In the world of web site hosting, where there exist tens of thousands of companies across the globe that provide all sorts of features over a wide range of prices, how does one choose the right web hosting company for their business?
At SEEDCORE, we have engineered our shared hosting services to be the ideal solution to meet small business web hosting needs. For larger businesses (greater than 100 employees or any company that relies very heavily upon eCommerce and/or web services), dedicated hosting servers prove to be a better solution.
Things to look for when choosing a quality business web hosting company:
Verifiable Address:
First and foremost, does the company you are considering have a verifiable physical address that is listed anywhere on their site; preferably one that includes a phone number that you have ensured works?
You may not think initially about this, but when doing business on the web, you don't always have an idea of whom or what you are dealing with. What's more, the coming about of "reseller hosting" has now made it possible for virtually anybody to start up a seemingly legitimate web hosting business with no knowledge, no equipment and no liability.
The company might vanish with no warning potentially causing you much damage!
At SEEDCORE, all clients may contact us at any time toll-free by phone or by email, or even come and pay us a visit at our office in Boston, Massachusetts.
Hosting Platform - Compatibility?
Next, make sure the company can provide the platform and software you need to host your web site. For example, if your site is programmed in ASP, choosing a Linux-only hosting company is probably not a good idea given the cost of re-writing your code to make it compatible.
Hosting - Quality & Features:
Business web hosting demands that your web pages load quickly and files download fast! Choose a host that does not overload its servers and has lots of available bandwidth. Our fast web hosting service is one of the reasons why we retain the majority of our clients who in turn continually refer us new business. Many top-quality hosts, like SEEDCORE, offer risk-free trials of their service!
Check the extra features that are included with your hosting. See which ones are free and which ones incur additional cost. Always choose a host with a good control panel and web site visitor statistics software!
If your business web site will require eCommerce web hosting capabilities such as shopping cart functionality and shared or dedicated SSL encryption, be certain your new host has these features available to you.
Customer Service & Technical Support:
Regardless of whether or not you are a technically-savvy person, you will want to have the best possible customer service & support for your hosting services. Read through the hosting company's FAQs, browse their knowledgebase, even email their support staff to see how quickly you receive a response.
Check the Host's Reputation:
Do your homework researching the company. Read reviews and testimonials, but be wary of the numerous hosting directories and host review sites that are out there. Many such sites are just massive, organized, paid advertisements the substance of which has no bearing on how well the host will perform for you.
Pricing - The Last Consideration:
Price should be your last consideration once you have found several hosts you like and feel comfortable with. Hosting prices can range from being very inexpensive, even free, to having almost no upper limit. A common question "Why should I pay money to host my site if someone else is offering it cheaper or free?" frequently comes up.
Well in this world, the term "you get what you pay for" is highly applicable. Many free hosts will put up banners or advertisements on your site, and sometimes the free service is very limited. The inexpensive hosting companies often put too many customers on each server resulting in lots of problems - (slow performance to the point of site unavailability, security issues, slow transfer rates, etc). Finding a good, affordable hosting company for your business should not be too difficult.
Remember, network and system resources must cost the hosting company money, so in some way they have to make it back from you, whether it be slow servers or poor customer service.
And Finally...
Place your order and hopefully enjoy hassle-free, fast, reliable, business web hosting!
