Finding unbiased information on web hosting can be extremely difficult. If you aren’t a tech wizard, it can be confusing to read about what you may need in a hosting package, or what kind of host you should choose. Fortunately, this article has plenty of web hosting tips so you can make good hosting choices.
You should avoid registering your domain name through your host, in case they decide to keep it in the event you ever cancel your plan. If you register your domain with your host, your host will control the registration instead of you.
Resist the temptation to accept free domain registration from the same company you will be using for web hosting. There are many start-ups out there who may – or may not – be around for very long, and they probably will not give clients advance notice if they are going out of business. You will need to have immediate access to your domain registration if this happens, but may not be able to get it if they are out of business.
Choose a hosting service that allows you to instantly and easily view your web statistics. You will want to know things such as how many people are visiting your website and what pages they are viewing. You can even find out how long they stayed on your site, and what search words they used to find you. These can be important in the long run, so use a server who has these tools.
It is important to determine your needs prior to shopping for a web hosting service. There are numerous packages you can choose from that vary significantly in price. Some of the factors you should consider include the amount of bandwidth you need, how much disk space you require, and the types of databases offered. Knowing your requirements in a web host will make it much easier for you to select a hosting package.
Choose a web host that charges a low monthly fee. You can usually find a quality web host for between $5 and $10 per month. You may also be able to save money by paying for 12, 18 or 24 months of service at one time, instead of paying for web hosting services on a monthly basis.
Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy. This is a factor you should consider in a quality web host. With your valuable information and business demanding consistent uptime and stability, it is crucial that your host has some level of redundancy in place, such as power, data and even environmental protections. You need to have a good idea of how your investment is being protected.
Familiarize yourself with different statistics’ tools to keep track of your performances. You can use Analog Stats, Webalizer FTP, Webalizer web stats or AWStats. These tools allow you to see how many visitors you are getting every month, which pages they are viewing and what your bandwidth is used for.
As mentioned in the introduction, it can be hard to find out the right information about web hosting, especially if you aren’t a techie. The best thing to do is to read through the tips laid out here and then start to make decisions about the best host for your purposes.