subject: What Hosting Company is Best For You? [print this page] No matter how many websites you've built, there will come a time when you need to choose a hosting provider for your project. You might be choosing your first company. You might be an old pro who simply needs to choose a new hosting provider. The reason for the change is not important; what is important is that your choice is an informed one. This is going to be your new baby after all. It is important to make sure that your needs will be met with the company that you choose. Use these tips to make the process of choosing hosting a little bit easier.
What kind of FTP access are you looking for? If you have never heard of FTP before, you will most likely be just fine with a free and web based hosting program. If your FTP needs are extensive, you should make sure that any hosting program you purchase will have a way of meeting those needs. Some hosts provide you with web based FTP programs and applications. Still other hosting companies ask that you use your own downloaded FTP application.
You should choose a hosting company that allows you access to its FTP application if you don't want to have to worry about doing your own file transfers. When you know what you are doing and want more control over the file transfer process, choose a hosting provider that encourages the use of third party software applications for FTP.
Check out all of the ways that a company provides customer service.
Make sure that your potential hosting provider has live customer service reps that you can speak with. Investigate the customer service levels by calling the customer service number listed on the company website. If the customer service agents are good they will be able to help you solve your problem, no matter what kind of problem you ask them about. If you are sent from person to person without getting any real help, you should choose another hosting company. Everybody has rough days so if your first customer service call does not go well, try calling back the next day to see what happens. Many companies are also offering live chatting. This is a great option to look for if you are a web developer who hates to talk on the phone. If there is no way of contacting customer service and you are forced to rely solely on a short FAQ page for problem solving, choose another company.
Everybody wants to make sure that their hosts are reliable and that their websites will always be accessible. Like most things on the web, this is something that some owners care very deeply about and others might not think about at all.
If you have a small site or a small audience, dealing with down time on your site every once in a while is not the end of the world. If your website is how you earn your living, on the other hand, it needs to be accessible all the time. Down time is terrible! You need to take steps to ensure that your site does not experience lag time and that your host gives you the best availability possible.
Don't spend a bunch of time surfing through hosts if you don't have to-take some easy steps to narrow that playing field! Save yourself time and stress by doing your research and planning out your site before you begin searching for the perfect hosting plan. Looking over your options and asking every question that you can think of is a great idea. You'll be happy you were thorough.
