Unless you are one of the few people that are capable of maintaining a 24 hour server in their home with secure domain registration, you’ll be searching for a new host when your company launches. This article is specifically written to help out new individuals in their quest to better understand the power of server hosting and the companies that rely upon it.
Your domain should be registered outside of the web host. This way you can keep the name in case of a disagreement between your host and you, or a shutdown. You do not want a web host to be the one who has ultimate control over your proprietary information and domain name.
Make sure any offers of “unlimited” data transfer are actually unlimited. Many web hosts advertise unlimited data transfer in their offers, but tuck exceptions in the terms and conditions for the package. Common exceptions include video or non-HTML file downloads being limited, limits on CPU utilization, and general prohibitions on using “too many resources.”
Resist the temptation to accept free domain registration from the same company you will be using for web hosting. There are many start-ups out there who may – or may not – be around for very long, and they probably will not give clients advance notice if they are going out of business. You will need to have immediate access to your domain registration if this happens, but may not be able to get it if they are out of business.
If you want a web host you can trust, look at the kind of guarantee they offer. Some services offer to refund your money if you decide you are not satisfied. This means these services are very confident about being able to host your website and keep it online constantly.
Never register your domain with your web hosting service. Many people mistakenly do this, and then realize later they can’t transfer their site over to another web hosting service. This can happen when a company goes offline and bust or for other various reasons. Make sure you register your domain with a different company than your web hosting provider.
Remember, you don’t absolutely have to run out and grab the most expensive hosting package that’s available. Take long, relaxed periods where you evaluate the bandwidth caps, advertisement restrictions, domain availability, pricing, and other miscellaneous factors that will form your overall decision. Plan ahead and you should only have to face this choice once for any given domain.