allabouthosting's Pad

If you have recently built your website and hosted it, you may not be aware of the hosting problem that can come your way and cause damage to your business. When purchasing a web hosting plan, you must consider a strong customer support option. You may have to face many problems and if you don't have technical knowledge, customer support is your only hope.

Slow Speedã…¡ Slow speed is a major web hosting problem. It is often experienced in shared web hosting sites. Slow speed is bad for business sites, it badly affects the traffic and revenue of a company. It is not good for your SEO goals too.

You cannot get good ranking in search engine with a slow website. Select a reputed web host whose data centers are located around your target customer's location. Make sure that your host are well-equipped with latest technology and hardware to fight network latency.

Down timeã…¡ When you are not available on the internet, you lose potential customers, especially if you have an E-commerce website. Your customers may not find your site at the time they are looking for it. It will hamper your business.

Most of the hosting providers promise 99.9% uptime. But only a few of them keep it. Go for a web host who provides 100% uptime. if your budget allows, you can have your own dedicated server to avoid down time.

Script Errorã…¡ Sometimes, you come across an error on the top and bottom of a page. This is a PHP error most of the time and you can fix it with a little research on Google. You can reach out to customer support for help. Though it is not a major issue, it contributes to a poor user experience and bad website reputation.

Expensiveã…¡ Initially you get an affordable plan, but with passing time, the hosting expenditure of your site will grow. There may be hidden charges in your hosting plans, which you may skip to notice. If you have not already arranged large space and bandwidth for future needs, you will end up paying more money from your pocket.

No quick Resolutionã…¡ As long as everything is running smoothly, your host is great. But the real test comes when some problem arises. You have to wait for support. If you have chosen a 24X7 customer support host with good response time, you may get a quick solution. But most of the times, fixing errors takes longer time. It totally depends on the efficiency of your host.

You can avoid most of the web hosting problems by choosing a reputed web host with a good plan. If you have not done enough research initially and landed up with a bad service provider, you can still transfer your domain to a better one.

Problems often come unexpected. Everything is running smoothly, and then suddenly something goes wrong. You should be aware of what all kinds of problems you can face and what their solutions are. Ensure that you are well-prepared in advance to deal with hosting issues.

Today, the world has become a highly competitive place. Competition is everywhere, in every field. The competition has improved the quality of the products & services that we use. There is a race in the market to acquire and retain customers by providing quality services in affordable price.

The web hosting industry has seen massive growth in recent years due to the rapid digitization of the world. Thousands of websites are mushrooming every day. They all need space on the internet and hosting services. Due to this increased demand in web hosting, several new players have entered the industry.

A tough competition among companies is always good for consumers. They get numerous benefits in terms of quality service, economical price, good support etc. However, it is not easy to choose one company when most of them look alike. Research and comparison are the things that can help you out in this dilemma. Here are a few metrics to compare web hosting companies on.

Your website requirementsã…¡ Before you start comparing web hosts open a spreadsheet and jot down all your present requirements and things you may require in future. Keep in mind the technical specification and compatibility factor of the website. You need to be very specific and accurate. Paying for a feature, which you don't need is not a wise thing to do.

Google Page rankã…¡ Once you are done with the assessment work, it's time to shortlist web hosting companies. There are hundreds of web hosting companies available in the market, so there is absolutely no point to explore all of them. Only choose top 10 web hosting companies. Google Page rank is a trusted metric used by entrepreneurs around the world. It shows the popularity and importance of a site. Select a higher page rank web host.

Alexa Rankingã…¡ Alexa ranks a website based on traffic, content, links, and many other factors. While comparing the service providers pick up a low Alexa ranking host. Low Alexa ranking means that good numbers of people visit the site everyday.

Customer reviewã…¡ You can take advice from people who are already using a particular hosting service. You can also collect the information from online forums and websites. But be careful, there are many fake people who post biased reviews.

Apart from four basic metrics, you can also check out the number of websites a service provider is hosting. The larger number is the proof that a company is providing a quality service, and that is why customers are connected with it. Domain in and Domain out are also a point to consider. If the domain out number is big, then it is a big No. There may be some problem in the service of the company.

Though the research and comparison are a time-consuming task, the result is certainly worth the hard work. Further, it gives you a lot of knowledge about the hosting industry. You get a right host for your website and it would be a solid foundation for your business.

There are tons of options when it comes to web hosting. A person without hosting knowledge finds it difficult to choose one. The needs and specifications of every website are different. Choose a host which is compatible with your site and fulfills all your needs. To ensure that you get the best deal, ask these questions to your service provider. If you get satisfactory answers, go ahead and sign up with the vendor.

1. Business tenureã…¡ New companies often come up with exciting plans and big discounts but don't fall in their trap. Their inexperience can cause harm to your business. You can check the "About Us" page of the company to find it out. Register with a company that has a good experience and reputation in the market.

2. Uptime guaranteeã…¡ Go for a web host which offers maximum uptime. Though most of the service providers claim 99.9% of uptime, many of them don't maintain it. Ask your web host if it provides a partial refund in case of a longer downtime.

3. Backup optionã…¡ In case of any disaster, how prepared are your website and host? Does your potential host regularly back up and store web pages? Find out what is the disaster management plan of your host?

4. Security managementã…¡ Every host has some security arrangements for their customers. There are many security tools such as SSL, Firewall, etc. But you should proactively ask your service provider what security options they have.

5. Customer Supportã…¡ Some companies provide 24X7 customer support while others have some specific timings. You should also know the mode of support such as a toll-free number, email, live chat and response time. Choose a company with 24X7 customer support. Who knows when you might need their help!

6. Hidden Chargesã…¡ Be careful, many plans out there in the market look cheap superficially but contain hidden charges. Specifically ask your host if it charges any account set-up fee? Do I have to pay for customer service or domain transferring?

7. Discount on planã…¡ Many web hosting companies offer discounted coupons. However, they do not proactively promote it, you have to find out and strike a deal with them. There are many economical web hosting services as well, you must do a proper research.

8. Software/Hardwareã…¡ Before you sign up with a host, honestly assess the requirements of your website. If it has rich media content, you will need big disk space, and high RAM capacity to function properly.

9. Upgradation termsã…¡ Needs and audiences of your website will grow in the future and you will need more space and bandwidth, so it is wise to know the upgradation terms and prices in advance.

10. Exit Policyã…¡ What if you don't find the services of the host satisfactory? Can you cancel the contract? Will you get the refund? Don't hesitate to ask these questions, it will give you the clear picture of the quality of the brand.

As the old maxim goes "Prevention is better than cure", a few questions can save you from future problems. These questions will certainly narrow down your choices and help you select the best web hosting provider.