Web Hosting Tips
When looking for a web host always check on the following things to make sure that you are getting exactly what you need for your website: bandwidth, storage, script support, database support, customer service, server uptime, number of domains per account, server technology, and of course monthly price. Watch out when signing up for anything and make sure to read the terms of service, it can be assumed that any company is looking to make money and if they can get you on some small technicality they will. We have tried to eliminate any company that would do something like this, but we cannot constantly check the terms of service for all of the web hosting companies out there to make sure they aren't sneaking in anything.
Overall Price Value
If it sounds like too good of a deal, it probably is. The web hosts that we have listed in our top 10 all provide exactly what they claim to but we have seen our fair share of web hosts that will claim to give a dedicated server for $15 a month, etc. which is simply impossible to provide without losing money. Always check the terms of service and check out our reviews to see if there is anything you need to look out for.
Reliability & Perfomance
When it comes to reliability and performance there are many distinct factors that decide whether or not a host will be "reliable", many of them are environmental factors. For instance we would never use a San Diego based web host due to all of the various threats from earthquakes, forest fires, floods, etc. The server hardware is also important, look for Cisco or Dell servers as they typically provide the best uptime with the smallest amount of maintenance; for our money we always shoot for Cisco if possible.
The other important factor is the "backbone", the network connection that leads out of the data center to the rest of the internet via a central hub, mostly controlled by AT&T, Time Warner, etc.
Control Panel & Software
When looking for control panel software there typically isn't all that much to look for as most web hosts have standardized their control panels to either the vDeck or cPanel platforms, but there are still some web hosts that have their own custom software. We will always recommend customized control panels and software over the generic solutions as it gives the hosting companies far greater control over their own hardware and allows them to provide a far more tailored experience to your needs. If you are using the cPanel interface, also look for "Fantastico" which is a piece of server-side software that can automatically install various scripts for forums, blogs, wikis, forms, ecommerce, and other things that would typically take considerable network experience.
Customer Support
This one is pretty easy, make sure that the web host provides some sort of money back guarantee (anything less than 30 days is unacceptable, do not trust them), also look for some sort of uptime guarantee. If the webhost doesn't offer 24/7 support via the three standard methods (phone, email, and live chat) then you should look elsewhere, there are plenty of other fish in the sea.
Summary
Use your head and do your research and you should be fine, these tips mostly apply to web hosts other than the 10 we have listed in our "top 10 web hosts" list, as we have spent many hours hand picking the best web hosts and we have looked into even the most minute factors such as ambient temperature of data center locations before putting them on our site and receiving our recommendation. Feel free to check them out at the link below or the panel to the right.
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