How to Select the Best Web Host for Your Business

Choosing a web hosting company for your small business is easier now than ever. Anyone with an Internet connection can do the research necessary to make a wise choice of web host. In addition, the machine power and storage space you need has become less expensive in recent years. Even host sites that charge only a couple of dollars per month throw in features you used to find only with more expensive providers.

There are, however, hundreds of web hosting services out there with an enormous variety of service packages available. It is also easier now than ever to be overwhelmed with possibilities, however while any of these services can keep your site running, they are far from equal in quality and price.

Choosing the right web host begins with figuring out what features you need to support your business. If this is your first adventure in making a business web site, you can also call up many hosting companies and simply ask them which of their options would work for your pet store/employment agency/floral shop/etc.

Two important needs to quantify are bandwidth and storage capacity. It isn't so much critical that you maximize these two parameters at first, but you do need to ask any hosting provider if you can increase storage space and bandwidth should your needs increase. If the answer is yes, you need to make sure that the process will be straightforward and will not result in any downtime on your site.

You should also determine what other capabilities you want, such as a photo gallery, database support, or a shopping cart program. These perks are often included in "canned" hosting packages, as are integrated payment gateways that make it easy to get your online store up and running.

A web based control panel is a nice feature. This will allow you to do tasks such as modifying email accounts, editing databases, or changing your site's configuration. Web-based email is another good feature if you employ others in your business. This will allow them to check their email from any computer, not just at the office. If you have round-the-clock FTP access, you will be able to change your site during nonbusiness hours.

You should make sure you have so-called 24/7/365 technical support. You never know when technical difficulties will arise. Many hosting providers nowadays offer live support by email and live chat as well as over the phone.

If you plan to take your business to another level down the road, you should make an informed decision about the type of server you will be employing. Shared servers are less expensive, but sharing resources can result in occasional slow traffic or even crashes due to problems of someone else on the same server as you.

A dedicated server can be very expensive, however. One in-between option is a shared server with only a limited number of sites per physical server. This helps minimize the problems of shared servers while being less expensive than a dedicated server.

Finally, some hosting providers include at no extra charge goodies like blog software, forums, photo galleries, and content management systems. Some even offer 30-day trials that you can use fine tune your site and see if you're satisfied with your hosting company. Though a 30-day trial could result in a delay of getting your site up and running - should you be dissatisfied and decide to switch to another provider - it may be a good investment to see how well you work with the provider.

Here is a quick checklist of features you should ask your intended host provider about:

SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, protocols for security and data integrity
Dedicated CGI, Common Gateway Interface for forms and scripts
Credit card authorization capability
Web-based control panel for tweaking your site
Detailed statistical analysis for your site
POP and Webmail with spam blocking
Guaranteed uptime of at least 99.9%
24/7/365 email and phone technical support