Web hosting business has grown tremendously these days up the stage we are so confused to choose the right one. It is undeniable fact by webmasters where selecting the right hosting package is among crucial task that needs to be done. However, do you know by choosing the wrong host can really burn your pocket? However, this issue has been smartly taken care by senior webmasters but for those you just getting inside the house, there’s a few things you need to consider before choosing your host.
1) Choose only what you need
Everyone of us want the best in their life, aren’t we? We thought by buying the state-of-the-art host earlier is the best bang for bucks, right? Wrong! With all the functions offered by these web hosting companies, most junior webmasters can easily puzzled on what to choose and what’s not. Of course, advance package comes with greater expandability, but at greater cost too! Resolution – choose a package that really meets your requirements. It will save your money a lot in the future.
2) Your web host is not your asset
Upon launching your web site, can you predict how many visitors you will receive every single day? You won’t! In fact, even Yahoo! actively promoting Yahoo! Answer during their first launch although they are well-known in this industry. As a starter, limit your space to certain space and its bandwidth. A package that comes with 1GB of web space and 5GB of bandwidth already consider as a good start. All you have to do is monitor your traffic every single day. Pay extra attention when your traffic starts to gain its momentum. Once it reaches 75% of your allowable bandwidth, then start packing your belongings. It’s time to move to a new house.
3) Optimize your web space
Click! Here you go. 100GB of web space for rent, and you say to yourself. “Wow! It’s huge. Perhaps this is the best one for me.” Well, think again. Do you really need such gigantic space? The fact is, webmasters who’s going to host a simple web site, or a blog perhaps, don’t need such space. Unless your initial plan is to store lots of images, videos and/or numerous web sites, then you are on the right move. However, take note on the terms for that particular package. Make sure you are allowed to host as many web sites as possible, and I mean; your domain names too!
4) Paying extra doesn’t means you are losing
You have selected a package and now it comes to payment. Many web hosting companies require you to sign-up a contract for a whole year. To make it more attractive, they even offer you another 10% – 20% discount! Is this considered worth taking? No. Don’t do that. Be patient at the beginning. Try to pay by monthly payment. In the meantime, conduct a rigorous test on the subscribed package. Do they really meet your expectation? No? Then start looking for another web host. Remember, a 30-days money back guarantee is only valid for the first 30-days, not on the 31st. If you pay by yearly payment, you cannot simply switch to a new host. If you still insist to move to a new host, then wave your money goodbye. You won’t get it back, even your balance!
5) Selecting the right control panel
There are so many types of control panels available, a place where you control your web site. Some are even customized by the web host themselves. However, normal control panel we know are cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin. Each control panel comes with its own functions and abilities. Thus, only choose what suits you (and your attitude of course!) Some peoples are too lazy to navigate just to find out how to setup an email! Choosing a wrong control panel will makes it hard to maintain your web site. Therefore, try the functions of each control panel before proceed to payment. You’ll be thankful to yourself later on.
There you go; 5 simple steps that need to be taken into account before buying a web host. If you follow these steps from the start, you are most likely avoiding yourself on the future lost.
Enjoy navigating!