Things to Avoid in Choosing a Web Host

Choosing a web host is becoming increasingly difficult with all the competiton out there. Every web host likes to making outlandish claims of 24/7 technical support but what does this really mean? I have outlined a list of 5 things that you should be wary of when choosing a hosting company for your website. Especially, if the website is part of your core business, ie. an ecommerce site.

1. Bad Technical Support

24/7 Technical Support is never free for a company because they have to pay someone to sit around answer the phone when you call. What some companies do is hire a guy to answer the phone and put your call in a queue for the real technicians to fix the following morning or worse the following Monday. Another trick that companies use is to have a single guy answer calls for 10,000 customers. You get 24/7 Phone support if you don't mind waiting on the hold for 30 minutes.

2. Poor Company Stability

Look out for companies that haven't been around for awhile. You will probably noticed that there are a lot of different companies out there that you have never heard about before. Be especially careful about companies offering ridiculously large hosting plans for $2/month. For every hosting company that starts up, there is another one that is being shut down. That could be detrimental to your business if your web host shut down. If you can't see how your web host can afford to stay in business...maybe they can't!

3. Web Hosting Resellers

Although going through a hosting reseller is essentially the same as going directly to the host company, you have no way of knowing who that host is. Also, you are likely paying a premium for that service. What happens when that Reseller decides to stop? To avoid these types of hassles, I recommend avoiding them altogether. Make sure the host runs it's own datacenter. That is a way of knowing they are not a reseller.

4. No Money Back Guarantee

With many hosting companies, you can never be too sure so most companies will offer a 30-day money back guarantee. It is sign that they stand behind their product rather than trying to trick you into using their services. If you don't like their service, than you have the option of leaving.

5. Overly Expensive Plans

Often the perception is cheaper hosting companies means that you are paying for a reduction in quality. This is not always the case. I would be weary of any "free" or really cheap hosting company but I would be equally weary of a company charging $30-40 for a hosting plan. Often a $10-15 plan is equally as good.