| If you ask a friend or a group of people/companies
with websites for a suggested ISP (Internet Service Provider),
you will get as many recommendations as there are those replying.
You may also hear “horror stories” about some
of the hosts that others swear by. So, how in the world can
you ever choose? In this article, I share my thoughts and
opinions on ways to make a sensible choice, but with a happy
and prosperous outcome free from disasters.
How
do I choose? Price can vary from as little as $3.00 a month
to more than $100 per month. (Warning: what follows are
the opinions I have formed from my experiences with several
different hosts!)
I
check to see how long a company has been in business and
what corporate backing and rating it receives. Some of the
very new hosts may be great, but you don’t want one
that comes and goes quickly after you have paid for a year
or two of hosting (I never sign up for more than one year
at a time).
I
make sure that the host offers an excellent statistics package.
It is important to know all about your traffic, and especially
important if you are designing for others. Their boards
and bosses want to know how well the site is doing.
If
it is a personal site that I use just for hosting sites
on which I am working at the time, then I don’t worry
as much about the features, but I do want a site with excellent
uptime.
And
probably, for me, the most important feature is the amount
and professionalism of the technical and customer support.
I want to be able to reach a live, polite and knowledgeable
person at 3 a.m. in the morning on the weekend, who will
solve my problem with ease and pleasure (over a toll free
line). Even though most of the hosting companies brag about
this feature, many do not follow through to my satisfaction.
The only way to find out is to try them.
There
are a variety of reasons for choosing your ISP. Write down
what is important to you and/or your website designer, and
go from there. Happy Hunting!
|
