subject: How to Choose Your Hosting Provider [print this page] Putting together a website can be scary, especially if you are new to web development and projects like it. Trying to figure out everything by yourself can be overwhelming. The process can even be a risky one. It is important to be very careful about who gets access to your private information. One of the best things that you can do for yourself when you want to build your own website is join up with a reputable web hosting company. How can you tell which hosting company will best serve you?
Do you have specific FTP needs? If you have no idea what FTP means you will probably be fine with one of the free, web based host companies out there. If you think that you will need to do a bunch of complicated file transferring, your hosting program needs to be able to deal with that. Some hosting programs come with web based FTP apps. Other hosts will ask you to download a FTP program of your own.
If doing your own FTP makes you feel uncomfortable, choose a hosting provider that lets you use their services. If you want total control over how your uploads are processed, you should choose a company that will allow you to upload through a third party extension. Ask a lot of questions. Call or contact every company that you might purchase hosting from. Talk to someone in their customer service department. If you cannot find a way to talk to a live person do not do business with that company! Any company worth trusting will let you have an actual conversation with a live person. When a company does not allow users to reach customer service agents through actual conversations (to prove that the customer service agent is legitimate), they are almost always scams. Even small companies should have at least one person you can talk to. Be wary if you cannot make "real" contact with someone.
Could you potentially sell advertising? Did you plan on selling your own advertising on your web property? Do you mind hosting someone else's ads? The answers to these two questions will start you on the path to finding the perfect hosting provider. If you don't mind hosting ads for someone else, you might be best served with a free host-especially if your site will simply be small and personal. If you do mind selling advertising for someone else and were hoping to make your own money with your advertising space, you will need to pay for hosting with a company. You will find that the majority of hosting companies out there aren't concerned with your advertising space. Other hosts will not let you put ads up. Be sure that your hosting provider meets your wants and needs before agreeing to pay for space.
There are a lot of criteria by which you can narrow down your choices when you are trying to find a web host for your site. Taking the time to do your research and thoroughly plan your project will ensure that you get the hosting you need for the price you want. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions and to explore a variety of options. Being thorough will make it easier to be happy with your final decision.
