subject: 7 Big Web Hosting Mistakes [print this page] Web hosting is one of the most important decisions you will make and - of course - you need to be careful about choosing the right provider. Beware of the freebies and the free trials. This can be an easy way for someone to make a fast buck so watch out. But no matter how careful you are there is always room for error. Here are seven things a web master needs to be aware of: 1. Contact Information Make sure your web host has contact information available 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. This should be in the form of a phone number or an e-mail address that corresponds to the web host domain name. Downtime is your biggest enemy. Find a legitimate company with reliable customer service. 2. Excess Bandwidth Always inquire about bandwidth before signing up with a web host. This can be a problem if you get a free or cheap quality web host. Insufficient amounts of bandwidth will create trouble down the road. Even if you have to pay a little bit more, it will be worth it. 3. Disk Space One of the first questions you should ask is What will you do when the disk space fills up? You need to inquire about the quantity of disk space they provide. Confirm that your host provides you with a liberal amount of disk space. If not, look for another web host. 4. Web Host Domain Name Make sure the company domain name matches the web host company name prior to disclosing your credit card information. It is up to you to determine whether a company is genuine or not, so you need to verify the domain and company name to make sure they are the same. 5. Protection Along with the web host and website design, make sure it will be secure for banking or credit card purchases. If doesnt appear to be secure, customers will definitely leave. 5. Back Up A website's key strength is its software because it defines the resistance of the site. You should always try to have the latest versions of software installed on the website to protect it from any kind of virus and hacker's attacks. Ask the host if they have a back up and what kind of back up they have. 6. Growth Always prepare for the future and think about the websites growth. A proper strategy will overcome any growth challenges - eg. Shopping carts, bandwidth, etc You should adopt a plan for slow, medium and fast growth and think about how you will tackle challenges in every kind of situation. 7. Reliability Make sure any testimonials or reviews are authentic. You can get this information from the web hosting service provider. If they are reluctant to provide them to you, then the reviews are probably fake.
These seven steps will ensure that your web host will be one big success.
