Monday, August 3, 2009

What to Look For In A Web Site Host

By Daniel Rodriguez

The first and most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a web hosting provider is what type of website you want to create. Not all web hosts are created equal. If you want to create a large social networking site or an online store, you are going to need a host with different capabilities than if you are just making a site to share pictures.

So how does the simple website developer go about finding the perfect web host? How do you know which features you need and more importantly, which features you can leave to the big shots? Here are a few things the simple website developer will want to consider when reading web hosting reviews and selecting the perfect web host:

Cost: Because your website will be small, you arent going to need to pay for the convenience of having you own server. Therefore, you can choose a low-cost shared hosting plan that offers a smaller amount of disk space and bandwidth. If you plan to grow your website, choose a web host that will allow for growth in the future with disk space and bandwidth upgrades at a reasonable cost.

Ease of use: Shared hosts often take care of many of the mundane and confusing control panel tasks for you. This is due to the face that many people are sharing the same server so they can't give any one user too much control over the administration of that server.

Tools: Even the most basic of sites needs some quality tools. Perhaps you want to put a blog management system, such as wordpress, on your site so you can easily post updates. What about a contact form so users can send you feedback directly? These are all items that come into play when talking about the tools and features of your web host.

Access: You may get a great idea for a new fruit salad recipe while eating lunch in an Internet caf on vacation in France. Can you upload your files and access them from any computer, or do you have to be at home on your own computer to work on your site?

Support: Make sure your new hosting option offers some form of phone/email support. Even using a simple host and making a simple website can lead to problems every once in a while. Make sure your host is there to help you.

Once you know what you need to look for and the questions you need to ask, finding a simple web host for a smaller site is not nearly as hard as it might seem. Make your list, keep track of their answers, and make your decision. Your new site will be up and running in no time!

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