Sunday, January 7, 2007

Four Steps To Choose The Best Host Website Service

There are so many hosting providers on the Internet that it's not always easy to choose which one is the best for your particular need. Basically there are two types of host website providers: The free and the paid. Many times we are tempted to choose free hosting when starting out, but this is not always the best option. The primary reason you need to avoid free hosting is that you usually don't get enough bandwidth and storage to satisfy your hosting needs. Resultantly, you most always have to upgrade and end up paying anyways. For this reason it's best to choose a paid hostwebsite provider at the beginning that offers the most bandwidth and storage at the best price.

A free host website provider, however, is something to consider if you only want to post a personal page, or maybe it's your first website and you just want to get the feel of what's involved. It's especially something to consider if you don't have a credit card to buy the hosting and domain name. Ultimately, whether you choose to pay a hostwebsite provider or get a free host website provider, these four steps will help you choose the best host website service.

Step One: Storage
Regardless of the host website provider you choose, you need to choose one that offers adequate storage. Storage is especially important if you want to store a lot of images and large files on your website. Most free hosting providers will only give you the first 10mb and then want you to upgrade so they can start billing you. Always choose a host provider to host your website that will give you the most storage and bandwidth. While you can't expect much from a provider that will host your website free, you should try to get a minimum of 50mb of storage so you don't risk running out. But keep in mind that even that amount is really not that much if you plan to store a lot of images and/or large files, such as a reseller of software, for example, would need.

Step Two: Bandwidth
As with storage, bandwidth is an equally important consideration. The problem with most free host website providers, as well as some paid host website providers, is that they do not provide enough bandwidth. They offer small inadequate amounts of bandwidth, and when you approach and/or exceed it you run the risk of having your account suspended unless you pay to upgrade. This can result in website downtime, which is not a big problem if your are using the host website provider to host your website for personal use, but if you are trying to run a business too much downtime could result in loss of potential customers and revenue.

Step Three: Ads
Another consideration when choosing a free host website provider is the reality that nothing is actually free. Like any other business, a free host website provider has to turn a profit to stay in business. To do this they place ads (advertisements) on your free website. Some free host website providers go overboard with Popups, banner ads and more.... When this occurs, it distracts from your site and doesn't present a professional image to potential customers. It's best to go with a paid hostwebsite provider; especially if you are running a business; however, if circumstances force you to go with a free host website provider, try to find one that has the least amount of advertising and preferably no Popups. An overly crowded website distracts your potentials customers and makes them want to click away fast.

Step Four: Uptime and Functionality
Since it takes an investment of time to upload your web pages and/or get them looking exactly the way you want them to look, you probably will want to stay with your host website provider and not have to move to another host website provider where you will have to repeat the process of uploading and editing. Sometimes though, poor customer service, high downtime, and a delay in answering your concerns may necessitate that you move to another host website provider. To lessen the chance of this occurring, you need to shop around before deciding on a host website provider. Choose one that has an uptime of over 99% -- the more the better; but realistically, there is no such thing as 100% uptime. Even the best host web site providers will occasionally have some downtime.

Before choosing a host website provider, look over their website to see if they offer prompt customer service. It's best to choose one that has a telephone number displayed that you can call to voice a concern or report a problem. If a number is not displayed, choose one that has live customer support and/or promises to respond in a certain time period. There really is no hard and fast rule here because there are many fine host website providers that don't display a telephone number or offer live support, so they can keep their overhead low and pass the savings on to their customers. It's your choice though, and you need to choose based on your particular needs and circumstances.

Whether it's a free host website provider or a paid host website provider, you need to choose the one that offers the most storage and bandwidth and the best customer service and highest uptime. If you choose a free host website provider, make sure it is one that doesn't overly crowd your web pages with too much advertising. It distracts from your sites' appearance and professional image; a crucially important consideration if your free host website provider is hosting your business.

Following these four easy steps can considerably lessen your learning curve and give you a more pleasurable experience with your free or paid host website provider. Why not try http://www.hostbuydomain.com. They offer lots of storage, Massive Bandwidth, great security and 24/7 customer service, and 99.9% uptime ! I hope this article is helpful and enables you to make a more informed choice when choosing a host website provider.
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