shopping for web hosting When shopping for a reliable web hosting company, there are many ways of looking for web hosting companies. By far the most commonly used method is to search a hosting directory. Hosting directories have a list of web hosting companies, and also details about each company, such as price, any awards, and customer ratings. Furthermore, the more sophisticated ones allows users to refine their search by using such things as geography and hardware as search filters.

However, it has come to light that many hosting directories cannot be trusted due to two reasons. The first reason is that some companies spend money to buy the directories and portray themselves as a more qualified company that they really are. The second reason why many hosting directories cannot be trusted is that they advertise the most “popular” web hosting company, meaning that they advertise the most for the company willing to spend the most buck.

Therefore, one may ask, “If I can’t trust many hosting directories, how can I find a reliable web hosting company?” The answer is to be a smart shopper. By combining hosting directories, researching on the web about the companies in question, checking web hosting blogs or forums, and by checking for the sophistication of the company’s website allow for a shopper to get a general feel for the overall quality of a company. Furthermore, here is a list you can use as a guideline and also send to the companies that you have in mind,

  • Is there a discount if I pay for a certain number of months in advance?
  • How many months am I required to pay?
  • Is there a set up fee?
  • Is there a trial period with a money-back guarantee?
  • What are your hardware configurations?
  • What is your bandwidth limit?
  • Will my IP be shared with other people?
  • Do you offer 24/7 technical support?
  • How much disk space will there be in my package?
  • What is the OS and OS version that will be used on my server?
  • How many other websites are being run on the server my website will be on?
  • Do you provide a full and free CGI directory?
  • Is there a limit to how many scripts I can install?
  • Do you offer a web statistics package?
  • Will I have access to the raw statistical log files?
  • How long has this company been around for?

Ask yourself these questions and get the answers as you take the steps to getting a new reliable web hosting provider, and you are sure to make a strong choice and be satisfied with your final decision!



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