subject: Website Hosting Basics [print this page] One of the first things you will need to do before you set up a website is to decide on a host. A cursory internet search will result in millions of companies who will host your site. Many times, you don't even need to search for someone to host your site. You may come across an ad and be tempted to click on it before knowing anything else about the company. Before you go clicking on random website hosting ads, there are a few things to know. You should consider what you want from a website hosting service and what options are out there. Otherwise you might get a poor quality service, pay too much for features you don't need or not get enough features.
The most important thing you need from a web host is a good track record for uptime on the websites they host. You want an excellent guarantee, in the high 90 percentile. If you have friends or associates who operate websites, you might start by asking for their recommendations. There are also numerous review sites for website hosting services, but be careful that the reviews aren't too biased. Your best bet is to defer to people and websites you trust, or to find many positive reviews for a particular service from a variety of sources so that you can be sure about its legitimacy.
Once you have found a highly recommended service, you should take stock of the extra features they offer and see how they measure up to what you need. Figure out your needs separately from your research about possible hosts for your website. That way you won't be tempted by features that you may not even use and end up paying more. Be realistic but don't cheat yourself. One important feature that many people overlook is customer service and technical support. It's easy to forget about because people tend to assume the best so they don't ever anticipate ever having a problem and needing someone's assistance.
Some additional features to think about when choosing your website hosting service are the amount of bandwidth, "cPanel" or another control panel, free advertising credits, add-on domain names, and templates in a free website builder. There are others, but those are some of the most common. The cost you want to pay each month is important to consider. You will want to weigh your budget against the features that are important to you. For example, your website might just be a supplement to your hobby and you are not interested in making money but you still want to keep costs down. In that case, the advertising credits would be less important than paying a lower rate for a more basic package.
Looking for a service to host your website is an exciting process. You are that much closer to getting your website off the ground and there are many possible features and freebies being advertised. Just make sure you are going with a trusted website host. Stick with your priorities and your website will be up in no time.
