Creating your first web site or blog can be a very exciting time. Unfortunately it can also be very time consuming and frustrating if you aren’t sure what web hosting service you are going to be using.
There are thousands of web hosts on the internet that you can choose from and many of them offer different services and prices, so how are you supposed to know which is best for you?
In this article we are going to highlight three different areas that you can focus in on, while also looking at review sites found in the search engines.
Find Review Sites
If you are completely lost and have no idea what to look for, one of the best ways to get started is to visit Google and perform a search for “top hosting companies”. This will allow you to search through the top ranked review sites which provide real feedback and ratings on the best hosting services out there.
Hosting Plans
The first thing to look at when choosing a web host is their different packages that are available. The majority of web sites and blogs on the internet are pretty small and should be fine with shared hosting packages. If you are going to run a high traffic site or online store you will need to look into some more advanced packages to run your site.
Hosting Costs
When it comes to hosting price you should look in the $10-$20 a month range. As mentioned, shared hosting is fine for the majority of sites on the internet and many hosts offer monthly hosting packages in the $7 range. You can always start with a small package and upgrade later on if your site grows in size.
Hosting Support
No matter what type of service you sign up to, support is always going to be important. When choosing your next web host be sure to check if they offer not only email support but also phone and online chat support. Sometimes you will have a quick issue and don’t want to get on the phone. For times like these online chat support is excellent.
Now that you have a good idea of what you should be looking for when choosing a web host you are already ahead of the game. Besides looking at the costs, support and hosting plans, you should also put into consideration the feedback and ratings provided by real customers on hosting review sites.
This article was written by Paul, who writes about web hosting at http://blogging.org.