a web host that has a very high network uptime guarantee. People can’t visit your blog or website if the host has a lot of down time.
12. I saved one of the VERY IMPORTANT items for last. Make sure that the web host you select has great support. You want the support crew to be from your own country so they speak your language as their first language. Not with an accent so heavy you have to guess at what they are saying. Hostmonster’s support people are in Utah. You want both live telephone conversations and live internet chat capabilities with the support personnel. Sometimes a live chat is even better than a telephone conversation. The advantage is you don’t have to take notes. You can simply save the chat when you are done and you have a record of all the instructions. A forum is also an important type of support that you want to make sure you have.
As you can guess, I believe that Hostmonster is the best web host available. They have everything that I have listed above. Everything. Their support personnel is the best I have ever encountered for any company of any kind. I never have to wait for over a minute or two to talk to someone that I can actually understand. They have always been able to resolve my problems in a timely manner. Usually they can correct my problem while I’m on the telephone with them.
In summery you can see there are a lot of things to consider when looking for a web host provider. Monthly price is only one of them and not necessarily the most important. At the time of this writing Hostmonster has a special promotion of $5.95 per month. Their normal price it $6.95 which is a very low cost for all they provide.
I hope this has provided you with something to consider during you selection of a web hosting provider. If it has, I have accomplished what I have set out to do. Thank you for your time.
Have A Great Day
Bob Jones
