How to choose the right hosting comapny for your business
When it comes to deciding about the correct web host, many business owners remain clueless about how to make the best decision about your web host.First of all – know what you need.
For this task just ask a simple question – is your site going to be a complex, large site with tons of visitors, or is it a small site that`s going to have very little traffic? After you found the answer, you can choose the right plan for you.The main types of hosting plans you need to know about are:
- Shared hosting – this means that your site is hosted on a server together with other sites. The server is managed by the hosting company and they will make very little or no efforts to make changes or install special software on the server. Also, if another site that`s hosted on this server has large traffic, it can harm the performance of all sites on this server, including yours.
The main advantage of this method is the low price. This method is good for a start and only for simple sites that don`t demand special features on the server, and low traffic sites - Unmanaged dedicated hosting – basically, you lease a server from the hosting company, and use its network to connect the server to the internet. Support of these programs is very limited and before you sign up you must find out what support level you get for this server, if the company will apply security patches, etc. These hosting plans are good for gaming servers, but not for serious businesses that need first-level service. Plans cost around 99$ a month
- Managed dedicated hosting – like the previous plan, you lease a server, but get quality service on that server – starting with uptime monitoring, hardware changes when something fails, security patches and many more services. Make sure the host is specific about the level of service, because sometimes when someone is not specific about the service, it can be an unmanaged dedicated server offered as a managed one, and unfortunately this happened before.
Great plan for business sites with complex server needs and high traffic. - Collocated hosting – you buy your own server and put it at the host`s facility, the host is responsible for the network connectivity and redundant power supply, and you are responsible for any maintenance on the server. This makes this plan very simillar to unmanaged dedicated hosting, exept you own the server. Some of the best hosts will offer a contract for the maintenance as well, and then this will make the plan similar to managed dedicated hosting.
Make sure the host`s facility is redundant.
Here are some questions you might want to ask:- What`s the average usage of their connection (if it`s a high percent, it`s going to be slow, no matter of the size)
- Does each server have ups set up on it?
- Is there a generator on site, and how long can it work?
- What are the security measures on the network?
- Which physical security measures are there when entering the facility?
- Which fire suppression system is installed?
- Is the facility protected and durable in cases of earthquakes and other natural disasters?
Make sure you will get the best service, quickly.
Find out if it`s easy to contact a system administrator. If you`ve got a question or a problem, talking to a customer service representative will help you just like calling the pizza shop around the block. You need to know if you will get the right person at the right moment, and not have to listen to Mozart when told to hold on. It`s best to have "your" system administrator – one of your host`s systems administrators who already knows you and your server, and you will be able to just call and ask for himher right away and save time.Look for a flexible host
Most hosts won`t support any programs that aren`t in the default setup of the server. Look for a host that is experienced enough to support a large variety of software.Check for blackholed IPs
By law, it`s the host`s responsibility to take care of spammers sending unsolicited mail from it`s servers, and if this happens and the host doesn`t take care of the spammer, the IP address used can be blocked by some large mail servers. If that happens and a blocked IP is given to you, any mail/newsletter you might send to a mailing list might not reach its destination, and thus can severely cut the responses to your campaignCheck if your hosting company is listed here:
http://www.spamhaus.org/sbl/isp.lasso
Price is important, but to a point
When looking for a host – don`t make price your only priority. Look for the best service, good redundant network and power supply on the company`s facility, fast network and only then priceMake sure the host is specific about services – which services are free, which are for a fee and what`s not supported at all. This is important to avoid misunderstandings about all the service on the server.
Ask for contact information of current customers - ask them for their impression on the service and learn about the advantages and disadvantages it has.