Ask any Internet entrepreneur what the most important
decision they had to make for their Web site was, and
chances are pretty good they'll say:
"choosing my Web host".
Here are the most important things you need to ask your
potential Web host before you part with your hard earned
cash.
1. "How long have you been in business?"
Very important, as Web hosting is a business that requires a
lot of technical experience. It is very high tech, and a new
company might not have had the time to get accustomed to all
the many different technologies you'll be using for your Web
site.
2. "Who are your customers?"
Are their current customers serious business people or just
hobby Webmasters with personal homepages? Ask for some URLs
of serious ecommerce sites that they host.
3. "Do you provide live 24x7x365 support?"
You will definitely require support from your Web host from
time to time. Questions will arise that you'll need answers
to. Sometimes you'll need these answers as soon as possible,
or even immediately. A good Web host must have 24 hour
support staff available on hand to take your emails and
calls. Your emails should be responded to within 1-2 hours
max.
4. "Do you guarantee 99% uptime?"
No matter how good a Web host, your site will be unavailable
for short periods of times due to routine maintenance work.
The best Web hosts however offer a money back guarantee in
case your Web site isn't up 99% of the time (over the period
of one year usually).
5. "What kind of Internet connection do you have?"
You need a fast connection from your Web site to the
Internet. The fastest connections are leased lines (includes
T-1, T-3, OC-3 and DS-3). You should be looking for a Web
host with leased lines. No leased lines? Simply look for
another Web host.
6. "What features do you offer?"
You MUST be provided with a CGI directory for your scripts.
Also, PHP capability is becoming more and more important. Of
course, you want the obvious features such as POP email
accounts, email aliases, autoresponders (very important) and
access to log files. For a full list of features you should
demand from your Web host, click on the link below:
http://www.all-about-making-money-online.com/choosinghost/
7. "How much data transfer am I allowed per month?"
Unless you're going to purchase a dedicated server, you'll
be limited to the amount of traffic you can drive to your
Web site per month. Don't worry however, as you'll be
offered more than enough transfer for a small-medium site.
And if you get so much traffic that you exceed the transfer
quota, well then that's a good thing! For it means you can
make more money, and so can afford to upgrade to a more
powerful server. A quota of 3GB of monthly transfer should
be enough to begin with.
Note that I haven't mentioned price anywhere above. This is
because:
ONE: You'll find prices published on the sites of Web hosts.
No need to ask for them.
TWO: Good Web hosts are more expensive. You get what you pay
for when it comes to Web hosting. A basic package of around
$30 per month is a good price for a good host.
About the Author
Said Rouhani is the owner of
All-About-Making-Money-Online.com. Visit now to learn how to
set up your own profitable Web site from scratch - honest
and revealing info available to you for FREE:
http://www.all-about-making-money-online.com/