How do I choose the right web hosting company?

Choosing the best web hosting company for your website is a decision that requires you to do quite a bit of homework. If you make the wrong choice and choose a company that does not meet your needs you will spend a lot of time moving your site until you find a company that works for you.

You have several different options…

• Free hosting
• Shared Hosting
• Virtual Server
• Dedicated Hosting
• Co-Location

Free Hosting – If you just want to put up a website for the family to view your personal photos and you don't mind having ads pop up at your visitors, then this may be an option for you. If you have any intention of producing revenue from your website, you can scratch this option from your list.

Shared Hosting – Shared hosting means that you have your website on a machine with many other websites. You get to share the resources of that machine with dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of other website owners. Most new websites begin their life on a shared server. When the website grows beyond the limits of this service it can be moved to a hosting plan that offers more room for growth.

Virtual Servers – Virtual servers allow each user to feel as though they are running on a dedicated server but they are in fact sharing a server with many others. There are usually fewer virtual servers on a machine than with a shared hosting package and virtual servers may offer more features and give the user more control.

Dedicated Servers – This service allows the user to rent a machine for their own personal use. They do not have to share the resources with any other website. Unless you are experienced with managing a web server you should opt for what is called a Managed Dedicated Server so that the hosting company can update your machine and provide other necessary maintenance services for you.

Co-location – This service allows for you to own your own machine and the hosting company will provide you with space in their computer room. In most cases, the co-location provider may provide little to no support directly for their client's machine, providing only the electrical, Internet access, and storage facilities for the server.

Most likely you will get started with either a Shared Server or a Virtual Server. You would only need a dedicated server if you know your website is going to require large amounts of disk space, bandwidth, and other system resources.

When choosing a web hosting company here are some questions to consider:

1. Do you expect to be using heavy amounts of bandwidth, such as by hosting a lot of audio and video files? If so, consider a dedicated server when choosing a Web host, or at least a Web host offering plenty of bandwidth.

2. Do you need to be able to host more than one website on the same Web hosting account? If so, look for Web hosts offering unlimited add-on domains. If you also need subdomains, look for Web hosts offering the ability to set up unlimited subdomains as well.

3. Do you need to be able to set up multiple email accounts? If running multiple sites, or with staff members, you will likely also need multiple email addresses. When choosing a Web host, look for one that doesn’t charge extra for you to set up email addresses, and make sure the host allows for enough email addresses.

4. Do you need to run a variety of scripts, either within a website, or as the backend of a website (such as a content management system, e-commerce system, or blogging platform)? If so, when choosing a Web host for an online business, be certain the host supports the various scripts that the website will need.

5. How much downtime are you willing to tolerate? When choosing a Web host, look for guarantees on server uptime.

6. Do you want to have to commit to a long-term Web hosting contract?  If a long-term commitment isn’t a problem, then saving money by going with a pre-paid yearly plan with a Web host may be an option. If the freedom to change hosts more quickly without the risk of losing as much money is important, go with a month-to-month Web hosting plan. Either way, find out ahead of time if the hosting company offers a money back guarantee during the initial phase of the Web hosting contract.

7. How many databases will you likely use? When choosing a Web host for an online business, especially if it involves running multiple websites, look for hosting companies that allow unlimited (or at least enough) MySQL databases to be set up on each Web hosting account.

8. How often do you expect a technical support representative to be available from your Web hosting company? Some offer support only via email or only during business hours, whereas others offer 24/7 technical support via phone, email, and even online chats.

By answering the above questions, you’re essentially creating a mental checklist to use when comparing and choosing a Web host for your online business needs. Evaluating needs before choosing a Web host will make the decision, and business relationship, much easier.

One of my favorite hosting companies is Superb.net. As of the writing of this post they offer hosting plans starting a $2.50/month and that plan comes with a dedicated IP address. Make sure that the hosting company you choose offers a dedicated IP address for reasons mentioned in the post titled, "Do I need a Dedicated IP address?"