There are certain features every internet specialist would expect to see provided by a webhosting company, or else walk away.  Here are some tips for choosing webhosting, especially if you are designing a website for the first time, or if you have made mistakes in the past and don’t care to repeat them.

Up to date, powerful servers

Your webhosting provider should be happy to give you information about the company’s server, where it is located and how old it is. Ask whether you will be able to install the software your require to run your site – for example, if you are setting up an online casino, will the games run fast enough on the webhosting plan they are trying to sell you? If you aren’t happy with the pricing, get quotes elsewhere for comparable packages and there is no harm in trying to negotiate based on the prices you find.

Consistent online connectivity

In theory anyone can provide webhosting, as long as their computer is on all the time and connected continuously to the internet.  This isn’t normally practical however for ordinary businesses, when taking into account the possibility of electricity outages, hacking through poor security, systems crashing, and human error, not to mention the cost and the stress. 

The advantage of a professional webhosting provider is that they should keep your website available to viewers all day and all night, 365 days a year.  They should know how to deal with maintenance issues, upgrade equipment regularly, have reliable back up contingencies, have impeccable security and be able to deal with sudden increases in traffic to the server for whatever reason, so that your site isn’t adversely affected. 

If you read reviews to the contrary, steer clear, no matter how tempting the monthly charge is.  Doing it yourself or going for cheaper plans don’t necessarily mean you are guaranteed continuous online exposure.

Dealing direct is usually preferable

Plenty of web designers will offer to set up hosting for you at the same time as developing the structure and design of your site, but by dealing directly with your webhosting provider you can save yourself the extra charges these contractors may well add on to your bill.  If you allow a third party to set up your webhosting you may not be aware of the true cost of the monthly plan and may be paying over the odds for something you can get for a better price when dealing direct. 

The only time to allow your web designer to sort everything out with your webhosting might be when you have not got the time to do it yourself, or don’t have the expertise to choose the right webhosting package.

Choose from a range of webhosting options

Any webhosting service worth its salt will have a range of options for you to look at; including shared hosting and virtual private servers (VPS).  Shared hosting is the most cost effective choice for smaller businesses and you will have access to a range of creative design tools for your website which can be very useful.

Steffany Kellam has long experience in domain name and web hosting (as her friends in Sweden say webbhotell) company. She has lots of Internet and technology related articles online.