Deciding on who is the best web hosting company isn’t a life or death situation, but doing your homework will save you money and, more importantly, headaches down the road. There are a lot of web hosting companies that will do a fine job to meet your needs, however, you can’t just blindly choose one because, unfortunately there also exist web hosting companies that are blatantly just trying to scam you out of your money. Don’t be fool and sign up with the lowest priced web hosting company — you’ll almost certainly regret it!

Put ‘em through the ringer
When you think about it, web host companies are like a major appliance, kind of like a washer or dryer. All different models perform the same basic function, but each has its own special perk to try to entice you to choose them. Just like washing machines, there is both a low end and high end price tag. At the high end you pay for extra fancy features: maybe extra spin cycles or electronic dials. For web hosting companies these are features like unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, unlimited number of emails. And just like a washing machine, web host companies have both good and bad after-purchase support or warranties. You might have a tendency to go for the top of the line or the cheapest hosting company but resist!

A true “best” web hosting company story
I fell victim to the “cheapest is the best” mentality. Even though I’m a long time veteran of making websites, I was still duped by the cheap price tag of a new-kid-on-the-block web hosting company. Unconsciously I thought, “all hosting is the same, so the best web hosting company is the cheapest.” What a dumb mistake, especially for a web veteran like me. I happily paid 3.99 a month for unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth — all the seemingly common things you come to expect in a webhost. However, what I was actually paying 3.99 a month for was unanswered support phone calls, unexplained site downtime and unavailability, and a huge headache. Basically I was stuck with a nice heaping pile of dirty laundry and just wanted my money back so I could buy a different washing machine. In the end, I did end up getting my money back, but only after weeks of stressing and feeling very frustrated. That serves me right for not doing my homework on this particular hosting company and hastily jumping at a cheap price. (By the way, the company is now out of business)
UPDATE: 2 years later they tried to charge me a renewal fee!

Think about price the right way
Now, I don’t blame anyone for using price as a main criteria for choosing the best web hosting company. It’s only my middle-class nature to try and save a buck or two;) However, when I sat back and thought about the nightmare I went through with this $4 per month company, I realized if I went with a $6 or $7 per month, well-established hosting company, I’d only be paying 24 or 36 more dollars a year. A price I’d gladly pay for smooth service and peace of mind — especially considering the torment and frustration I went through. In hindsight, its easy for me to say after the fact, but I guarantee if you find yourself in the same situation as I was with a deadbeat web hosting company, you’ll come to the same conclusion about paying $2 or $3 more per month!

The “Best” equals being good at the “Basics”
Finding the best web hosting company should not be a trial and error experiment, and I certainly do not recommend doing as such. Signing on with a web host company, even though it may have a money back guarantee, is more of a commitment then you may realize. For example if you buy a hosting package and decide that you want a refund within the advertised satisfaction guaranteed time limit, most likely you will have to go through the pains of transferring your domain name (which is never refunded). Also, if the web hosting company really wants to hang you out to dry, they might try to charge you fees for the bandwidth and space that you used in the meantime (read the fine print). This is why you should do some good research and find out who is the best web hosting company for you the first time. When shopping for the best web hosting company, concentrate on the basics. Who has a good reputation at doing the core web hosting responsibilities. The following is a list of core features and characteristics that you should grade each web hosting company on when shopping around:

Transfer Bandwidth
Storage Space
Support
Languages (PHP, Perl, Ruby)
Control Panel (Fantastico)
Satisfaction history
Years in the business

Special tip for the web savvy
Here’s a tip if you plan on having more than one website/domain: Many hosting companies allow you to have multiple domain names per hosting account. That way you pay a single monthly hosting package fee for the ability to host multiple domains. For example: you can register two.COM domains (for approximately $10/year) and then use one hosting package for both those domains (which costs around $7/month). This is a huge way to save money.

By: John Cao

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Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress

Every online business owner, starting or experienced, is on the lookout for the best website hosting available. But before the internet marketer chooses what he or she thinks as the best service provider, it is just as important to decide first which specific criteria should be considered. Here is a list of the things which online marketers usually regard as key when finding the best web hosting provider.

The primary consideration to think about is the specific business model you want to operate. A good question which needs immediate response is, “Does this type of business run only with a web host, or hosting is not really necessary?” For instance, an affiliate marketer or a blogger who wants to promote products of other people may not readily see the need to have a privately hosted site. Moreover, they are not that interested about the best website hosting provider (unless this information affects the products being promoted).

Of course, the price of the hosting service is a center of attraction and is generally the greatest deciding factor towards availing it. This doesn’t mean that the best website hosting service must be the cheapest one in the market. The top web hosting companies around the internet secure their position by keeping the price relative to the features of the service and bonuses included in the hosting package they offer. Actually, the cost is largely dependent on the next criterion for being the best provider: quality.

The most outstanding service providers are those who are able to offer high quality service to clients. The top web hosting companies may even charge a lot to clients, and still effectively keep their market because of the quality they provide. “Quality” here is dependent to a number of sub-criteria – customer support, technicalities (such as connection speed, bandwidth capacity, compatibility to upgrades or plug-ins, website customization, etc.) and bonuses (referral or affiliate program, business learning tools like software and eBooks, and other perks). Most of the top providers utilizes the power of affiliate marketing nowadays, and many people easily think that this alone is what attracts a huge clientele for the most impressive web hosting companies. But, among these components affecting quality of service, customer support – the way these providers resolve issues and handle customer relations – is actually treated as the most vital aspect which separates the best website hosting companies from the mediocre ones.

By: James Clarke

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Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress