One of the first steps in setting up a website is choosing a web host, so it is important to choose wisely. Not all web hosts are the same, and their quality can vary widely. To make sure you have a good experience, read and make use of the following tips.
When choosing a web host, pick a company that is located within your niche’s country. For example, if your target market resides within Germany, it is in your best interest to select a provider that operates a data center from within the country’s borders.
When transferring your site between hosts, have a copy of your website at both your old and new hosts for a few days. It’s important to do this because it takes 6-48 hours for the DNS to propagate. During this time, some visitors will be sent to your old website, while others whose ISPs have updated their DNS info will be sent to your new site.
Make sure you, and not your web host, controls your domain name. If you let your host control your domain name, you may be stuck with that host if you don’t want to change domains. Some unscrupulous hosts won’t release the domain info if you leave on bad terms. If you control the domain, you can point it at another host’s nameservers and start fresh.
When choosing a web hosting service, refrain from going with the recommendation of friends or family who are not professionals. Though they may have had a good experience themselves with a certain provider, realize that their needs may be very simple compared to yours. Read reviews and advice from those who have needs similar to your own.
Take email needs into account when choosing a web hosting plan. Most plans will include some basic email services, but if you need additional mailboxes or storage, you may have to purchase an extra package or select another tier of service. Some inexpensive plans may also limit the number of emails you can send in a day.
Don’t choose your web hosting provider based solely on price. Although using a cheap or free web host may save you money in the short run, these hosts might not offer the disk space or bandwidth you need. Price should be only one factor in your final decision so that you ensure that you get what you most need.
Choosing a web host for your site can be a difficult process. If you can afford even one of the more reasonable ones, you’re more likely to succeed with it. However, just because you can pay doesn’t mean you have to pay through the nose. Some of the expensive services are actually, less reliable than the more affordable ones.
Choosing the wrong web host can really hinder your efforts to run a successful website, so make sure you do your research beforehand. As you have seen in this article, the quality of web hosts can be quite varied.
Remember what you have learned from this article when you are selecting a hosting service.