The majority of small and medium business owners do not have much knowledge about running web servers. As a rule their web designer will handle these matters on their behalf. The problem comes in if the web designer suddenly moves to the other side of the planet and you have no idea what’s going on with your website. That’s why it’s always better to know the basics of website hosting so you will at least know what questions to ask the hosting company.
Reliability is of the utmost concern. If someone saw your website URL on your business card, for example, and they visit your site and it is down, they might never return. You should therefore choose a company that can guarantee a very high uptime percentage – more than 99.5% if possible. Ask for an uptime report by an independent outside source to verify this.
Another import aspect of your hosting account is whether you receive great technical support. No matter how reliable a specific company’s web servers are, things will go wrong sooner or later. If your website is down, or you can’t access your email one Sunday morning, you want technical help and you want it the same day. Make sure, therefore, that your host has technical support staff on duty seven days a week.
A further important aspect to consider is whether the company provides secure servers. If you want to accept credit cards online, you will need this. You should never accept confidential information over a normal, unsecured connection.
When it comes to disk space and bandwidth, most hosting accounts should be fine. The fact of the matter is that most websites take up only a couple of megabytes of space. Unless you therefore need space for videos or thousands of high resolution pictures, space and bandwidth will not be an issue. Just beware of people promising unlimited space or bandwidth. First read the fine print: there can never be a really unlimited space hosting account for a few dollars. Somewhere in the fine print will be a clause limiting your usage.
If you want to use scripting languages, such as ASP or PHP on your website, or databases, you should make sure the company’s servers can handle this. Also ensure that you get enough email addresses for your needs. Any good web hosting account should include at least fifty or a hundred email accounts.
Often you will want your website visitors to be able to contact you right from the site. In this case a web form is the best option. Fortunately most website hosting companies nowadays will give you access to a free script which can handle web form data. In fact, there are many web hosts that will provide you with a host of free scripts: everything from online forums and blogs to live support. These scripts can usually be installed from a control panel without the need for any technical knowledge.
You should choose the business that does your website hosting with care so that you get the best use of your website. Web hosting companies offer a wide variety of prices and services, so you have many options from which to select.
