What would happen if your online business just took off overnight? Could your web hosting service handle all of the extra traffic? Can you get enough bandwidth? Read the fine print on your hosting contract and see what extras your current hosting company provides. Additionally, read on for more important ways that you can review your current web hosting to see if you are getting the best value for your money.
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.”
As you shop for prospective web hosting services, it is in your best interest to go with a company that is headquartered in your target audience’s country. For example, if your target audience is in France, the web hosting data center for your site should also be in France.
Make certain to read reviews to determine whether your potential web host has frequent periods of downtime. If your website is often inaccessible to visitors, there can be drastically negative consequences. For example, if you are running an online business, downtime directly translates into lost business because potential customers will not be able to access your website. Customers may also feel uncomfortable conducting transactions on your website because they might believe your website to be unreliable. Choose a web host that does not have a history of being offline frequently.
A good web hosting service should bill you professionally. You should be able to log in with a username and password to have access to your account balance and make secured payments. If you have to send PayPal payments every months without getting account statements, you are not dealing with a serious web hosting service.
Thinking about using a free web host for your new website? Always remember to back up your work regularly when using free web hosts, as it is rare one does this for you. Thorough backups will be a lifesaver if any files on your site disappear.
Imagine getting the same kind of service, or better, with a web hosting company that actually charges you less than your current provider. It’s possible to find this type of provider by following the tips above, and make a real difference in your website’s profitability — and isn’t that what’s really important?