7 Tips on Finding the Right Host for You
By: Dee Braun
Finding a quality, reasonably priced host for your websites can be a challenge. Here's some tips to help you know what to ask and what to look for.
- Before signing up send an email or two to the host you are considering. See how fast they respond. Response time is critical because hosting is an imperfect science. You will undoubtedly run into technical problems at times and you want to be sure you can get in touch with your provider easily.
Perhaps in your first email you could ask what kind of communication they use for support. Do they use a trouble ticket system? Do they use email or have a 24 hour support phone line?
- Discover if your host is running their own servers. Often times a hosting provider buys space on other companies servers and are considered tier 2 hosts. You want to be sure that your host is tier one. One reason for this is that you will get faster and better technical support if you run into problems.
- If you already have websites that are using a programming language such as php or asp then be sure your hosts server supports that language. For instance, if your site contains scripts in php you should ask the host if he is running Apache server on a Unix system. Mysql database support is also very important as many blogging and site platforms such as WordPress, Joomla and others all utilize Mysql databases.
- Does your prospect offer managed hosting? If you are new to being a webmaster this is critical. It is very easy to make a big mess of your server if you do not know how to manage it. I recommend managed hosting unless you have experience with your server of choice.
- How much space do you need? A dedicated server means you have your own machine. A dedicated server is ideal if you have a lot of websites or a really large site. Dedicated servers are more attuned to full time webmasters. VPS (virtual private server) means one server split between several webmasters. This is better if you require a small to medium amount of space. I recommend VPS (Virtual Private Server) if you are just starting out or are young in your career as a webmaster. Make sure you ask your host how many people share the server. If your VPS is overloaded it will slow how fast your websites load for your users.
- Make sure the provider fits your needs with how many domains you can register. Some web host plans allow unlimited domains and others allow only one. You want to allow yourself room to grow the number of websites you have. So, think a couple months ahead. Also, ask if there is a charge for adding additional domains to your account.
- After your account is setup go to your website and see how fast it loads for you. A fast loading website is critical because websurfers are an impatient lot. Don't hesitate to ask to be moved to a different VPS (should you choose to go that route) or change webhosts altogether. I cannot stress how critical it is to have a fast loading website.
I hope this helped you on your search for a quality hosting provider. Make sure you do your research because this part of being a webmaster is one of the most critical. It can make a big difference in your commissions.
Author Resource:-> With a combined 19 years of website & affiliate marketing experience, Dee & Tim of AffiliateRugu.com teach you how to build & maintain websites, generate traffic, basic SEO, & solid marketing. Increase your bottom line with our tips, tricks, tools, & tutorials at http://www.affiliaterugu.com/.
Article From ArticleshmArticle.com
