What You Should Know About Your Web Host

By Raamakant S.

Yesterday I received a nice email in my inbox, I read that short and interesting email, it was like 5 to 6 lines max, at the end was a link which I was asked to click on. I did exactly that. I wait for about 1 minute but no page downloaded. I thought my Internet connection was down so I checked it but it was perfect.

I refresh the page many times but the results were the same. I read all other mails and did my routine work. In the evening I suddenly remembered that mail. Since it was so interesting, I again read it and clicked on the link but this time the same results appeared. I finally gave up and deleted that mail.

This whole episode left a question in my mind about why people don't choose their web host wisely. In fact it's the most vital part of an Internet business.

A web host is the first important step towards building your Internet business. You can get cheap or even free hosting services but I don't prefer free hosting for commercial sites. Your users are going to get blasted with annoying pop-ups every time they surf to your page, it's going to be impossible to get a decent position in a search engine, and you don't even get a real business URL. No one's going to remember your web address if they have to type www.myfreehost.com/my_site.

So the question is, what points we should consider before selecting a web host?

1. Space

It's the first point to consider - how much space your host is providing to you. If you have a one or two page website with no downloads, it's not an important point, but if you are planning to go for resale right product, you need at least 100 MB space. Most good web hosts provide a minimum 1 GB space to their clients.

2. Bandwidth

It's another important part to check. Did you know that sites with high downloads causes many people to go over budget on bandwidth and lose their host? Sometimes they have to pay fees up to hundreds of dollars. It's essential to check before buying any hosting services. Most good host provides 25 to 50 GB Bandwidth.

3. Support System

It's also a key point. If you get stuck at any point, how long does it take to get support? Do they provide 24/7 phone support?

Some Additional features you must check:

How many POP email accounts they are providing?
How many databases they are providing?
Do they have Web based e-mail?
Do they have Anti-Spam and Anti-Virus filters?
Can you Password Protected your directories?
Do they take regular backups in case a server gets crashed?
Do they have a money-back Guarantee, if you don't like their services?
Do they support Perl, PHP, Crontab and Secure Server Layer?
(You don't require these facilities in the beginning but after some time you need it.)

I personally trust "Ultimate Web Hosting Services" for my hosting needs. They have all features that a professional host must have. The most telling feature of this hosting service is
that it gives one hour response guarantee but usually I get response in 5-10 minutes. I prefer this hosting service just because of its speedy response and its tons of superb qualities. You can try their services at http://www.ultimatewebhostingservices.com

I am not saying that they are the best. There may be other companies that have even better services, but in terms of their prices they are the best.

So whatever host you choose you must consider these points so you never get in trouble.

Copyright 2005 Raamakant S.

About the Author:

Raamakant S. is owner of http://www.umtezine.com. Subscribe to his Ultimate marketing Tips eZine by sending a blank e-mail to umtezine@getresponse.com -- Learn Everything You've Been Wanting to Know about Internet Marketing. REAL Tips, Tricks and Techniques You Can Use In Your Business and Consistently Produce MASSIVE Amounts of Profits.