Anyone who is serious about developing a successful online business must find a reliable web hosting company to host the business website or blog. Depending on the size of the business and the operating budget, the web host and type of plan may vary. Whether the operating budget is large or small, here are four things every webmaster/business owner must consider:

• Reliability

• Features
• Responsive customer service
• Price

Let’s look a little deeper into why each is important:

Reliability

Having the cheapest web hosting company with the best customer service report is totally useless if the website is down. Most reputable web hosting companies offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. If you are considering a host that does not offer the guarantee, don’t sign on the dotted line. Find another company.

In addition to the up time guarantee look for the money back guarantee. Reliable web hosting companies will offer a 30, 45 or 60 day full money back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with the service; the longer the guarantee the better. If your host does not offer a guarantee, think long and hard before you sign up.

Features

Only the webmaster and/or business owner knows exactly which features are important to the business. Some businesses require large server disc space because of large video or music files, while other sites can get away with much smaller server requirements. Features such as shopping carts, multi-domain hosting on one account, wordpress or moveable type blog installation, security, cpanel and other features can make the difference between signing up with one host over another.

You must take an inventory of your business needs, make a list and do not sign up with any hosting company that does not meet all of the requirements on the list.

Customer Support

Some business owners and webmaster require a little more hand holding than others. If your site is complicated or you feel that you’ll need to utilize the services of customer support rather heavily, be sure to understand the process. Most hosting companies display wonderful service before you sign up. Frequent a few webmaster forums to get the real scoop on the web host you’re thinking of signing up with. Be wary of testimonials found on the hosts own website.

Once you make a decision on which web host to go with, contact customer support early in your relationship with the hosting company (like the first week). Their response is a good indication of what to expect throughout your relationship with them. If it is satisfactory and stellar, then you’ve made a good decision. If they don’t get back to you promptly, it’s time to find a new host.

Pricing

There are still free web hosting services available, but you usually get what you pay for. If you’re going to run a professional website with the intent to earn money, you have to spend a little money up front.

Web hosting costs can run as little as $3.65 per month and up. Your operating budget will dictate how much you can afford. If you take your time and do your research you can get a lot of features for your money.

Bloggers stand a better chance at using free services like Blogspot.com or WordPress.com. Be aware, however, bloggers with free WordPress.com hosted blogs are not allowed to place ads on their blogs.

If you’re looking for a hosting company, read this blog entry for advice on a few hosting companies to stay away from.

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